Cracker Barrel Old Country Store — Restaurant in Spring Hill

Typically the food is hit or miss. Sometimes it’s hot and awesome, other times it’s cold, over cooked or over reheated.

Tonight was odd enough for me to leave a review. Our waiter had 3 tables at a slow time towards the end of the evening, an hour before close. Typically the food is served fast and the turnaround is fast. Well after we were brought our drinks, and our food order taken an easy half hour passed with no updates or communication. Both our drinks were gone, at the end of the table waiting, and when the waiter did come back around, he brought us bread, blamed the slow service on the cooks, then took 10 minutes to bring us a fresh drink. As we sit about another 15 minutes waiting for our food, he comes out, and brings me my food but with a DRY baked potato, instead of mashed potatoes. Apparently the kitchen was out of mashed potatoes and instead of coming and asking me what I would like to supplement, he took it upon himself to bring me a baked potato. No butter, nothing on it. Then asks me what I want on it, and takes it back to the kitchen with him. After I’ve eaten about 3/4 of the rest of my food, the other waitress brings me my baked potato for him (again he had 3 tables, of which the other 2 had now been gone for 20 or more minutes and we still never saw him). The baked potato has a block of cold butter in the middle, on top of the melted cheese. Clearly the potato had cheese put on it, then into a microwave, then a glob of butter, then sour cream, the potato was hot but the butter barely melted by time I was finished with the couple bites I took of it.

But I found it very strange that instead of asking me what I wanted for my side, he assumed a baked potato would be a sufficient replacement for mashed potatoes and gravy.

Now we ask for the check, as we were done eating for about 10 minutes waiting, and he says he will be right back. He whispered a few things a few times but I couldn’t understand what he was saying.

Now we wait about another 10 minutes and still no check, when I finally am done and walk out to the cashier to ask for our check. To which we are told by the manager? Tonight we get a discount because our check $38 was given to someone else, who paid it, and the last open check $30 we could just pay instead of paying our check.

At this point we somewhat explained the scenario to the manager who didn’t really seem to care, didn’t offer us anything, stated we the food on the table because we were never brought the box we asked for, still nothing.

1 of the biscuits I was brought was flat and brown, as I believe I heard the waiter also state they were out of those, so we got the last of the food I WOULDN’T have served, but he figured it was fine.

Meanwhile I see the wait staff talking back and forth, being some what frantic about different issues, our waiter yelling from the back loud enough that I knew what they were out of, the manager walked through the restaurant and never approached us or any of the other patrons that were there while we were all...

I have been eating at Cracker Barrels for over 40 years and the Spring Hill, FL location has been my go to place for home cooking, comfort food. Hadn't been in a few weeks so I went for a late lunch and ordered my personal favorite, Country Fried Gulf Shrimp. Waitress said, we don't serve that anymore and it's not on our menu's now. Okay, then I requested the Chicken Pot Pie, NOPE, no longer offer that. Ended up ordering the Homestyle Chicken with a baked potato w/butter and a slice of Coca Cola Cake. Well they had the chicken dish but no longer offer the Coca Cola Cake. WTH? Cracker Barrel not offering their famous Coca Cola Cake is like walking into a MacDonalds and asking for fries and they tell you they no longer offer them. Meal arrives and two of the tiniest little boneless chicken pieces show up on my plate along with about a 1/4 cup green beans. The baked potato came loaded which I did not ask for and requested they just bring me one with butter. I don't know how long this meal sat in the window but it was cool to warm. Replacement baked potato showed up 8 minutes later which was also warm. Needless to say, this meal was a huge disappointment so I just paid the bill and left a decent tip. I ended up contacting their corporate headquarters and quickly received a canned email and then they followed up with a digital coupon for a homestyle favorite entree. This placation for a limited selection entree does not address the issue of lack of standard favorites and less than a kitchen's effort to serve hot and well prepared food. I was also surprised that my waitress did not let the floor manager know that I had ordered three of CBs top items and she had to tell me they are no longer offered. That floor manager should have come over to my table for a conversation which is why I reached out to corporate HQ. If this is the "new" Cracker Barrel, it will definitely follow the bankruptcy route of other large chains. So...

This is the 2nd attempt I've given Cracker Barrel, and I've officially have been turned off. My family and I wanted a little nosh and instead of Denny's we decided to go next door to Cracker Barrel. I had reservations, my first experience at Cracker Barrel (a different restaurant), left me feeling like the food was sub par at best but the service was excellent. Not this time, we ordered our drinks, appetizer and main course, in that order. We were assured that are appetizer would be ready first. After 25 minutes our main course came out missing a few items that we ordered, and NO appetizer so we reminded our waitress who immediately blamed the cooks for not getting out the right food. On her second pass to us we still had no appetizer and I was still missing food that I ordered. Once again the waitress was reminded and again she blamed everyone else. At that point I decided her tip would be cut drastically. Third time's the charm right? Wrong, finally received the appetizer but wait no missing item for me. So for the 3rd time I asked for what I ordered she decided that if she didn't wait for someone else and just go get it herself that finally our table would be 100% served... When she brought out the item it was missing cheese, no matter between the absent mindedness of the waitress and once again unseasoned sub par food we were ready to go. I did leave a tip in not an ahoe. While my family perused the items of the gift shop I used the facilities, and what happens after I sit I look and there isn't 1 f":-&ng roll of toilet tissue in the stall and no one in the bathroom to help. I literally had to use my mask, yeah I know. It's official I hate Cracker Barrel, I'd go eat breakfast at Taco Bell before I'd eat at Cracker Barrel. One of the worst experiences I've had at a restaurant in a very long time. I wish I had more hands to give this business more thumbs down but for now here...