Cracker Barrel Old Country Store — Restaurant in Lakeland

This is a conflicted review. While the food, waitress, and atmosphere were excellent, I did experience a problem at the register while paying my bill which I proactively tried to avoid in the first place. On this visit I had two offers since I was celebrating my birthday in which Cracker Barrel deposited a birthday dessert reward into my account and T-Mobile also provided a Cracker Barrel offer for this week for their customers. Usually, to my knowledge, you can only use one offer or reward at a time at Cracker Barrel, but on the birthday dessert reward that Cracker Barrel provided, it stated that it could be used together with other offers or rewards. Upon arriving at the restaurant, I informed the waitress that I had the birthday dessert reward and the T-Mobile offer. She was not sure if I could use both so she checked with not one, but two, higher ups to make sure that I could use both. Side note: the T-Mobile offer limited my ordering to a choice of two different items on the menu, either a burger or chicken tenders, and I wanted to make sure right from the get go that I could use this since it limited my options. The waitress was told by both higher ups that I could use both offer/reward without a problem. We proceeded to order accordingly and the food came out in a timely fashion and tasted great. I would definitely recommend the chicken tenders - they were perfection. When we checked out at the register we were presented with a new check less discounts that looked very peculiar. Instead of just deducting the complimentary items of the T-Mobile offer from the check like any other restaurant does, Cracker Barrel’s system deducted a percentage off of each item ordered - even to items that were not part of the offer. We asked the cashier and she informed us that she didn’t know how it calculated it so we asked for a manager. All we knew was that the price was higher than it was supposed to be. The manger seemed confused too since the receipt is not straightforward like other restaurants. After looking over everything , the manager stated that the problem was that we used two offer/reward and that I should have been charged for the dessert. I explained to him that I tried to avoid this in the first place by asking the waitress as soon as we arrived, and in turn, she checked with two higher ups who confirmed that I could use both offers with no problems. So even though it states right on the birthday reward that it can be combined with other offer/reward, I guess that is not the case. After filling in the manager, he did honor both offer/reward but I am not sure why we had to go through this in the first place. What was otherwise a great birthday celebration, this put a little damper on that. We were also told by Cracker Barrel employees that at least one other customer who came in that day also experienced a similar problem. Cracker Barrel really needs to address this since the promotions bring people in and they enjoy themselves only to turn negative while...

I had a troubling experience during a recent visit to this location, which left me feeling disrespected, undermined, and ultimately unable to finish my meal.

After being seated for approximately an hour and enjoying my food in peace, I was unexpectedly approached by Shift Manager Caitlyn who asked if I wanted the window shade down. Given that I had been seated by the window for quite some time with the shade already up, it was obvious I did not. I politely told her no, I was fine. She then repeated the question as if I had said yes, asking again, “You do want it down?” I clearly responded, “No, I’m fine.”

She then sucked her teeth, rolled her eyes, and walked away. I asked her why she was asking me that, and she dismissively replied, “Never mind, don’t worry about it,” and walked off. I soon realized a table behind me—occupied by white male guests—wanted the shade down. However, I find it deeply inappropriate that my dining experience was disrupted in order to accommodate another table’s preference, without regard to mine.

When I asked to speak to a customer service manager, Ms. Paige returned herself and continued displaying the same smug, disrespectful attitude. I stood up and told her I did not want to speak to her any further due to her unprofessional conduct, and I requested the General Manager. The GM did come out, sit with me, and offered an apology, which I appreciated.

The GM also offered to comp my meal, which I declined. This situation was not about receiving a free meal—it was about the principle. It was about the fact that I, as an African-American female customer, was not afforded the same respect and comfort as other guests. Ms. Paige’s behavior made it clear that it was more important to her to accommodate the preferences of Caucasian white males than to allow me to continue enjoying my meal undisturbed.

To make matters worse, as I was leaving, Ms. Paige gave a sarcastic grunt and said, “Have a nice day.” I turned around and told her directly that her behavior was not a reflection of the Cracker Barrel values I have come to expect. She was immature, unprofessional, and completely undermined my experience.

I proceeded to the front desk and asked for the corporate contact information to report this unacceptable incident.

I sincerely hope Cracker Barrel will take this complaint seriously. I left your restaurant feeling disrespected and singled out—not only because my meal was disrupted, but because it felt clear that my presence as a Black woman was treated as less of a priority. I ask that appropriate steps be taken to ensure that all guests are treated with dignity, regardless of...

CrackerBarrel, Lakeland, FL 6/6/24 12:30pm. 2 people.

We ordered ice water with lemon on the side. Amanda brought ice water with lemons floating in the water. Oops!

My husband ordered: Grandma's Sampler Pancake Breakfast. Two Buttermilk Pancakes n’ butter served with two eggs over medium, Country Ham, fried apples and syrup.

I ordered: Homestyle Fried Chicken Salad. Crispy, golden-fried Sunday Homestyle Chicken over fresh greens with boiled egg, grape tomatoes, cucumbers, croutons and Colby cheese plus crackers with Balsamic herb vinaigrette. Amanda asked me if I wanted my chicken fried or grilled on my sandwich. Oops! It’s a Fried Chicken Salad!!

Ok… ordering is done.

Amanda came back and asked me how I wanted my eggs… on my salad?! Oops! They are hard boiled!! She then asked my husband how he wanted his eggs. Oops! He had ordered over medium.

A few minutes later Amanda came back to tell me she would bring me a side dish of lemons for my water. “Ok. Thank you.”

Amanda then returned to asked me if I still wanted a side dish to put my chicken on. “Yes, please.”

Maybe 15 minutes later I see Amanda come out of the kitchen with a tray of food. She heads over to a couple nearby and gives them the food. Oops! It is not their food. After the customer gives her back the food she comes over to our table with the tray of food. She gives my husband 2 hard fried eggs and a dish of grits. She gives me 2 pancakes and a small plate with slices of grilled chicken on it. Oops!

She decided to take all of the food that she brought to us back to the kitchen and find out why they were messing up her orders. Oops!

After 45 minutes of one oops after another we gave up. It took us 3 seconds to decide what to do… We left! We are very sad to have such a disappointing experience at a restaurant we have...