Cracker Barrel Old Country Store — Restaurant in Collegedale

If you've been wandering through the wilds of Tennessee, pondering the eternal question of whether there's more to life than saltines in a wooden barrel, I've got news for you: Cracker Barrel in Ooltewah is here to expand your culinary horizons and then some.

Upon stepping into this homely establishment, the first revelation is that, contrary to popular belief and despite its name, Cracker Barrel does indeed offer more than just crackers. Shocking, I know. The menu is so extensive that you might just need a road map and a compass to navigate through the sea of comfort food options. It's like discovering a treasure chest, but instead of gold, it's overflowing with biscuits and gravy, chicken n' dumplings, and enough country-fried steak to make you consider writing a country ballad about it.

The atmosphere is as cozy as your grandma's living room if your grandma's living room was the size of a barn and adorned with more antiques than the History Channel can shake a stick at. The place is decked out with rocking chairs that beckon you to sit a spell, and the walls are a veritable museum of Americana, making you half expect Teddy Roosevelt to come marching out of the kitchen, brandishing a drumstick.

The staff at Cracker Barrel in Ooltewah deserves a shout-out for their service, which is so warm and welcoming you'll start to wonder if you've accidentally stumbled into a family reunion. They're so friendly, in fact, that you'll leave knowing their life stories, from Aunt Sally's famous meatloaf recipe to the saga of Cousin Joe's lost harmonica. And they're always on hand to recommend their favorites, guide you through the menu, and assure you that, yes, there's more to life than just crackers.

Let's talk about the food, which is so comforting, it feels like a hug from the inside. Each dish is served with a side of nostalgia, making you nostalgic for times you never lived through. It's the kind of place where calories don't count because everything is cooked with love (and probably a bit of butter). And for those adventurous souls who might still be clinging to the hope of finding actual barrels of crackers, you'll be pleased to know that the biscuits are so fluffy, they'll make you forget all about your cracker quest.

In conclusion, Cracker Barrel in Ooltewah is a revelation, a place where comfort food is raised to an art form, and the discovery that there's more to their menu than crackers feels like unearthing a hidden culinary treasure. Whether you're a local or just passing through, make sure to stop by. You'll leave with a full belly, a warm heart, and maybe, just maybe, a new appreciation for the wide world beyond the...

Coming from a service background of 28 years, our visit on June 9th, 2021 (my daughter's 7 B-day btw) may have to be in the running for one of the worst experiences we've had in a very long time. I get that staffing is light due to Covid-19, but so is the seating capacity. My wife, kids and myself waited roughly 5 minutes once we were sat before our server even made it to our table to greet us. Once there, we placed our order and up to the point of receiving our drinks and meal, everything seemed to at least be improving.

However, once the food was delivered, that was the last we saw our server. I had to go to the host desk to ask for boxes and our bill. As we were boxing things up, one server brought us our bill and than another came and apologized because apparently our first server had handed us over to her and she forgot about it. That happens, I get it (it's probably occured to me several times in my history of service work), but ALL of this could have been avoided if the simple act of introducing the new server to us had occured. In all my years in the industry, I've NEVER heard of a hand off of a table like this.

We still left a decent tip, but nowhere near the typical 25-30% I like to leave because I do the same work. It's experiences like this that make you feel extremely underappreciated as a paying customer.

Customers are your source of income. Do not take your tables for granted. If our original server would've given us the decency of checking up on us even once and maybe even asked if we wanted to be handed off or settle the tab, we more than likely would've taken the tab and paid it while she was still there.

As we were leaving, I noticed there was a customer with a carry out order that was being extremely rude and I did not want to pile another complaint on at that exact moment. However, I could not go without sharing this as it a huge growing opportunity for all the...

We went to eat last night and after waiting a little to be seated, we were sat at about 8pm. It was 10 mins before the server came to get our drink order. At the same time we placed out food order. We were a party of 6. It took another 10 minutes before she brought our drinks. Then we waited until till 845ish for the food to be delivered to the table. All meals came but my mamma French toast. Apparently they put powder sugar on it and I told them I was a diabetic can not to add the sugar. Whatever. But we asked for ketchup at that same time. It was yet another 10 mins before we got ketchup and at least the French toast. However, there was no eggs or bacon with the meal. By this time it is now after 9pm. Now I can understand if the kitchen was running behind, or they got slammed and it was super busy (it very much was not) plenty of other table who were sat after got their food before us. But none of this was communicated. All they need to do was communicate the reason behind the dealy and service issue. Now that being said, there is zero reason it should have taken so long to get a drink order, or get the drinks. She told us 3 times she was getting napkins and never did. It should not have taken so long to get ketchup. This was the worst service I have ever had here. It...