Cracker Barrel Old Country Store — Restaurant in Kingsport

hate to give it a two star, but for this trip and the several prior it is warranted. im usually in the area about once per month and visit cracker barrel for a meal. always enjoyed breakfast. went there christmas morning after leaving an airport. got seated promptly which is always nice. but that's where nice ended. we were three at a table across from the entrance. others came in after us and within minutes got served before us for menu ordering. we were still waiting. finally i asked someone to get our waitress. well, the waitress was the woman who passed us about 4 times prior to seeing us now. wasn't asked if we wanted anything, no i will be right with you, nothing. we placed our orders now that almost a half hour has passed. food came within 15 minutes. my country fried steak was limp, soggy, greasy. gravy had a skin on it like it was sitting in its dish for a while. the rice casserole was dry and pasty. eggs were great. the other meals friends had had the same issue with their gravy as well as the casserole. the grandmas sampler meats selected were dried out looking. the chicken tender breakfast was ok that was ordered. seemed as if everything was not timed to be cooked with the eggs. the eggs were the only thing that looked cooked fresh to order within the amount of time. we told the waitress about the food, we got replacement. we got it in quicker time as well as the food apparently was a little better. except for the gravy. it was still older looking and had a thick skin on it. chicken fried steak was greasy, but didn't taste dry. after 10 more minutes we wasn't able to finish the meal as it was beyond enjoying. besides the meals being brought to us we weren't even offered refills on the drinks as the waitress was walking around attending to other matters. we left. reason of leaving such a late review is due to i didn't think i had the receipt to prove date or anything else, but i do have it. would have taken pictures but my company would have felt embarrassed as they too are regulars there. i understand it was a holiday, a major one at that as well. this has happened many times more beforehand. from unclean plates and eating utensils to sticky tables and such food mentioned. when paying and being asked how was everything i don't feel like saying anything negative as i do enjoy having a cracker barrel in the area, but this time i truly had to as...

Excellent, delicious, comforting, convenient late afternoon dinner! When it comes to consistency, Cracker Barrel is very successful! Fresh, hot, comfort foods, friendly service, pleasant atmosphere, interesting motif and decor, convenient locations across the U.S. As a child growing up in Tennessee, birthplace of Cracker Barrel, my families station wagon pulled into Cracker Barrel frequently in the 70's and 80's. Cracker Barrel looks, feels and delivers an excellent product just as they did in the early years. This particular location is almost identical to every Cracker Barrel location I have visited (and I'm not complaining!) My partner and I were staying at a hotel next door. We both wanted something hot, Delicious, convenient and relatively quick. Cracker Barrel was our pick and, ultimately, an excellent choice. We were seated quickly and had the pleasure of being served by Mary. Mary is an excellent, efficient server and her smile is endearing and infectious! My partner and I both had our favorite Cracker Barrel meal; the veggie plate. I chose four of my favorite sides; hashbrown casserole, Mac & cheese, fried okra and turnip greens with corn muffins. My partners veggie choices were nearly the same. Both of our veggie plates were served hot, fresh, and quickly. Absolutely delicious! Just what we were craving on a cold, January afternoon. Of course, if you're like the two us, you must take a strole around the "general store " gift shop after a meal. There is always plenty of fun, unique items found here. Lots interesting, memorable, retro merchandise available. We love to browse the retro candy items! Upon check out we encountered the friendly, pleasant Karla (spelling may not be correct) and enjoyed a very nice conversation with her while paying our bill. This location is located just off I-81 in Blountville at the Tri-Cities Airport exit. If you're traveling in the Kingsport area and/or visiting the airport, this Cracker Barrel location makes an ideal restaurant for a meal with friends, family or solo. I highly recommend this Cracker...

Update 12-8-24... Was forced to go here for a dinner that was organized beyond my control.... Just not getting any better. Now the decrease in patrons has apparently decreased portion size in order to decrease food costs which is likely meant to offset the obviously plummeting revenues. This strategy also lowers good quality at establishments that have menus of pure cooked items such as their dinner menu. Smaller portions of items that sit longer between preparation and plating causes them to dry out and just makes the experience even less appealing. While you can see that the after church dinner crowds fill other parking lots, it's no wonder why they have ceased to for here.

UPDATE... Original review down below: The wait times are better now..... but I think it's because people have stopped coming here. Service is awkward and I honestly think that their solution to lower sales is to lower portion sizes and quality. Cheesy hash brown casserole is just greasy hash browns. I don't think that bowl of Mac and cheese could have been placed in anything smaller and still looked only 85% full.

Cleanliness has suffered greatly in the last few years as well. We wondered why the dining room smelled like the lobby of a drive in motel... The answer is in the attached picture. That is actually grease, dirt and bacteria that would normally be washed away in a thorough nightly scrub. This appears to be several months old and smells accordingly. In a world where dine in restaurants in the $15 to $20 per patron are becoming more and more competitive, this location is just failing across the board.

The food is great but the wait time is sooooo long and the waiting\shopping area is...