Cracker Barrel

My wife and I took our mother, aunt and uncle - who is 80 years old - to eat dinner here. The food was hot, fresh and tasted great. The reason for this review is our server. A young lady named Clare was a our waitress. Her expertise in being a waitress is a dying art and it was a breath of fresh air. She's a perfect example of the way a server should perform. She made our experience at Cracker Barrel outstanding. It was our pleasure to leave a great tip as it was well deserved.

Food was good but waitress either wasn't experienced or lazy. She told us the restaurant no longer allowed bread to be brought out prior to the meal, but the waiter at the table right beside of us got bread and saucers prior to their meal. She also told us they no longer give butter or preserves/jelly, but that wasn't true either. She left off one of the sides that was ordered and never offered tea or water refills. We were there several hours before closing but her main focus was cleaning and prepping for the restaurant closing. We love Cracker Barrel, but we will definitely get a different waitress next time. Went back less than a week later. The waitress was a little better but not by much. The previous waitress brought out some of the food that was ordered. I asked for a spoon for my 2 year old grandson. She never brought the spoon. Had to ask the current waitress for a spoon. We finally got a spoon, but only after my grandson was fed over half of his foodwith his dad's fork while his dad's food got cold. How hard is it to get a spoon? I ordered chicken and dumplings. As you can see in the picture it was dumplings with a bite of chicken. I also ordered carrots, but they "ran out". My husband's food was overcooked to the point that you couldn't cut it with a knife without pressure. You could tap it on the plate like a drum. Our wait time was 35 minutes which wasn't bad, but the service is definitely lacking. Disappointed to say the least.

I’m actually surprised at the ratings of this Cracker Barrel. Their store is so crammed your constantly pushing against others just to get to the hostesses podium or to check out even. In addition, after waiting 7-10 minutes for the hostess (Autumn) to sign us in and then said it would be 15-20 minute wait. In addition, it took her extra time because she kept chatting with the waitresses and walking like it was no rush to even assist- this was at 12:35 pm- lunch rush. Left- not worth my time and there was no way I was going to wait addition time after waiting just to get the hostess attention in that crammed store, especially with COVID still as an issue.

I have lived in Shelby Nc for 5 years and have never been to the Gastonia Nc location. Had guests visiting they wanted breakfast. It was Friday at 11am and the parking lot was full I had to circle three times before I got a space. We were told it was a 35 minute wait so we shopped the wonderful gift shop. I could not believe it was so crowded however when seated I saw why. It has a small eating area compared to others I have been in..our server was excellent..although they were out of hash browns our breakfast was delicious and they had great coffee. You can't beat their pancakes with the little bottled syrup!