Cracker Barrel Old Country Store — Restaurant in Virginia

I usually like Cracker Barrel, but today was too much. I had to run to the bank, and I told my spouse I would pick up lunch and be back in time for a meeting. Since we both wanted salads, I decided to choose Cracker Barrel instead of one of the many fast food restaurants around. I first attempted to call in my order from the parking lot on their posted take-out phone number. No one answered the telephone. So, I decided to go inside the restaurant itself, which I was initially reluctant to do. It was 2 o’clock in the afternoon, so it was after the usual lunch rush-hour. After being greeted by the hostess, I waited almost 15 minutes for someone to take my order. Then, after she took my order, she took the order of a woman who had been waiting behind me. My order was very simple: two grilled chicken salads, both with blue cheese dressing. Nothing else. The woman behind me had a very complicated order for several people, which consisted of items from both the breakfast menu and the lunch menu. There were numerous special requests and substitutions. I waited 15 minutes, walking around the store. Since I had to be back in time for a meeting, I asked how much longer my order would be. I was told it would be right out. I waited another 15 minutes, while I watched other orders come and go - including the complicated order of the woman who came in behind me. I went up to the register and asked again. A call was placed to the back. Once again, “it will be right out.” I paid for my order, along with the other items I had picked up from my long wait. Still nothing. I looked at my watch, knowing I was going to miss the beginning of my meeting. When I looked at my watch again, the woman behind the cash register noticed, and she started making excuses. She said that it was all very complicated, that they were dealing with phone-in orders and in-store orders, as well as orders that they received over the internet. Again, it was past lunch hour, so the store was not busy. I remarked that the phone orders could not be keeping them very busy, since nobody had answered the phone on the two occasions that I had called earlier. I spent a good portion of my younger life in food service, also dealing with dining room, phone in, internet and fax orders. I believe that they had simply forgotten my order, but rather than apologize, they tapped danced all around the difficulty of working in food service. I know that working in food service is hard - that’s why even on take-out orders I leave a tip (small, but a tip, never-the-less). But that’s not what this was. I think they simply forgot. That happens sometimes, and when it does, you apologize profusely and move on. But neither the hostess, the cash register operator nor either of the two waitresses working take-out apologized for my unusually excessive wait (they were all standing around the cash register area). Just as I approached the register to cancel the order and ask for a refund of my money, one of the waitresses came out with a bag She handed it to me and said “here’s your food.” I said thank you, took the bag and left the store, almost an hour after I had arrived. I arrived at home to the tail end of the meeting. And the salad? The tomatoes were old, and one that I bit into was even rotten. The croutons were stale. The wait was bad enough, but to have bad food at the end of it was an insult. You can forgive almost anything except...

**UPDATE: 12-4-2022 This use to be a very clean, uniformed and friendly place to go. I have been a customer since this location first opened. Just a handful of the original staff remains. I will say this place has lost its 5 stars.

Your silver is no longer wrapped. It’s now thrown into a basket and sometimes wet. Whoever made that decision needs to be fired. (If they where worried about COVID wear gloves)

It use to be required for the staff to roll X amount of silverware. Since this is non porous I don’t see a reason to stop this other than pure laziness.

Next the floors look like they haven’t been “scrubbed” professionally in years. You can plainly see that dirt has been pushed around with a sour mop.

The servers can wear pretty much what they want. There’s no regulation on tongue piercings any more. The rule use to be that Cracker Barrel stated it can not be visible. We had a server that just wouldn’t smile not interact with our table. We were constantly calling her over to refill drinks. To even great us or touch the table took well over 5 passes and 20 minutes. On an afternoon that wasn’t even busy.

Ok so let’s mark it up to her having a bad day. I decided to check CB out on another day, this time in the evening. Same thing different server.

This restaurant has really gone to the dogs. I am surprised that corporate allows this. They use to have such a wholesome and clean set of moral standards and now there is no motivation and drive for these servers to wear 5 stars on their aprons. Nothing about this place states leadership nor management.

The managers stand around just counting the tables. They do not even interact with the customers. It’s obvious they are there just like their staff… for a paycheck. Poor service, poor quality. The food doesn’t even come out hot anymore.

The food is consistent, the staff ughhhh the veteran staff needs to train...

Disastrous Takeout Experience from Cracker Barrel - April 20,2025 Our recent takeout order from the Cracker Barrel in RVA (Laburnum ave) was an absolute disaster from start to finish. In the middle of a stressful move, we opted for the convenience of takeout, specifically choosing Cracker Barrel and even carefully selecting toppings for our meals, knowing our own kitchen was packed away. This turned out to be a huge mistake. Upon arriving home, we discovered that one of our meals was completely missing. To make matters worse, not a single topping we had selected was included with any of the remaining meals. Since we were moving and didn't have access to our own condiments or additions, this left the meals we did receive incredibly bland and unsatisfying. Imagine opening your takeout containers to find dry chicken tenders with absolutely no sauce or flavor – that was our dinner. And the mac n' cheese? Utterly tasteless. The chicken tenders themselves were also a huge letdown – dry, tough, and certainly not tender in the slightest. Attempting to rectify the situation by calling the restaurant proved to be just as frustrating. The customer service over the phone was rude and unhelpful. When we finally managed to speak to the manager about the missing meal and the complete lack of toppings, their response was dismissive and offered no real solution or apology. It felt like they simply didn't care about the significant error with our order. This takeout experience added unnecessary stress to an already chaotic moving day. The rude customer service, the completely incorrect order, and the terrible, apathetic manager have left us with a very negative impression. We chose Cracker Barrel for a convenient and hopefully enjoyable meal, but instead received a cold, incomplete, and utterly disappointing order. We will definitely be looking at other takeout options...