Cracker Barrel Old Country Store — Restaurant in Bryan

Went on Friday 2/16/24 at 5:15pm. Specifically went for the Southern Fried Chicken. Sat down, and we had a free appetizer through the app. Server told us that she couldn't take the order for the appetizer, we had to go to the front counter, show the app screen to the cashier, the cashier would ok it and then we were to come back and tell her what we wanted. It didn't make sense to us, but off I went to the cashier. A manager happen to be at the register area and I explained to her what or server said. She said there was confusion on the server's part and she'd go explain. Server came back ofter a few minutes and said that she'd worked here for two years and she had been told that you had to show the cashier first before ordering. No matter, we ordered our appetizer and entrees (two of us ordered the chicken with salad and fried Okra, one ordered the fried fish with salad and Cole slaw) and waited. After more than 20 minutes our server came back and said that the frier was down so they didn’t have the bone-in chicken available, we’d need to order something different. Ok, fine. She brought over menus for us to look at. We’d already been there over 30 minutes by this time. We asked for the manager. (He explained that the frier had been down, has since been repaired but they didn’t know if it would last long enough to cook the bone-in chicken so they couldn’t make it. Ok, no problem. We suggested that they utilize the chalk board at the entrance advertising their Bloody Mary and other alcohol and the special soup. They could put on there that the chicken is unavailable. He agreed. Whatever, though. No problem.) Manager walked away, we waited for our server to come back to get our revised order. Meanwhile, the salads hadn’t come yet, and the fish hadn’t come out yet either. This leads us to believe that the order was never put in, which could mean that the server knew the chicken couldn’t be cooked, but just never came back. After another 10 minutes with no contact (we never saw her) we just left and went somewhere else. We...

Review of Cracker Barrel, 3110 Briarcrest Dr., Bryan, TX 77802 (December 1, 2024)

While Cracker Barrel often provides a comforting, consistent dining experience, today's visit to this location fell short of expectations.

Service: Our waitress was sweet and clearly trying her best, but she appeared overwhelmed. She was juggling so many tables that it impacted the overall experience. Each interaction felt rushed, and even simple tasks, like providing sugar, were hurried. Despite my reassurance that we weren't in a rush, she seemed unable to take a moment to slow down and ensure our needs were met.

Food: I frequent Cracker Barrel and typically enjoy their meals, so I have a standard to compare. Unfortunately, the food today was disappointing. The pancakes were overcooked, and the coffee was weak, lukewarm, and far from the comforting warmth it usually offers. While the waitress did kindly redo my coffee, which was much improved, the initial letdown left a mark on the experience.

Cleanliness: One persistent issue across Cracker Barrel locations is the silverware. Here, it was no different—it appeared dirty, with spots and smudges that go beyond simple water marks. I’ve made it a habit to use plastic ware at Cracker Barrel to avoid any risk of illness, but it’s disheartening that this issue continues unaddressed.

Overall: Today’s visit was disappointing compared to the usual standard I associate with Cracker Barrel. While the waitress’s effort was appreciated, the overwhelming busyness she faced impacted service quality. Combined with the food missteps and persistent issues with silverware cleanliness, this experience didn’t live up to expectations. I hope these areas of opportunity can be addressed for future...

This Cracker Barrel let me down hard! 45 minute wait just for them to shove my party or nine around one of their small round tables. I noticed the host take in our dismayed body language and bolt. It didn’t take a genius to look at our party and see the issue. When I flagged someone down and asked if they could provide us a different accommodation they made every excuse not to. First saying they didn’t have enough tables in a single servers section. When I pointed out that two servers could easily serve a party or 9, (common practice, even at Cracker Barrel, I used to work there) she shifted track to not wanting to turn two of the specific row of three tables I was pointing at sideways. She said our only option was to continue to wait for one specific party or two to leave. Despite having tons of options, even one immediately apparent one, this was the only option she gave us. Since one of our party was on lunch break and we already waited a considerable amt of time, we just decided to deal with it and not push the issue. We did our best, and wound up taking 7 out of 9 dishes home because we were to cramped to really enjoy the experience. I personally was sitting sideways and turned toward the table and many of us were scooted back to far from the table to accommodate each other that eating wasn’t worth the hassle. Even reaching for our staggered pushed away drinks (to accommodate the food on the small surface) was cumbersome. All in all, it was the worst experience at Cracker Barrel I ever had. It’s a shame really, I feel like with a little less laziness and a little more creative problem solving, it would have been rather enjoyable. Needless to say, we...