Cracker Barrel Old Country Store — Restaurant in Coeur d'Alene

I am no longer impressed with Cracker Barrel. I took my mother there for her birthday meal this past week. She ordered some kind of hash brown dish and I had the Grandpa's breakfast. We also tried the fried dill pickles.

To begin with, our server gave us an attitude about having to come back for our order because we weren't ready when she was. We were looking through the breakfast and lunch menus, and there was only one of each, so we had to share. That took longer.

When we were ready to order, we learned that the portion sizes had DRASTICALLY reduced from the last time I was there. The meal I normally order came with three eggs, steak or ham, hash browns, fried apples, grits, biscuits and gravy. This time I had the Grandpa's, so it came with two eggs, country fried steak or chicken, and one side plus the biscuits. I ordered my eggs scrambled. I must have been scrambling mine wrong all these years because what arrived was slimy in certain areas, but was extremely flat. I call it laziness. These eggs had been scrambled together and then poured onto a cooking surface. They weren't scrambled on the surface, merely turned over. No fluffiness at all.

The fried dill pickles were so salty we couldn't eat them. The portion was extremely generous, but what good is that if you get hypertension from them? We informed our server about them and my eggs. She didn't try to fix the problem other than to get a manager. He came, was impatient as well, saying, "Does someone want to say something ?" I finally did. He took the pickles off the bill, but big deal. I was getting them for free. That's why we ordered them. He did bring me new eggs. They, too, were just as flat as a pancake and still had some sliminess. I just ate them so we could leave.

Prices have gone up, portions reduced, the food isn't great (they've had a problem with temperature regulation every time I've been to this particular location), and we certainly did not receive an old country welcome like they promote.

I highly doubt we will be back, in spite of their new loyalty program. It's just not worth it. If I'm going to get sick from the food, which I did, I would prefer to...

While driving by to go get breakfast somewhere else I noticed the familiar Cracker Barrel sign that I've seen so often in the Midwest. I quickly called an audible and flip this around and got breakfast here. This is the farthest west that I've seen a Cracker Barrel by a couple hundred miles, so it's pretty exciting to have it in Post Falls!

If you've never been here before then the first thing you will notice when you pull up is the southern feel to the building. They've got a whole bunch of rocking chairs outside that you can sit in while you wait or even purchased one to take it home with you! When you walk into the building you will feel like you're walking into a gift shop......because that's exactly where you are! Your find all sorts of Decor, candy, clothes, candles and everything between. To your left you will see a Hostess table or you can put your name in and hopefully you'll get seated right away. If not then you'll have to pump up your willpower to avoid buying some sort of fun or cute item! We were seated right away and the hostess was with us very shortly. I decided to go after the chicken fried steak breakfast while my buddy opted to go with fruit covered French toast. I'm not really a french toast guy so I didn't try these, but my buddy said they were awesome. The chicken-fried steak was pretty good. It's a hearty portion and comes with eggs, hashbrown casserole (delliciously cheesy potatoes) and a side of biscuits and gravy. Shockingly enough, I actually wasn't a huge fan of the biscuits..... they were actually a bit too buttery for my taste....which may be the first time I've ever said that. They weren't bad..... just not as good as the ones I've had in the Midwest at Cracker Barrel locations.

If you're looking for a hearty breakfast and you're out in the Post Falls area, this is a great option! It's a fun place to go and the staff was friendly. It's definitely worth...

Cracker Barrel used to be awesome in every way. Huge portions of quality food. Unbelievably fast service. Unbelievably low prices, relative to all other restaurants. Things have changed. I still get a family good value at Cracker Barrel, but nowhere near the value that I used to get. Portions are noticeably smaller than they were a decade ago. I am no longer getting 1400 calorie meals that really fill me up. Instead, I am getting 800 to 1100 calorie meals that cause me to get hungry again after 3 or 4 hours. I used to pay FAR LESS at Cracker Barrel than I would for a comparable meal anywhere else. Like 40 percent less than any other restaurant would charge for the same meal. Now, Cracker Barrel is still less expensive than most other restaurants, but only by about 15 percent. Service at Cracker Barrel used to be lightning fast in every way. But the last three or four times I have eaten at this Cracker Barrel, I have stood by the hostess desk for 3 or 4 minutes before anyone comes to seat me. Then once I am seated, I am waiting another 5 minutes before anyone comes to take my order. That never used to happen. Lastly, once I order, I used to get my food - literally - in less than 5 minutes. Every time! But now? Not even close. The last 3 or 4 times, I have waited 15 to 20 minutes for my meal to come. Add it all up, and that's about 25 minutes of just waiting that never used to happen at this Cracker Barrel. Overall, this Cracker Barrel is still a fairly good value compared to other restaurants in the area, but not a whole lot better. Whereas in days gone by it was a far better value than any other restaurant within a 20...