Cracker Barrel Old Country Store — Restaurant in Town of Henrietta

Used to love CB so much, my Dad & I would joke the car went there on autopilot. Not anymore.

Hostess was puttering around with her back to her stand - during lunch hour. Took us to a table w/floor napkin my husband picked up.

Server not quick to great. Took orders, as was reading them back, I had to correct her on which 🐔 dish I asked for, returned - without our drinks - to tell us they ran out of my entree (again, before 12:30 when it was a lunch/dinner item).

I change order, she goes away (all while entering everything on her tablet), comes back -again no drinks - informs us they're out of husband's entree - a seasonal/featured lunch/dinner entree the hostess made sure she pointed out before getting us to our table. Have to ask her for a menu so he can recalibrate, which he does. Places new entree order. She goes away.

Comes back - at this point I can't remember if she had the drinks or not (BTW I had a medical appt that barred me from eating or drinking that morning and I reeeaally wanted my iced tea, not that she knew) to inform us YES. some wizard in the kitchen can whip up hubby's entree in less than the 45 minutes she'd previously quoted us. Why, yes, yes he does want the item he attempted to order 15 minutes ago (did not say that out loud). Worth mentioning this is the 3rd time he'd specified corn muffins as his choice (vs. my biscuits).

We get/got our drinks, then quickly (from the point of finally ordering both entrees, not from when she greeted us & introduced herself), the food came out. Well, most of it. No corn muffins. Just 2 sad, little biscuits and a few butter pkgs - no honey, no syrup, no jam. Maybe this is new, we've had takeout, but not eaten inside there since The Before Times (pre-pandemic).

Had to ask for the corn muffins. You know the ones that were already mentioned & entered thrice. Think they had just come out of the oven and were "cooling." Why on Earth would anyone want hot muffins? 🙄

Made the mistake of ordering the Biscuit Begnets to go in a fruitless attempt to save time. She brought the check - which included the BBs - and miraculously the to-go containers for our leftovers (so glad we saved room for the BBs), we finally got the corn muffins, but no BBs, "I'll go check on them."

Did I mention that the husband was on his work lunch break and already offered to walk back (busy road, no sidewalk) since I drove him so he wouldn't lose his parking spot? Well, he paid the bill while I packed leftovers, got back to the table, and once again mentioned walking. I think that's when she told us, "He said 2-1/2 minutes," on the BBs. Hubby just sat down in defeat and waited.

Finally got dessert, hustled to the car, hit the road, he cracked into them, took a bite, passed me s piece...raw in the middle.

To think we could have saved a couple miles, twenty bucks, and probably half an hour if we'd gone to the so-so burger shack across the street from his work, instead for such mediocrity.

TLDR: Cracker Barrel is on my "No Fly" list. For food, service, and atmosphere, along with past corporate policies, I was willing to overlook for a convenient lunch date...

Came today 11/11/23. We used waitlist so we didn't have to wait but 5 to 10 min. Once seated we notice we have a new server (no stars on her apron). No biggie. We tell her we want a sweet tea with lemon and extra ice and 2 apple juices (1 is for a child). No lemons bc the preppers haven't cut any more. Um ok. And of course no extra ice. We place our order. I get a shrimp platter with Mac and cheese for both sides and ask for an extra oder of hushpuppies. When the food comes out I stir up the Mac and cheese that's slapped on the plate, (not in the side bowls) and it's cold and 1 portion. Not even being dramatic. Like they tried to take the cheese sauce and some noodles for a quick fix bc the baked Mac and cheese was all out. I ask can I get my 2 sides of Mac and cheese warm plz. Waitress apologizes and states "I have to take the whole plate. The kitchen is giving me a hard time." I say ok. That's at 4:17. 5 minutes later the waitress states her manager is going to bring my refired meal out. Refiring a whole meal for cold mac n chz? About 10 minutes later a manager asks what are we waiting for. I tell her and she says she's going to check on it. 20 minutes later I get up to look for our waitress to get the bill bc my family has eaten of course and we have other plans for our Saturday evening. She comes out the kitchen with my food in hand and I let her know we will just take the bill. She asks do I want to take the food to go. I say not if I have to pay for it. She retreats back to the kitchen and within a few minutes emerges with our receipt with the meal taken off but of course full charge for the rest of the meal. As we leave to pay the manager returns to apologize that I didn't get to eat with my family. I explain yea nearly a 25 additional minute wait bc of Mac and cheese that was cold. She looks like the waitress never explained that part to her and asks "you were only waiting for warm Mac and chz?" I confirm and she asks did I atleast take the new food to go. I tell her what I told the waitress when she finally came out with the food as I was looking for her for our bill. She assures she'll get the meal for me to go. A few minutes later she brings the meal out packaged up and apologizes and states she will be talking with her waitress. I explain that the waitress stated she had to take the full meal when just thr mac and chz was cold because it is required by the kitchen. The manager then states that's not what they are supposed to do and apologizes again. We really enjoyed this spot and have come at both busy and less busy times but this was our worse experience yet hand down. Seems like such a basic issue to fix without needing management involved. We will be weary of returning bc eating out is way too expensive to be wasting time and money to leave hungry and irritated. Waitress was blk young lady with glasses pink shirt pigtails. Basics like grabbing straws and napkins without us prompting her, remembering to refill drink requests are basic so maybe she...

OFF THE CHARTS AMAZING – 10 STARS OUT OF 5!!! This meal wasn’t just food—it was an experience, a journey, and dare I say, a work of art. I can confidently say this was the best dining experience I’ve had in years. From the warm welcome at the door to our incredible waiter Fredric (I hope I spelled his name right!) and the magic in the kitchen from Sammy and/or Adam (I called in to get their names, because credit is due)—everyone made this visit unforgettable.

We dined around 1:00 PM and left at 1:57 PM, and in that time, my grandmother and I were absolutely floored. And we’re not easy to impress—we’re the type of eaters who inspect our plates like they’re going under a microscope. But today? Today was different.

I ordered the "Mama's Pancake Breakfast," complete with eggs topped with Colby cheese, crispy bacon, and a caramel latte. Grandma went with the chicken and rice with hot tea. When the food arrived, it was so beautifully plated I thought I was in a photo shoot for a Cracker Barrel commercial. The pancakes were a revelation—crispy edges cradling a soft, fluffy center that practically hugged my taste buds. The eggs were cooked to absolute perfection, and the bacon? Crispy, flavorful, and utterly satisfying.

But here’s where it gets funny. The food was so good, I couldn’t help but joke with my grandma: “They’ve got to have a chef back there cooking under extreme pressure. Like, someone is hovering over them saying, ‘You mess this up, and you’re done!’” It felt like every dish was treated as if it were a make-or-break audition for a cooking competition. The level of care and attention to detail was unreal.

And that latte? Forget Starbucks—it was smooth, rich, and indulgent, the perfect companion to my flawless meal.

Usually, I only write reviews when something goes wrong, but this experience was so exceptional that staying silent just wasn’t an option. I even called the manager to sing the team’s praises, and I hope everyone who worked during that shift gets to read this. You all deserve applause, praise, and maybe even a raise for what you’re doing.

If I owned a restaurant, I’d be begging this entire team to join me—and I’d happily pay them more. This wasn’t just a meal; it was a masterclass in how to make customers feel valued and delighted. BRAVO, Cracker Barrel. Keep this team happy because they’re what’s going to keep customers like me coming back...