Cracker Barrel Old Country Store — Restaurant in Boynton Beach

We came as a party of 11 to celebrate Thanksgiving together with our friends, who are like family. We haven't seen each other in quite some time because we have busy lives. We thought Cracker Barrel would give us that Thanksgiving-homey feel. It was the complete opposite half of the table that got food 30 minutes after the other half, and when we did, it was cold. I told them ahead of time that we went with separate checks but put them all on one bill, and when it came time to separate the bill, they could not do anything with their POS system. When we addressed this to the manager, Karen, she had an attitude when asked why one side got food 30 minutes after the other side. His response was that they only had two cooks, and it would confuse them. We again asked for the separation of the checks and could still figure out how to do so. It went from something wrong with the system to they couldn't figure out how to fix it. I asked the manager for her GM pH number; she gave me a piece of paper and said, Here is the customer service number. I repeated myself again: I want the general manager's number. She said she didn't have it. I then asked her name, and she said Karen, all with an attitude. I asked her where the customer service was in all of this, and she was rude and gave no solution. If you want customers to come back, you offer an adjustment on the bill or a dessert on the house, but more than that, you offer compassion. We will never be returning to Cracker Barrel; they ruined our Thanksgiving night. Let me rephrase that: I didn't rein it in because the most important thing was us all being together; we would have liked to have felt at home like advertised. It's supposed to be home-cooked Southern food with Southern hospitality. The poor server was the only nice thing about the place. Oh, did I mention there were maybe 10 people in the whole restaurant eating other than us? We didn't come there to eat separately, or would have done so. We wanted Southern style, but with Southern hospitality, we got none of the above.

This was at

Cracker barrel in Boynton Beach

On Sunday night, 11/18/2023, at 7 p.m. (arrival), to be exact, with manager "Karen," we didn't leave there until 940 p.m. That's sad because of the waiting on cold food and the receipt of a bill.

Ridiculous...

My maiden visit to Cracker Barrel was one filled with high expectations, given the widespread acclaim this chain receives. The initial impressions were positive, with a warm welcome and prompt seating. However, the dining experience that followed was a blend of highs and lows, leaving me with mixed feelings.

The adventure began with the server's recommendation of steak, an outlier in a menu predominantly showcasing southern fried fare. Keen to sample a variety, I opted for the steak (ordered medium), fried chicken, and an assortment of sides including a loaded baked potato, mashed potatoes with gravy, chicken dumplings, and the much-lauded butter biscuits. To complement these, I chose a Bloody Mary, which proved to be delightful and was finished swiftly.

The butter biscuits, served first, were a highlight. Their softness and freshness were exceptional, quickly winning my approval. The restaurant's ambiance, accentuated by quaint, old-school decor and a collage of pictures depicting U.S. history, also added to the initial charm.

However, the main courses were where the experience began to unravel. The chicken dumplings, resembling more of a clear soup, were underwhelming and promptly sent back. The loaded baked potato initially arrived incomplete, lacking sour cream, butter, and green onions, though this was later rectified.

The steak, while medium in the center, tended closer to medium-well overall and had sections that were overdone and chewy. The fried chicken, on the other hand, was excessively greasy and lacked the expected crunch, making it difficult to enjoy fully.

Service hiccups, such as a noticeable delay in water refills, further marred the dining experience. Despite the staff's evident effort and the delightful biscuits and Bloody Mary, the main dishes fell short of expectations, leading to an overall disappointing experience. Based on this visit, I am hesitant to return or recommend Cracker Barrel for those seeking a consistently satisfying...

I don't go to Cracker Barrel often, because I am not eating lots of carbs these days, but I got an email about their Fish Fry on Fridays and it sounded good. When I was seated, I realized how cold it was in there. I was wearing a sweater, but it was still quite uncomfortable. I ordered the fish and asked for a side salad, I was told that is no longer available, but I could get a dinner salad for about $3 more, so I got that. The salad was pretty large and had grape tomatoes, cheese, & croutons. I had declined on the bacon, and didn't eat the croutons, but the salad was fresh and good. Then the fish came with steak fries. The fish had a very crunchy, nearly hard, crust. It was supposed to be four fillets, but three were pretty small and the fourth was almost non-existent. It was 2 1/2 inches long and maybe an inch wide at the wide end of the triangle. by the time I ate one filet, the fries had already gone cold, due to the temperature in the restaurant. I looked for my server to get some catsup or malt vinegar, but she was MIA. I finally saw her and asked, and after she visited two other tables, she brought it. By then, the whole meal was cold. When I left to pay, the cashier asked how everything was, so I told her. She said, "Oh, that's too bad, sorry!" So I left. I imagine I won't go back again, until I forget that I was unhappy again when I did. Last time, my son and I went to breakfast there, and decided to sit outside. No one else was on the porch, so I sat down and he went in to find a server. In the meantime a server came out the other door, and told me I couldn't just sit down, I had to be seated by someone. I told her my son went in to find someone, but she told me I had to get up. I use a cane, and have a hard time standing so long, but I got up. I told my son what had happened, and he suggested we go to a nice, local restaurant, where we had a very...