Cracker Barrel Old Country Store — Restaurant in Trussville

The food is almost always the same and if you have had CB before then you know it's pretty good home style cooking. But for some reason today was outstanding. The cheese scrambled eggs were on point (they are on a holiday menu so it is very different from the huge selection you normally have). My server was so nice and on the ball without being on top of me the entire time. Even the checkout lady was amazing.

Update** the previous review was 4 years old. Today is Dec 27th 2024 and I'm going from all the stars to 1 star. Since Thanksgiving we have been 3 or 4 times and every single time was terrible either service or food or both. We didn't go at super busy times but I don't know what's going on with this location but it's a bad experience. One day, we had half our table get food before the other half. About 10 minutes or so before the other half. Fine.. things happen. But, then when the other half got their food half of those were cold and some of it almost congealed like. It's as if they had been sitting for the entire 10-15 minutes before being served. We chalked it up as a fluke. And just wrote it off.

We went back. Pretty much same scenario except this time our server wasn't even attentive. At all. One drink and never came back. Everyone is sitting around with empty drinks and half the table had food.

Cracker barrel sent me an email to review my last dining experience so I did. In response, they asked me to try them again and they sent us a voucher for 2 drinks, 2 entrees and 2 desserts.

We decided to go back.

Well.. we get there and get our drinks (3 of us -I was just going to pay extra for the 3rd person) and place our orders. Salad, pot roast and chicken dumplings. The place is not packed but I hear the next table over talking about how they were unhappy with their food but we had a different server so we just hoped for the best. Food comes out, we asked for refills for our drinks since we hadn't had any, and while they are putting down my daughter's and hubby's meals that is when they informed me they didn't have lettuce(!?) and I could order something else. Order while they were eating- come on.. why didn't they say that before?? So my replacement would have time to be prepared to eat with my family.. Anyways, I just decided I didn't want anything. I could eat off their plates. If I had ordered it would've been just like the last few times.. so anyways, we sit there. And sit there. We need drinks, a to go box and to order desserts. There's an older lady and gentleman beside us and she leans over and kind of laughs and says 'do you think he quit and left?'. They were waiting too. Anyways, I finally ask a different server about 10 minutes later if she had seen ours and she looked up from her phone and said she'd get him. So he comes out, I just ask for 2 desserts (cinnamon roll pie) to go. I didn't want to stay. By this time, my daughter was drinking my husband's left over water and ice because she never got any refills. So, he comes back out and hands us a to go box and the check. I remind him about the desserts to go and also that salad is still on the check. Another 10- 15 minutes later (seriously we were there for waaaay too freaking long) he comes back with one cinnamon roll thingy (terrible and frozen by the way if anyone thinks it looks good on the menu) on a to go plate with no lid. I remind him it's 2 and they are to go. He brings back another (frozen too but maybe it's because it was to go? I really don't know) and a box top for the first one. But HALLELUJAH we are finally able to leave!! I just wanted out at this point. Get to the register and the check out person made the mistake of asking the person in front of me how their meal was.. I felt bad for the checkout person - but they asked if they wanted to talk to a manager and the guy says 'no! I just want to pay and get out of this place.'

Anyways, TLDR don't try this location. The last few months have been insane there. There are others pretty close by in Moody and a little on down...

This evening I went cracker barrel for a nostalgic moment because my mother rest her soul, loved to go there. First off we waited ten minutes before we were greeted and drink orders taken. Then we ordered appetizers because we had waited for so long. Then it took another ten minutes for our drinks and fifteen minutes for the appetizers. Then we ordered and actually took time to repeat our order. The order was still wrong as two left shoes. Then they forgot both of nephews sides and about time those loaded baked potatoes came back, one of my nephews had finished his country fried steak, then he asked for gravy and still never got it. I had catfish asked for tartar sauce and never got it either. My other nephew never got his steak sauce. Then how about we never got any biscuits or cornbread. At this point I'm agitated so I said to the server after flagging her down that I didn't feel it was fair that we aren't getting good service like because I'm always an awesome tipper. She said she was busy with other tables. Yet they got biscuits, cornbread and refills. Mind you this whole time nobody asked us once, are we okay? Do we need anything? We still didn't get any refills.

I am a disabled veteran so my anxiety and PTSD flared up, so I finally got up the to the front and talked to Michelle at the front counter whom was very pleasant and polite. I told her my dilemma and she called for the manager. He came up but obviously he was busy and couldn't be bothered which I understand. He said she was new and the thing is I work for federal government and I been new but that is no reason to be a disservice. Because she wasn't new when she gave that elderly white couple great service and was attentive to them, or the young white couple or the middle aged white couple but yet for me and my nephews who obviously didn't look like them, she is too busy. I didn't serve my country to be treated like a second class citizen. With all of that I still left a 20% tip.

Even though the service was poor and food was not up to par. Again we still didn't get biscuits or cornbread. But yet all those tables around us got some and got their refills and got the pleasant smile and wonderful greetings. I didn't want my meal compensated or anything. I paid for my bill. I just wanted great service and I wanted my voice heard but obviously that was too much to ask for at this cracker barrel location.

They took a nostalgic moment and turned into a nightmare. So instead of me remembering the memories with my deceased mother, now I'm going to remember the poor service and second class citizen attitude I...

This evening my family of 5 went to the local Cracker Barrel for dinner. Knowing the times having a 20+ wait was expected so we were happy to be called and seated. We were seated just before 7pm. While waiting for our server and running to the restroom (due to a 4 year old) didn’t think of the fact we had yet gotten our drink order. Looking around the restaurant noticed the other tables and servers working quickly to get orders taken. Then realized it is now 7:15 and we have not even seen our server. So I went up to the hostess desk to find out what was up. There was definitely a breakdown of communication. By the time the young man named Seth came to our table apologized multiple times and appeared very overwhelmed. Having been in the hospitality industry for years could immediately tell he was new and was overwhelmed in what he was doing. He was very polite and I had seen him at his other tables so could see he did know what he needed to do but the miscommunication and missing a table seemed to knock him for a loop. He took our order and even gave special attention to my mom who is older and needed extra assistance in the menu. He worked to answer questions and was trying to do so without showing how new he was to the job. As our drinks came out I noticed a mistake on the order. My daughter had asked for an adult meal and he account in as a child’s. He quickly went to resolve it and handled it very well. He even left the side for her to enjoy while the rest of us had our food already. This is huge to me for it didn’t leave a child watching everyone else eat. Still noticing he was overwhelmed I asked him to pause and let him know to take a deep breath he has it and is doing good. Shortly after a young lady named Bailey came to our table to apologize and explain what happened. She was very good and was assisting in getting Seth back on track. The two of them did an amazing job and held up the standards of exceptional guest service. I have to also mention that the kitchen also did an amazing job for the food was very flavorful. Something that should not go unnoticed for now a days can be a hot or miss. My only issue with the whole event is that the manager did not once come to the table and check on the situation. He was visible on the floor but maintained his distance from the situation. If anything Bailey handle it equal to or better than any floor managers I have seen in the years of being in the industry. I hope that they see the value of Bailey and Seth who stepped up when the manager and hostess staff...