The food at this Cracker Barrel location is almost always great, but the service can occasionally be a nightmare. Living in Shawnee, the Cracker Barrel is a frequent destination for Sunday breakfasts or weekday lunches. Over more visits than I can keep track of, the food has consistently been of a very high quality. Normally I am wary of places that attempt to do too many different things, but Cracker Barrel seems to have figured it out. My favorite thing on the menu is the pecan pancakes. They are prepared griddlecake-style and served with a generous topping of sweet butter and surprisingly good maple syrup. I really like the texture and flavor imparted by the griddle, it gives the edges of the pancakes a slight crispiness and char that is superb. I also find that the turkey sausage is actually superior to the traditional pork sausage, which I personally find overly smokey. The lunch menu also has a number of good options, with the hamburger, catfish, and chicken and dumplings all being quite tasty. The vegetable plate is also a nice option, though vegetarians should ask about some of the choices, as a number of the stewed greens are made with bits of bacon or ham for flavor. The cobbler ala mode is almost always fantastic. Unfortunately, the service can be incredibly hit-or-miss. I'm not sure why, but bad service at the Cracker Barrel can leave you wondering whether or not your server has decided that maybe waiting tables isn't for them and has decided to pursue another line of work mid-meal. More often than not, this isn't the case, but it has happened with enough frequency to keep me from treating it as an isolated incident. Honestly, I now make a point of requesting specific servers whenever possible to avoid these situations. This has alleviated the problem for the most part. I genuinely love the Cracker Barrel, even if that love is invariably slightly shameful.
(4)
Clara G.
I love this place!!!! They never disappoint me! I always get great service and delicious food! Even when I get new wait staff they are always very friendly and hardworking! These guys know how to pick 'em!
(5)
William P.
Friendly service, food good, have a nice variety of OSU and ou shirts and jackets.
(3)
Elizabeth A.
Waited with 2moms and 5 kids for over an hour after ordering on a busy night but everyone around us was getting served. Many of these tables were seated after us. When one of the kids went to politely ask the very old waitress when the food might come after almost an hour had gone by since we had ordered, she snapped at him and then when the food finally came it was cold in some plates and burned on others and they acted like we should be grateful we were getting anything at all when we said something about it . Also we never had any refills of any drink in that entire hour and no one came over to us. We had waited Quietly and being polite and the kids behaved right because they were older kids and when we finally got served such bad food nobody was going to eat cold burned food after waiting all that time even as hungry as we were, we walked out. Much of the staff was quite older people and we got the distinct feeling that we were not the right race of people to be trying to eat there by the way they treated us. Not too good for n8iv.
(1)
Jeff B.
Went here cause my wife likes breakfast from here. She wanted to go for lunch this time. Stick with the breakfast lunch isn't worth it. I was always under the impression Cracker Barrel made everything from scratch. I can tell u now the chicken fried chicken is not. Breaking was really tough and over cooked. The cornbread rolls were the same way. Gravy was horrible. The coleslaw was good and the corn was good but that's about it. My wife had the same thing but with mashed potatoes and some kinda of casserole I can't remember mashed potatoes were old and a little runny. The casserole wasn't to bad though. Our daughter had a blast shopping in the store though.
(2)
Steve R.
Food is consistently decent. Love the huge menu so everyone has what they like. Seems like we're always seated quickly. The food is always slow, so don't go when you're in a hurry. Also, the hashbrown casserole is never hot. It must be a Cracker Barrel standard, because I've never experienced it fresh.
(3)
Joe N.
Visiting here the other day with a coworker had lunch the staff was very friendly the service very fast and the food was great the only thing was bathrooms were clean and we sat down and had some trash on the seats that was the -1*. Other than that everything was decent and pretty good location right off the interstate on the feeder road.
(4)
Shawn K.
The food is always good, except I don't like the sawmill gravy. The wait staff is always decent except one time and she was new. I recommend this place.
(4)
Robin M.
Food was excellent-as always; but the employees and management should really remember that horrible service is a big detractor.
(2)
Steve S.
We waited 35 minutes after our order only to find out the were out of dumplings. The gave us menus to re order. We left after 10 more minutes of not being served! This is our second time of poor service. We won't be back.
(1)
Linda H.
Kudos to Carolyn for stepping in to take our order after being ignored for 30 minutes by our assigned waitress. Carolyn was so sweet and attentive. She even brought out the manager on duty July 24th.
(2)
vicki s.
Go to delta cafe! Meatloaf sandwich wasbarely warm, supposed to be grilled. Waitress wouldn't substitute for the coleslaw, so I paid full price without it and the steak fries were not cooked through. I expected more from this chain.
(1)
Paul J.
I LOVE THIS PLACE! Vicki must have visited on an off day but I eat here at least once each week. When I want good, home-cooked comfort food, Cracker Barrel is my restaurant of choice. Everything from breakfast all day long to steak biscuits to no sugar added apple pie and ice cream, this place ROCKS! A big "THANK YOU" to Joyce, Donna, Brittney, Kristin, Gabe and the rest of the team for making every visit delicious and enjoyable.
(4)
Andrew C.
I've been to Cracker Barrel several times in my life (my first time today his location). Typically, though, it's not my first choice; it's my grandparents' first choice (or my dad's). And I don't know particularly why. Brand image maybe. I like their Southern appeal. I've heard that their vegetables are always many and fresh. Their breakfast has been stellar every time I've been. I haven't had bad service (in fact, our waitress last night was great). My apathy for the CB may be due to my growing hesitancy to eat things that disregard calories - not that I'm on a diet or anything. I just physically feel bad because of the gravies and friedness of it all (to be fair, there are ways to eat there healthily). Still, I'd eat a good breakfast there. I guess that makes me a little contradictory.
(3)
James A.
Excellent sirloin steak this evening. Had the salad & baked potato sides and these were very good as well. My waitress was very attentive, keeping my glass of tea filled. Overall, my experience with this Cracker Barrel has been very positive. Staff has been excellent, the food has been great, & I have enjoyed every minute I have eaten there.
(4)
Diana D.
This is a very good place to eat. The food was good as well as the service. The only part a little negative was the waitress asked us too often if we needed anything. We told her repeatedly we were fine and didn't want anything else. She was very friendly though.
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Specialities
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Breakfast Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : No Outdoor Seating : No Has TV : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
Jeremy F.
The food at this Cracker Barrel location is almost always great, but the service can occasionally be a nightmare. Living in Shawnee, the Cracker Barrel is a frequent destination for Sunday breakfasts or weekday lunches. Over more visits than I can keep track of, the food has consistently been of a very high quality. Normally I am wary of places that attempt to do too many different things, but Cracker Barrel seems to have figured it out. My favorite thing on the menu is the pecan pancakes. They are prepared griddlecake-style and served with a generous topping of sweet butter and surprisingly good maple syrup. I really like the texture and flavor imparted by the griddle, it gives the edges of the pancakes a slight crispiness and char that is superb. I also find that the turkey sausage is actually superior to the traditional pork sausage, which I personally find overly smokey. The lunch menu also has a number of good options, with the hamburger, catfish, and chicken and dumplings all being quite tasty. The vegetable plate is also a nice option, though vegetarians should ask about some of the choices, as a number of the stewed greens are made with bits of bacon or ham for flavor. The cobbler ala mode is almost always fantastic. Unfortunately, the service can be incredibly hit-or-miss. I'm not sure why, but bad service at the Cracker Barrel can leave you wondering whether or not your server has decided that maybe waiting tables isn't for them and has decided to pursue another line of work mid-meal. More often than not, this isn't the case, but it has happened with enough frequency to keep me from treating it as an isolated incident. Honestly, I now make a point of requesting specific servers whenever possible to avoid these situations. This has alleviated the problem for the most part. I genuinely love the Cracker Barrel, even if that love is invariably slightly shameful.
(4)Clara G.
I love this place!!!! They never disappoint me! I always get great service and delicious food! Even when I get new wait staff they are always very friendly and hardworking! These guys know how to pick 'em!
(5)William P.
Friendly service, food good, have a nice variety of OSU and ou shirts and jackets.
(3)Elizabeth A.
Waited with 2moms and 5 kids for over an hour after ordering on a busy night but everyone around us was getting served. Many of these tables were seated after us. When one of the kids went to politely ask the very old waitress when the food might come after almost an hour had gone by since we had ordered, she snapped at him and then when the food finally came it was cold in some plates and burned on others and they acted like we should be grateful we were getting anything at all when we said something about it . Also we never had any refills of any drink in that entire hour and no one came over to us. We had waited Quietly and being polite and the kids behaved right because they were older kids and when we finally got served such bad food nobody was going to eat cold burned food after waiting all that time even as hungry as we were, we walked out. Much of the staff was quite older people and we got the distinct feeling that we were not the right race of people to be trying to eat there by the way they treated us. Not too good for n8iv.
(1)Jeff B.
Went here cause my wife likes breakfast from here. She wanted to go for lunch this time. Stick with the breakfast lunch isn't worth it. I was always under the impression Cracker Barrel made everything from scratch. I can tell u now the chicken fried chicken is not. Breaking was really tough and over cooked. The cornbread rolls were the same way. Gravy was horrible. The coleslaw was good and the corn was good but that's about it. My wife had the same thing but with mashed potatoes and some kinda of casserole I can't remember mashed potatoes were old and a little runny. The casserole wasn't to bad though. Our daughter had a blast shopping in the store though.
(2)Steve R.
Food is consistently decent. Love the huge menu so everyone has what they like. Seems like we're always seated quickly. The food is always slow, so don't go when you're in a hurry. Also, the hashbrown casserole is never hot. It must be a Cracker Barrel standard, because I've never experienced it fresh.
(3)Joe N.
Visiting here the other day with a coworker had lunch the staff was very friendly the service very fast and the food was great the only thing was bathrooms were clean and we sat down and had some trash on the seats that was the -1*. Other than that everything was decent and pretty good location right off the interstate on the feeder road.
(4)Shawn K.
The food is always good, except I don't like the sawmill gravy. The wait staff is always decent except one time and she was new. I recommend this place.
(4)Robin M.
Food was excellent-as always; but the employees and management should really remember that horrible service is a big detractor.
(2)Steve S.
We waited 35 minutes after our order only to find out the were out of dumplings. The gave us menus to re order. We left after 10 more minutes of not being served! This is our second time of poor service. We won't be back.
(1)Linda H.
Kudos to Carolyn for stepping in to take our order after being ignored for 30 minutes by our assigned waitress. Carolyn was so sweet and attentive. She even brought out the manager on duty July 24th.
(2)vicki s.
Go to delta cafe! Meatloaf sandwich wasbarely warm, supposed to be grilled. Waitress wouldn't substitute for the coleslaw, so I paid full price without it and the steak fries were not cooked through. I expected more from this chain.
(1)Paul J.
I LOVE THIS PLACE! Vicki must have visited on an off day but I eat here at least once each week. When I want good, home-cooked comfort food, Cracker Barrel is my restaurant of choice. Everything from breakfast all day long to steak biscuits to no sugar added apple pie and ice cream, this place ROCKS! A big "THANK YOU" to Joyce, Donna, Brittney, Kristin, Gabe and the rest of the team for making every visit delicious and enjoyable.
(4)Andrew C.
I've been to Cracker Barrel several times in my life (my first time today his location). Typically, though, it's not my first choice; it's my grandparents' first choice (or my dad's). And I don't know particularly why. Brand image maybe. I like their Southern appeal. I've heard that their vegetables are always many and fresh. Their breakfast has been stellar every time I've been. I haven't had bad service (in fact, our waitress last night was great). My apathy for the CB may be due to my growing hesitancy to eat things that disregard calories - not that I'm on a diet or anything. I just physically feel bad because of the gravies and friedness of it all (to be fair, there are ways to eat there healthily). Still, I'd eat a good breakfast there. I guess that makes me a little contradictory.
(3)James A.
Excellent sirloin steak this evening. Had the salad & baked potato sides and these were very good as well. My waitress was very attentive, keeping my glass of tea filled. Overall, my experience with this Cracker Barrel has been very positive. Staff has been excellent, the food has been great, & I have enjoyed every minute I have eaten there.
(4)Diana D.
This is a very good place to eat. The food was good as well as the service. The only part a little negative was the waitress asked us too often if we needed anything. We told her repeatedly we were fine and didn't want anything else. She was very friendly though.
(4)