Cracker Barrel Old Country Store — Restaurant in Ashland

Cracker barrel is my favorite place to eat and we don't have any near where I live so during my 14 hour drive I stopped here to eat with my children. My kids got chocolate chip pancakes and I got the strawberry cheesecake stuffed pancakes which we all normally love but these were cooked weird. Our pancakes were super greasy and crunchy for some reason. I asked about it since I'd never had greasy pancakes before. She told me they were just cooked in butter....ok...I tried them and they were super savory tasting (I think they cooked the pancakes in the bacon grease personally). Imagine a savory crunchy hushpuppy but covered in cool whip strawberries and syrup. Yes, those were awful pancakes. I tasted 1 bite and couldn't force myself to eat anymore. My 1 year old who eats everything also wouldn't eat his food. My 4 year old managed to eat about 1/3 of one pancake. The manager said he'd take the pancakes off the bill which was nice but once we got to the cash register he'd only taken the chocolate chip ones off. Then the cashier kept telling me "he took off the chocolate chip ones see?!" I told her that I think he meant to take them both off as that's what he told me. She didn't seem to believe me and I felt like she was annoyed I'd even asked about it. She asked for a manager and finally one showed up... that person also kept saying "he took off one of your pancakes" which I just didn't respond to. I offered to just pay the bill because I was embarrassed standing at the cash register while other people were trying to check out and leave but they said they'd sort it out. Finally he showed up and apologized saying that it was his fault, that he thought he took them both off. They charged me for the eggs and bacon instead. I ended up paying about $23 for 3 drinks and a couple eggs and a slice of bacon. :' ) I was already so embarrassed by the whole ordeal that I didn't even bother to ask for them to scan my rewards. I do highly recommend cracker barrel, it's normally very delicious and friendly but I wouldn't recommend this specific one, I'd say keep driving until you get to...

Arrived and seated no problem, server came fairly quickly for drink orders and since we were ready we gave our meal orders. I opened my wrapped silverware to find crusted food on the fork missed in the wash. Rather than wait for our server I got 2 more flatware wraps from the station. To my dismay both had food residue on the forks. The cornbread and biscuits didn’t come until the food came, only there were no biscuits. They were still cooking. I brought my dirty flatware to our server’s attention - she assured me she would tend to clean ones personally. I waited... and waited. She came back to see how we were doing and realized she forgot my silverware. I waited some more. She finally returned with clean silver, but by now about 15 minutes had passed since our food arrived, so my meal was hardly still warm, and my companions were nearly finished. Nothing like eating a room temperature meal. The biscuits finally came and were hot and fresh - but would have been nice at the beginning. The restaurant was active but certainly not crowded, so I don’t understand why they couldn’t keep up the supply of biscuits. Our server never came to ask for drink refills, dropped the check before we were finished, and didn’t bother asking if we wanted anything else. After the check hit the table we didn’t see her again.

It was New Years Day so I still gave her 20%, but it was not without some hesitation. And this is not the first sub-standard experience I’ve had at a Crackerbarrel. I used to enjoy them. I chalk this up to poor management and staff training. Not sure I’ll be visiting another one...

Cracker Barrel Review - 12/06/2024

Stopped in after enjoying the drive-through lights in Doswell, VA, on the way home. We were seated quickly and greeted promptly by our server, who took our drink orders and meals at the same time—a nice touch for efficiency.

I opted for the fried chicken tenders with mac and cheese and steak fries. The meal was absolutely delicious, though the chicken was slightly dry. However, the buttermilk ranch served on the side was phenomenal—easily some of the best restaurant ranch I've had in a long time and it elevated the dish significantly. The biscuits, clearly made in-house, were a delightful complement to the meal.

One person at my table had the grilled chicken tenders, steak fries, and chicken and dumplings. Everything was equally delicious, though they jokingly remarked that the portion of chicken wasn’t enough to satisfy their craving! Another in our group had the Hamburger Steak with gravy, paired with fried sweet apples. The dish was fantastic overall, though the mashed potatoes left something to be desired. They were hard and seemed like they might have been sitting for a while, which was a slight letdown.

We also enjoyed the charm of the country store, with its variety of nostalgic candies, old-fashioned treats, and unique clothing options. It added a quaint and inviting touch to the overall experience.

All in all, a wonderful meal and atmosphere to look forward to revisiting. Despite a couple of minor critiques, the quality of the food and the overall visit make this a stop worth...