13 Cracker Barrel Menu Items That Continue To Disappoint Customers

Known for its rustic decor, Southern comfort food, and all-day breakfast, Cracker Barrel has been feeding hungry patrons since 1969. Starting with an outlet off the interstate in Lebanon, Tennessee, Cracker Barrel grew to 13 locations in its first eight years of operation. The chain expanded steadily over the years, reaching a footprint of over 650 restaurants in 2025. Today, Cracker Barrel boasts the greatest presence in Florida, Texas, and Tennessee.

The road to success hasn't always been smooth for Cracker Barrel. In 2024, the chain announced that it would be closing several stores in California, Oregon, and South Carolina. The move was attributed to declining customer numbers, prompting the chain to remodel some of its restaurants. While Cracker Barrel also focused on improving its menu, many of the restaurant's dishes have continued to draw criticism from diners, with complaints ranging from bland flavors to poor execution.

Ready to find out more about Cracker Barrel's most underwhelming menu items? Here is a look at the dishes that continue to leave patrons disappointed! If you would like to find out more about our selection process, take a look at the methodology section at the end of this article.

Rooted in the Southern cooking tradition, at its best, Southern fried chicken consists of pieces of chicken marinated in buttermilk, covered in seasoned flour or batter, and fried on a pan. The poultry isn't traditionally breaded or deep-fried, although modern versions of the dish often use frying to make the poultry extra crispy. While we can't be sure whether Cracker Barrel's four pieces of bone-in Southern fried chicken are pan fried or deep fried, they do come with honey, which constitutes a departure from the traditional recipe. The dish is served with a choice of buttermilk biscuits or corn muffins, as well as two Country Sides.

Diners haven't been overly impressed with Cracker Barrel's Southern Fried Chicken, with some online reviewers describing it as disappointing. One TripAdvisor user calls the entrée a "bad choice," explaining, "I had been looking forward to trying their 'new' Southern fried chicken. [...] Based on what they served, I now regret my choice [...] The first plate was overcooked. [The waitress] got a manager and they offered to replace it pronto. [...] Based on the dark brown color of it, I sensed it would be overcooked too. Right again!" Another TripAdvisor reviewer agrees that the chain's Southern Fried chicken is a letdown, saying, "Too heavily breaded and cooked way too long."

Bacon and eggs are a firm breakfast favorite, so it's no surprise that they appear on Cracker Barrel's breakfast menu. As expected, they are offered as an option in the chain's Build Your Own Homestyle Breakfast — a customizable meal with two eggs done to your liking and biscuits and gravy. Eggs and bacon also appear in a range of the chain's other breakfast choices, including Biscuit Benny, Bacon n' Egg Hashbrown Casserole, and Old Timer's Breakfast.

Unfortunately, bacon and eggs probably shouldn't be the main reason you stop at Cracker Barrel for breakfast, as highlighted by a number of unhappy patrons. For instance, one TripAdvisor reviewer says that their food was "quite a disappointment," adding, "The eggs were overcooked, the bacon wasn't crisp." A Yelp user also wasn't happy with their breakfast at the chain, saying, "Bacon was greasy and crumpled. Eggs & hash brown casserole were cold." Several reviewers have also complained of undercooked eggs, with one diner pointing out that they ordered their eggs over medium and were served eggs so runny they almost threw up.

Just like countless other chain restaurants, Cracker Barrel serves many of its entrées with a selection of sides. More specifically, the chain's mains come with a choice of Country Sides, which include the likes of seasoned rice, green beans, broccoli, and fried okra. They also include mashed potatoes with brown gravy, mashed potatoes with sawmill gravy, and mashed potatoes with margarine, pepper, and salt. For those not in the know, brown gravy is made with meat drippings, flour, and stock, while sawmill gravy is made with rendered bacon fat, cornmeal, and milk. Cracker Barrel's mashed potatoes can also be purchased as a Premium Side — the Loaded Mashed Potatoes come with pieces of bacon, Colby cheese, and green onions.

Whatever entrée you select at Cracker Barrel, there is little doubt that it's best to steer clear of the mashed potatoes as a side dish — or at least that's what many reviewers say. According to one Yelp user, the chain's mashed potatoes leave much to be desired. "Mashed potatoes were bland and tasted like [the] potatoes were mashed straight from the pot and put on the plate. Of course I put salt, pepper, and butter on them, but it didn't seem to help," they posted. Similarly, a TripAdvisor reviewer notes that their mashed potatoes weren't that good, adding, "The mashed potatoes were brown & overcooked. The gravy looked & tasted like canned gravy." Other diners have also complained that their mashed potatoes were cold and tasted like "yesterday's leftovers."

Rest assured, this isn't a typo. Hashbrown Casserole Shepherd's Pie actually appears on Cracker Barrel's menu. And just as its name suggests, the dining option combines two classic dishes — a hashbrown casserole and shepherd's pie.

Much like a regular shepherd's pie, the dish combines slow-simmered pot roast, peas, carrots, celery, onion, and mashed potatoes in gravy. However, instead of the traditional mashed potato topping, the pie is crowned with a griddled hashbrown casserole crust and sour cream. The chain's Hashbrown Casserole Shepherd's Pie is served with either buttermilk biscuits or corn muffins.

Some patrons have found Cracker Barrel's Hashbrown Casserole Shepherd's Pie to be a letdown. The main complaint about the dish is that it's overly dry, with one TripAdvisor reviewer saying, "My hashbrown casserole was not delivered with the other vegetables and was warm and also dried out. Do yourself a favor and keep driving." Another TripAdvisor user also expressed dissatisfaction with the dish, noting, "The meat was full of fat and sinew. It was in reality a potato pot pie because it had very little vegetables in it. The meat was inedible."

Dumplings as we know and love usually consist of dough wrapped around a filling like savory meat, vegetables, or a combination of both. If this is what you are expecting to arrive at your table when you order Cracker Barrel's version of dumplings, you might be disappointed — after all, these are "dumplins" rather than dumplings.

Cracker Barrel's Chicken N' Dumplins skip the filling part of regular dumplings, with the dish served as a bowl of doughy strips swimming in a white sauce with pieces of chicken. The entrée comes with buttermilk biscuits or corn muffins, as well as a choice of two or three Country Sides. The chain's dumplins can also be ordered as a side dish, either on their own or as part of the Chicken N' Dumplin Soup Cup.

According to many diners, Cracker Barrel's Chicken N' Dumplins misses the mark. A case in point is one unimpressed TripAdvisor reviewer who says, "Tonight was the worst meal I have ever got at a Cracker Barrel. The dumplings were like a small ball and cold inside. Sent them back. I think they microwaved them. Not sure but still not hot." A Yelp user also slams the dish, noting, "The dumplings were tasteless and the chicken tasted like boiled tenderloins." Multiple other patrons have also mentioned that the ratio of dumpling to chicken in the dish leaves a lot to be desired, with only a few shreds of poultry.

French toast is a breakfast dish made by soaking slices of bread in a mixture of beaten eggs, cream, and other ingredients like vanilla extract, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Once the bread absorbs the batter, it's then pan fried until golden brown on both sides.

At Cracker Barrel, French toast appears in three different breakfast dishes, including the Homestyle Chicken n' French Toast, Grandma's Sampler French Toast Breakfast, and Momma's French Toast Breakfast. The menu item is made with griddled sourdough bread dipped in an egg batter. French toast is normally served with syrup, and the menu item at Cracker Barrel is no exception. The dish comes with a plethora of syrup choices, including 100% pure natural syrup, sugar free maple syrup, blueberry syrup, strawberry syrup, and butter pecan syrup.

Despite its appealing description in the menu, Cracker Barrel's French toast has received unfavorable feedback from diners. One example comes from a Yelp user who notes, "This French toast bake was a 0/10! I had high hopes for it because it was so pretty but [it] lacked favor. The bread was tough and didn't offer the richness of a true French toast. I was disappointed." Another Yelp reviewer echoes this sentiment, saying, "The French toast was cold and lacked any flavor."

Popular during cold winter months, pot roast is a hearty comfort dish made by slow-cooking a tough cut of beef, such as chuck or rump roast, in a pot with liquid such as a broth combined with wine and seasoning. It's the slow-cooking process that transforms the meat into a delicious, fork-tender meal. Cracker Barrel's version of the dish consists of a slow-braised rib roast with onions, carrots, and celery — all covered in beef gravy. The chain's Pot Roast comes with a choice of buttermilk biscuits or corn muffins, as well as two side dishes.

Cracker Barrel's Pot Roast hasn't wowed diners, with one TripAdvisor reviewer saying that they can't recommend the dish. "[The] pot roast was not edible, more fat than meat," they added. Another TripAdvisor user also shared negative feedback about the dish, saying, "Pot roast, yuk. Two barely warm, thin slices covered in cold gravy served with mashed potatoes that I couldn't cut as they weren't hot and had already hardened on the outside." To add insult to injury, other diners have described the chain's Pot Roast as "dry and fatty" and like a "tiny bowl of soup" rather than a stew.

Cracker Barrel divides its side dishes into two categories — Country Sides, which are served with many of the chain's entrées, and Premium Sides, which have to be paid for separately. The chain's Loaded Baked Potato falls into the second group. Listed alongside the likes of Bacon Mac N' Cheese, Hashbrown Casserole Tots, and Chicken N' Dumplin Soup, the Loaded Baked Potato is topped with bacon pieces, shredded Colby cheese, whipped butter, chopped green onions, and sour cream.

Mixing the goodness of fluffy potatoes with a range of savory toppings, baked potatoes are normally considered to be a hearty indulgence. This, however, isn't the case with Cracker Barrel's take on the dish. Lauren Harkawik, who reviewed Cracker Barrel's premium side dishes for Business Insider, says that the loaded baked potato was her least favorite. According to Harkawik, the side dish was "pretty standard" without any bells and whistles. A TripAdvisor user also wasn't impressed with the dish, saying, "Whoever is working in the kitchen does not know how to present food or what goes on a loaded baked potato. I got my food well after everyone else and it looked like someone put too much sour cream and tried to scoop it off."

Also sometimes called chicken fried steak, country fried steak is a classic Southern dish made with tenderized beef — usually cube steak — coated in seasoned flour. The steak is then either pan or deep fried until crispy. A part of Cracker Barrel's Been N' Pork menu section, the chain's Country Fried Steak comes smothered in sawmill gravy. Cracker Barrel's Country Fried Steak is made with USDA Choice beef, which falls between USDA Prime and USDA Select in terms of quality, offering decent flavor and marbling.

Despite being made with a relatively high grade of beef, Cracker Barrel's Country Fried Steak has failed to impress some patrons. For instance, one disgruntled Reddit user who tried the dish exclaims, "God that was awful. Now I know what not to order." A TripAdvisor reviewer also takes issue with the chain's Country Fried Steak, noting, "My wife and I both had the country fried steak there [...] and it was tough and overcooked or had been sitting under a heat lamp for a while. Tasted like it had been fried in the same grease as the chicken livers."

Carrots are listed as one of Cracker Barrel's Country Sides, which means that they can be paired with many of the restaurant's entrées. As part of the chain's traditional homestyle offerings, the carrots are cooked with a little margarine and brown sugar. This aims to deliver a homey flavor that complements the restaurant's hearty mains like the Smoky Southern Grilled Chicken, Meatloaf, or Big Easy Steak & Shrimp.

Carrots are such a simple side, it's hard to imagine that anybody would mess them up — after all, they require minimal preparation. However, some diners say that Cracker Barrel manages to do exactly that. One unhappy TripAdvisor reviewer says that the carrots are not worth their price tag, explaining that they were overly mushy. A fellow TripAdvisor user seconds this, also saying that their carrots were overcooked. Finally, another TripAdvisor reviewer shares the exact same sentiment, noting, "The carrots were the consistency of baby food."

Biscuits and gravy is a hearty, high-calorie breakfast dish believed to have been first created in the late 19th century in the Appalachian region. Combining affordable ingredients like flour, milk, and pork drippings, biscuits and gravy became a staple among the working class — leading to the term "sawmill gravy" so often associated with this Southern classic.

Cracker Barrel's version of the dish consists of three hand-rolled buttermilk biscuits, sawmill gravy, and a choice of sausage patties or sliced bacon. Regrettably, the dish hasn't won itself any fans with its taste or quality. One TripAdvisor reviewer calls the chain's breakfast "unappetizing," explaining, "The biscuits and gravy, which my husband loves, was sub-par. The biscuits were tasteless and the gravy, according to him, was just as bad. His sausage was very spicy." Similarly, another disappointed TripAdvisor user notes, "The gravy was stone cold — nasty. I could not eat it. We had been waiting quite a while for our meals to come out. I imagine our plates were sitting on the rail for some time before we were served."

Regular visitors to Cracker Barrel have no doubt tried its cornbread muffins — a common side option that comes with the chain's main dishes. Cornbread Muffins also appear on the restaurant's Country Sides menu, giving diners the option of pairing them with any entrée — or even having them as a stand-alone snack. The restaurant's standard side portion includes four muffins, also making the dish a shareable option that can be ordered for the table.

Feedback on Cracker Barrel's cornbread muffins has been lukewarm, with many finding them less than satisfying. This is illustrated by one TripAdvisor user who says, "Their cornbread muffin recipe has changed, but not for the better. It now tastes sweet, like a cheap box mix cornbread, not the special intense corn flavor of the old corn muffins." Another diner complains that the restaurant's cornbread muffins have shrunk over the years to half of their original size. In addition, quite a few patrons have made comments about the sub-par quality of the baked treats, saying that they "tasted like cardboard," were "hard as bricks," and were so old that they "could be used as weapons."

Steamed, sautéed, or stir-fried, green beans are a blank canvas that can be tailored to suit most taste preferences. As such, they are often combined with seasoning ranging from simple salt and pepper to more flavorful spices. Listed in the Country Sides section of Cracker Barrel's menu, green beans can be selected alongside many of the restaurant's entrées. The menu highlights the side dish as "slow-simmered with a hint of pork seasoning," making them sound rather appealing.

Contrary to their appetizing menu description, multiple diners have voiced their dissatisfaction with Cracker Barrel's green beans, complaining about their texture. An example of this is one Reddit user who asks, "Why are cracker barrel green beans so mushy and gross?" According to one theory, the reason is that the chain makes the side with canned green beans that are then cooked down in a pot. Numerous online reviewers agree that there is something seriously wrong with Cracker Barrel's green beans, with one TripAdvisor user saying that they are not suitable for consumption. "The green beans appeared to come from a can. Very overdone and mushy," they explain.

Cracker Barrel has been around for over five decades, expanding to hundreds of locations across the U.S. — a feat that suggests that the restaurant must be doing something right. However, while many of the chain's dishes have been praised by patrons, there are several offerings that continue to miss the mark.

To help you navigate Cracker Barrel's menu, we have rounded up the items most frequently flagged by customers as disappointing. More specifically, we analyzed countless customer reviews on platforms such as TripAdvisor and Yelp to identify any items that are consistently criticized. When compiling our list, we looked at factors like food taste and texture, portion size, and presentation.