crackerbarrel

Anybody out there like Crackerbarrel restaurants for breakfast? Crackerbarrel is the best place for breakfast. They have a variety of breakfast items. Their french toast on sourdough bread is so good.

I don't live anywhere near a Cracker Barrel and that's just as well. I don't think I'd give them my business if I did. Not so very long ago, they were infamous for discrimination against gay people; now the following. I normally pride myself on being very un-PC, but I draw the line at blatant discrimination of the sort too often alleged against Cracker Barrel (and which, by agreeing to this consent decree, Cracker Barrel does not contest). This is, after all, the 21st Centiry and it's time to get past this nonsense:


MONDAY, MAY 3, 2004
WWW.USDOJ.GOV TDD
CRT
(202) 514-2008
(202) 514-1888


JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SETTLES RACE DISCRIMINATION LAWSUIT AGAINST CRACKERBARREL RESTAURANT CHAIN

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Department of Justice today announced the filing and settlement of a lawsuit alleging racial discrimination against African-American customers by Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc., a nationwide family restaurant chain. In the agreement, memorialized in a consent order filed with the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Cracker Barrel commits to implementing far reaching changes to policies and practices, to prevent discrimination.

The Justice Department's complaint alleges that Cracker Barrel violated Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by engaging in a pattern or practice of discrimination against African-American customers and prospective customers on the basis of their race or color. Specifically, the complaint alleges that Cracker Barrel:

·allowed white servers to refuse to wait on African-American customers;

·segregated customer seating by race;

·seated white customers before African-American customers who arrived earlier;

·provided inferior service to African-American customers after they were seated; and

·treated African-Americans who complained about the quality of Cracker Barrel's food or service less favorably than white customers who lodged similar complaints.

The Justice Department's investigation revealed evidence of such conduct in approximately 50 different Cracker Barrel restaurants in seven states: Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. The Justice Department's investigation included interviews with approximately 150 persons, mostly former Cracker Barrel employees, of whom 80 percent stated that they experienced or witnessed discriminatory treatment of customers at a Cracker Barrel restaurant. The investigation suggested that managers often directed, participated in, or condoned the discriminatory behavior.

Filed with the complaint today in federal court was a jointly filed consent order resolving the allegations. Under the consent order, which remains subject to court approval and which covers Cracker Barrel restaurants nationwide, Cracker Barrel will hire an outside auditor to ensure compliance with its terms. The five-year agreement requires Cracker Barrel to:

·adopt and implement effective nondiscrimination policies and procedures;

·implement new and enhanced training programs to ensure compliance with Title II and the consent order;

·develop and implement an improved system for investigating, tracking, and resolving discrimination complaints;

·retain an outside contractor to test the compliance of Cracker Barrel restaurants with Title II and the order; and

·publicize the company's nondiscrimination policies.

My Wife and Daughter-in-law love breakfast at Crackerbarrel. As for me I can take it or leave it. I have had very good meals there and also very so so meals.

The Sundancer has eaten at the Cracker Barrel many times. I have done so mainly through business breakfast and business lunch. My opinion is that they are mediocre at best.

As many of you know, I do not berate chains and as a matter of fact, there are many of them that I regularly use but the Cracker Barrel, while being clean and well merchandised has food that does not personally appeal to me.

The breakfast has some type of potatoes that is a casserole which is OK, bisquits that are always served medium warm. I think they have been in a warmer. The gravy is OK.

I have done lunch and each and every time, the food has been OK but not super.

Perhaps it is just me as each time I have been there, a crowd is present. I personaly just do not hang on to their style.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

I love the Cracker Barrel and it is one of my favorite places for breakfest. My favorite is the Smoke House special.

I have eaten at Cracker Barrel many times, but more for their convinence than the taste of their food. When traveling through a new area and not having the time to search out a better alternative, I can usually find a Cracker Barrel nearby. I know what I'm getting going in - fairly nondescript, slightly institutionalized tasting food that is served reasonablly fast. If I have the time and especially if I'm traveling to a great food destination, i.e. SF, New Orleans, NC BBQ country, you won't catch me near a Cracker Barrel.

Well, I like Crackerbarrel food, especially breakfact, and those that I have been treated all the customers equal.

LL

That Cracker Barrel might be accused of racial discrimination should have surprised no one. After all, wasn't the name a dead giveaway?

I love the "Uncle Herchel's" breakfast at CB, especially with country ham. I learned long ago that molasses are available for the asking, and a mixture of molasses, butter and hot biscuits makes for a great finish to any breakfast. CB is the one place outside of the south where I can get my fix of food the way we had it in the North Carolina hills of my younger days. The Cracker Barrell sign has been a beacon to us since we started travelling full time in 2000.

AND I don't let attitudes or politics (real, alledged or perceived) keep me from things or places I enjoy unless they are tring to cram their philosophy on me.

That's a good way to look at things.....

"It ain't discrimination, if you ain't the one being discriminated against."

any restaurant that has me walk thru their gift shoppe in order to get seated,gets little of my business. that aside,I agree w/ SUNDANCER in that the food is mediocre at best.
As to the 'politics',well,I'm a musician and once,about 4yrs ago,our bus pulled in,the band being quite multi-racial,and we were told they didn't do buses(wouldn't serve us),sooooooooooo,we split up,had the bus parked in the motel next door and walked in two at a time,sat down and then left......never again

The discrimination issue aside, let me tell you what I like about Cracker Barrel: the veggies. This is probably the only place where I, my wife, *and* my two daughters (ages 3 and 18 months) can sit down and order nothing but veggie plates. My darling little daughters are very finicky eaters but they clean up their plates at Cracker Barrel every time, and I know they are getting something better for them than the grilled cheese, chicken nibblers or etc etc that they'd eat anywhere else we'd otherwise go.

Very, very few places in Cincinati offer both the quality of veggie dishes as well as the swiftness with which they are delivered to the table.

My wife likes the pinto beans and greens with corn bread. I like the green breens so much I get a double order most times, as well as the hash brown casserole and the cinnamon apples. My girls like all those things.

That said, if I am out on my own (which isn't too often) I don't choose Cracker Barrel; but it is in my opinion one of the best family-style restaurants in the Cincinnati area.

That doesn't necessarily mean that Cracker Barrell is guilty of discrimination. They very well may be, but thanks to our government, it is sometimes more expedient, cheaper and less of a drain on corporate resources to just cut your losses and go along with them. In the area of discrimination charges, saying you are guilty until proven innocent is not an exaggeration.

That said, Cracker Barrell is good but not great. They do offer things you can't find most places and I do like their potatoes. However, the best deal there is the wooden rocking chair they sell.

Cracker Barrel is a blight on the landscape of our interstates. I visited one once someplace along I-95. The place was a ticky-tacky gift shop masquerading as a restaurant. The service was atrocious and the food barely edible. The clientel seemed to be made up mostly of busloads of dazed, entrapped and Shanghied senior citizens.

Since joining Roadfood.com a year and a half ago we have very rarely found ourselves reduced to eating any meal at a national chain type place. Our recent trip south is a case in point. We ate very well in Maryland along I-301/ 50 having crabcakes at Roadfood recommneded The Narrows, and breakfast (scrapple for me, SOS for her) across the street at The Angler. Both places brought to our attention by contribuitors to these forums.

In Lexington, NC we ate at four Roadfod recommended BBQs ,
and enjoyed our first ever taste of "Livermush" due to it being brought to our attention in these forums.

In Asheville, NC we had a very nice dinner at Picnic, another restaurant we learned about thru these pages. In Black Mountain we enjoyed an "all the way" hotdog at Duke's - another Roadfod find.

In Harrisonburg, Va we had a great Pizza at Wood Fired Pizza - we could have gone to Cracker Barrell or any of a half dozen national chain restaurants at that particular intersection , but because of what we've learned here we sought out a locally owned and operated restaurant and were the better for it.

For lunch, Saturday, we stopped at Fulk's Family restaurant in Indiantown Gap, PA and enjoyed wonderful pork chops. I-81 and I-84 are lined with national chains that we could have visited, but we have learned that it is always better to take a chance on a local "Mom & Pop" than to suffer the bland sameness of the chains.

There is no excuse for Roadfooders to patronize the national chains when a World of great local food is available out there - unless, of course, you like bland, you like dull sameness, you like to be herded around like sheep, you crave ticky-tacky, or you just don't give a damn about what you atre eating.

In fairness to those with young children in tow, we've been there, and we understand how the chains are perfectly set up to make your life easier when traveling with the kids. When our kids were little, Howard Johnson's was the place, and we ate a whole lot of hotdogs and fried clams in those places.

Cheers, John

There is a Cracker Barrel near my office and I have been there a few times for business breakfasts or lunches. The food was OK and service good but we have so many diners in our area with really exceptional food that I prefer to eat there. But unless they're Roadfood fans, I wouldn't expect hungry diners on I-78 to bypass Cracker Barrel for them.

I am one who likes the CB gift shop, at least the one near us (the merchandise mix does differ in the various locations). They have a great retro candy area and some interesting gift items from time to time. A couple of years ago, they had some nice tea items and currently have some reproductions of 40's and 50's childrens' games and toys. They have a lot of tacky souvenirs too.

I stopped at a Cracker Barrel along Interstate 75 in Tennessee one day while driving to Atlanta. I wanted a cup of coffee. It took me forever to get through the crummy gifts and into the restaurant where I finally managed to get a seat at the counter. When I ordered my coffee, the waitress asked if that was all I was going to have. When I said yes, she walked away and never came back. I managed to sit there for about ten minutes before leaving. I hven't been back to a Cracker Barrel since.

Sounds more like a case of a bad waitress (who'd be bad at any restaurant) rather than a bad restaurant.

Next time, let the manager on duty know you'd like to be moved to another table and why. The waitress in such a case would likely be looking for work elsewhere - hopefully in a more suitable profession - thereafter.

I never got past the retail store to get to the place. reminded me too much of Rainforest Cafe. the only reason I went into that place was becasue they usually have live parrots and as a parrot owner, I am a sucker for seeing them.

But my wife has gone a few times always due to business. They are horrible to deal with if you have any food allergies according to her due to the fact that most of their stuff comes in a bag already. Thats enough to make me spend my money elsewhere.

Don't get me Started on The Rainforest! We suffered thru fog and thunder and screaming animals, and pelting rain on a tim roof, and god only knows how much more just to find out the food was merely OK at best. This was on Sanibel Island, Fla. BTW: we never did find a decent meal in three days on that very expensive sandspit...

Cheers, John

quote:

Originally posted by seafarer john

Don't get me Started on The Rainforest! We suffered thru fog and thunder and screaming animals, and pelting rain on a tim roof, and god only knows how much more just to find out the food was merely OK at best. This was on Sanibel Island, Fla. BTW: we never did find a decent meal in three days on that very expensive sandspit...

Cheers, John

Seafarer, too bad you do not go a little farther north to the Bubble Room. Really good and has been around for many years.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Sundancer; I'd surely hesitate to even enter a place called "The Bubble Room" - might find Lawrence Welk in there or even that weird Hawaiian ...

Cheers, John

quote:

Originally posted by seafarer john

Sundancer; I'd surely hesitate to even enter a place called "The Bubble Room" - might find Lawrence Welk in there or even that weird Hawaiian ...

Cheers, John

Quite frankly I think you would really love the Bubble Room with their eclectric setting with trains running around the ceiling, bubble lights every where, a neat history and truly delicous food with great desserts. I believe they have been there better than 50 years.

Web site attached and you will like.

http://www.bubbleroomrestaurant.com/brfl.html

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Did Bubbles LaTouche ever work there?

Bubble Room might well be a fine place to dine,but I (and this is solely my opinion,i admit) am turned off by the "pun" names for the dishes. It really grates on me to have to tell the waitress "I'll have the Moons over My Hammy"(or whatever foolishness in the particular venue).I know the staff has their "Adam and Eve on a raft" lingo but I prefer to leave that to the staff.
Sort of reminds me of those "Medieval" joints where they make you sing a song or otherwise humiliate yourself before they will allow you to eat.(With your fingers no less.Gee,what fun.)

quote:

Originally posted by Billfish

Bubble Room might well be a fine place to dine,but I (and this is solely my opinion,i admit) am turned off by the "pun" names for the dishes. It really grates on me to have to tell the waitress "I'll have the Moons over My Hammy"(or whatever foolishness in the particular venue).I know the staff has their "Adam and Eve on a raft" lingo but I prefer to leave that to the staff.
Sort of reminds me of those "Medieval" joints where they make you sing a song or otherwise humiliate yourself before they will allow you to eat.(With your fingers no less.Gee,what fun.)


Sorry the menue turns you off but I suggest you try the restaurant before you form your opinion. It is a great place and is validated by many posters in previous post.

The food is delicous and the desserts are excellent.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Surprisingly, it appears that WJ is not a fan of Cracker Barrel. I guess he's more of a Waffle House guy.

Anyone know if the Bubble Room met Charley and who won.

Uh oh, here come the "I hate chains" posts...

Actually, I tend to agree with Sundancer. I first tried Cracker Barrel when traveling on business for lunch and the food was OK, but not great. Nothing wrong with that for a chain type restaurant. Now we have one in Rochester and I do enjoy their breakfast. However, I am not an eggs person. My breakfast is pancakes, or preferably blueberry pancakes with good sausage patties. The Cracker Barrel here has always served them with a small bottle of real maple syrup which to me is a real treat and a big plus compared to most other places.

quote:

Originally posted by garykg6

any restaurant that has me walk thru their gift shoppe in order to get seated,gets little of my business. that aside,I agree w/ SUNDANCER in that the food is mediocre at best.
As to the 'politics',well,I'm a musician and once,about 4yrs ago,our bus pulled in,the band being quite multi-racial,and we were told they didn't do buses(wouldn't serve us),sooooooooooo,we split up,had the bus parked in the motel next door and walked in two at a time,sat down and then left......never again

I love it! My rules of thumb: any place that has to spend mega-bucks on advertising to get customers (Chili's, Joe's Crab Shack), has merchandising efforts going full tilt (Cracker Barrel, Goode Co. BBQ in Houston), or seems to have a full time staff of decorators acquiring and installing ersatz memorabilia, etc., probably hasn't spent as much time on recipes and preparation as it should have.

I would have been predisposed not to eat at Cracker Barrel even before hearing the allegations of discrimination. Down home cooking in a corporate kitchen is an oxymoron. I've never experienced a chain that does it well.