Copykat recipes and Cracker Barrel

As I surf the web checking out my blogs page rank, I notice that there are a lot of recipe blogs under Cracker Barrel. I have never clicked on them but I imagine people are giving out Cracker Barrel recipes or copykat recipes. My reply to this is, don't settle for some sort of generic Cracker Barrel dish, but come on out to the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store and have some real Cracker Barrel food. Our food is some of the tastiest that you will find in the dining industry, it is also priced very reasonably for the quality and the quantity that you receive. So next time you see a Cracker Barrel copykat recipe, don't click on it, but shut down your computer, load up the family and get yourself on down to the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store for some down home country cooking.

Companies increasing their dividends

Investors who are making dividend plays may find this article interesting as in it features companies that are increasing their dividends. In a slow economy, companies that are raising their dividends are well worth investigating further.

in reference to: 9 Important Dividend Increases | InvestorPlace (view on Google Sidewiki)

Another Cracker Barrel Location

It is good to see that some companies are still expanding in a slow economy. Cracker Barrel Old Country Store has showed amazing resiliency in the current economic environment.
in reference to: Cracker Barrel deal is nearly complete - Decaturdaily.com (view on Google Sidewiki)

Don't Judge a Book by its Cover

As I have stated in previous posts I a make my living as a waiter at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store. This week I have been reminded of the old addage that "you can't judge a book by its cover." In waiting tables it tempting to profile customers and assume that a guest will leave a good tip or a bad tip based on how they look, how they act, etc... Cracker Barrel requires that we treat all guest the same, which is a good rule to follow for life in general. Over the past two days at work, the best tips that I recieved were by people that some servers may have thought that by the appearence and actions of the guests would be poor tippers. If a server would have given poor service or been less attentive to theses guests, it would not only have been morally wrong, and against Cracker Barrel policy, but they could have missed out on a real nice tip. Fortunate for me, I was able to wait on theses wonderful, generous guests who more than compensated me for my service. The moral is, do not judge people by their natural appearence and treat all people the way that you want to be treated, for not only is it the right thing to do, but you never know how you will be rewarded for doing so.

Monday Morning Coming Up at the Cracker Barrel

Tomorrow will start another week for me at the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store. Last week was a good week, I waited on some wonderful people who said that they were going to start requesting me every time they came in to eat. One of them even called the Home Office and commented on the service they received. It just shows that if you work hard, and treat people right, somewhere down the line it will be noticed. I believe that this one of the guiding principles that has got Cracker Barrel where they are at today, by working hard at treating people right, Cracker Barrel has gotten recognition by countless loyal guests who come through their doors each day. Notice I said guests, not customers, if they ever cease to be our guests and become just our customers or just another sale, I think that could be the beginning of our end.

Nothing New for Cracker Barrel

Offering holiday products early is nothing new for Cracker Barrel Old Country Store's gift shop. It seems that they have already been doing this for a few years, maybe longer. I always make a joke about all the Halloween merchandise, I say " It is shame to commercialize a good pagen holiday like Halloween." Occasionally people will get the joke and laugh, and sometimes I get no response. Anyways, Cracker Barrel's gift shop is on top of things by getting the holiday merchandise out early.
in reference to: Some stores offering holiday items early » Knoxville News Sentinel (view on Google Sidewiki)

Earn Rewards at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store

For those who frequent the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store on a regular basis, Cracker Barrel has a rewards program for you. The Cracker Barrel Front Porch Friends program is a program that offers rewards to guests who visit the Cracker barrel often. For more details and to find locations that offer this program, visit frontporchfriends.crackerbarrel.com site. Just one more added extra to make Cracker Barrel your choice for the best in good country cooking.

Nice forum post

I noticed this nice forum post about Cracker Barrel's low carb breakfast, which is an excellent low carb option. Here is the link to the forum post. If you ever wondered about Cracker Barrel's low carb breakfast, this post gives a good description. Check it out and then come in the Cracker Barrel and let your taste buds try it out.

Cracker Barrel CEO: Success comes from ignoring discount mania - Nashville Business Journal

Cracker Barrel CEO: Success comes from ignoring discount mania - Nashville Business Journal

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Recieves Top Scores

News Releases




CRACKER BARREL RECEIVES TOP RATINGS IN NATIONAL

INDEPENDENT CONSUMER STUDY



LEBANON, TENN (July 20, 2010) – Cracker Barrel Old Country Store has received top scores in a new study conducted by a major independent research company. The Consumer Brand Metrics Program study, conducted by Technomic, Inc., shows that consumers rate Cracker Barrel at the top of the list among ten full-service restaurants in the casual and family dining categories. Cracker Barrel was rated the best in these categories: Overall Attributes and Attitudes, Appearance and Ambiance, and Convenience and Takeout.



Technomic conducted the Consumer Brand Metrics Program study to measure consumer sentiment regarding the top ten full service and ten limited service concepts. The concepts were selected based on sales. A nationally representative sample of over 4,000 consumers participated, and each chain was rated by 300 respondents (concept list and methodology explanation below). In commenting on Cracker Barrel’s strong showing, Ron Paul, President & CEO of Technomic Inc., said, “Cracker Barrel is to be congratulated on such a high level of performance.”



Cracker Barrel received top billing on a number of key attributes: food and beverage quality, quality of the kid’s menu, being treated as a valued individual, delivering food the way consumers wanted it, delivering good value through prices, service and ambiance, and a pleasant experience overall.



“We’re very pleased that Cracker Barrel received such outstanding results, specifically in regard to food quality, hospitality, and value,” said Cracker Barrel President and CEO Michael A. Woodhouse. “This is independent confirmation that our efforts to continually meet our guests’ expectations are effective in providing our guests with the Cracker Barrel experience they have come to expect.” Woodhouse continued, “We have been mindful of staying true to the values and offerings that have made Cracker Barrel into such a popular brand over the years, and we will continue to offer the same quality and hospitality that make a visit to Cracker Barrel so special for so many people.” Woodhouse attributed this success to the company’s 65 thousand employees in saying, “Cracker Barrel has an exceptional group of employees, many of whom have made long-term careers with the company. This kind of experience is what allows us to provide our guests with genuine hospitality and service.”



Methodology:

The Consumer Brand Metrics Program study was independently conducted by Technomic, Inc., as an on-line survey among a nationally representative sample of over 4,000 adults who had visited at least one of the 20 included restaurants in the past month. Each respondent was asked to rate up to 2 restaurants they had visited in the past month on a random basis. Ratings were obtained on 50 attributes covering 5 key areas: Food and Beverage, Service and Hospitality, Unit Appearance and Ambiance, Convenience and Takeout, and Overall Attributes and Attitudes. Each chain was rated by 300 respondents. Interviewing was conducted from March 5 –12, 2010 and results became available in May 2010.



In this syndicated study, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store performed best among the Full Service restaurant chains. It received the highest rating on 31 of the 50 attributes and was rated above the average for Full Service restaurants on all but four attributes. In total, Cracker Barrel generated the strongest ratings in three of the five categories and received above average ratings in all five categories.



Concepts included in the study:



Full Service

Limited Service



Applebee’s

McDonald’s



Chili’s Grill & Bar

Subway



Olive Garden

Burger King



Red Lobster

Starbucks



Outback Steakhouse

Wendy’s



IHOP

Taco Bell



Denny’s

Pizza Hut



T.G.I. Friday’s

Dunkin’ Donuts



Cracker Barrel Old Country Store

KFC



Ruby Tuesday

Sonic Drive-Ins









About Cracker Barrel

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store® provides a friendly home-away-from-home in its old country stores and restaurants. Guests are cared for like family while relaxing and enjoying real home-style food and shopping that’s surprisingly unique, genuinely fun and reminiscent of America’s country heritage…all at a fair price. The restaurant serves up delicious, home-style country food such as meatloaf and homemade chicken n’ dumplins as well as its signature biscuits using an old family recipe. The authentic old country retail store is fun to shop and offers unique gifts and self-indulgences.



Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. (Nasdaq: CBRL) was established in 1969 in Lebanon, Tenn. and operates 594 company-owned locations in 41 states. Every Cracker Barrel unit is open seven days a week with hours Sunday through Thursday, 6 a.m. – 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 6 a.m. - 11 p.m. For more information, visit: crackerbarrel.com.



Media contact

Julie Davis

(615) 443-9266

jdavis@crackerbarrel.com

Donya Gardner at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store

Here is a link to a story of two ladies who have the same name getting together at the Cracker Barrel.

Interesting Evenening at my Restauraunt Location in Canton, Ga

Last night I paid a visit to my Cracker Barrel Store location in Canton, Ga. It was an interesting evening to say the least. Prior to arriving at the Cracker Barrel, I had attended a meeting where I was recognized and referred to as "the man from the Cracker Barrel":, I guess that is what I should expect since I have worked at the same Cracker Barrel location for the past nine years, anyways , I guess that was my moment of fame. Upon leaving the gathering where we were recognized as "the man from the Cracker Barrel", we went to the Cracker Barrel location where I work and was seated at the big round table where we had our meal. Here is where it became interesting, sitting at the table across from us was a man with long blonde hair who looked like a rock and roll star. On a whim I asked the man if he was part of the Christian rock band Stryper that enjoyed fame in the eighties as a Christian Hair band, spandex and all. The man said that he was not, but that he use to work with the same record label and was familiar with many professional contemporary Christian artists and was an artist as well. He talked with me for a while, gave me one of his business cards,and even let me use his reading glasses to read his card. He then went outside and brought back a one of their CD recordings and gave it to me as a gift. He was super nice guy, and the CD was nice too, this man really can rock. One of the more notable things that he had done was to play John Lennon in the Broadway production of Beatlemania. The man's name was Caspar McCloud and and he really has an amazing story to tell, I didn't know how amazing until I visited his website. If you visit his web location, check out Caspars Miracle, it is an amazing story. The moral of this post is this, you never know who you may meet when you set out on a outing, it may be an amazing artist like Caspar McCloud with an inspirational message or it may be" that man from the Cracker Barrel". So if you get a chance come on by our Cracker Barrel Old Country Store location on Transit Avenue in canton, Ga. You never know who you might meet.

Win a free lunch at Cracker Barrel

Winning a free lunch at Cracker Barrel is the real prize here. I will take a free lunch at Cracker Barrel anyday, you can even let the country star stay home, I will take my wife instead. Even though I work for Cracker Barrel Old Country store, I really love the Cracker Barrel Menu, lots to choose from and in my opinion the Cracker Barrel menu prices are some of the best in the casual dining industry.

in reference to: Cracker Barrel & Craig Morgan Say “That’s Why!” You Can Win Lunch With Craig » Got Country? (view on Google Sidewiki)

The latest Cracker Barrel Music Offering

Cracker Barrel's retail side's latest offering in music. Cracker Barrel's retail side is showing once more that as the store side of the business that they can provide current, relevent products to to Cracker Barrel customers who shop in the gift shop prior and after their dining experience.

in reference to: Photo Friday: LBT, TBP, Craig Morgan : MusicRow (view on Google Sidewiki)

The Great Smokey Mountains in Winter

Deep Fried Pork Chops

For those who do not know it, Cracker Barrel offers boneless, deep fried pork chops on Monday nights, which happens to be one of my favorite dishes. The taste of these deep fried pork chops is out of this world, here is a
review on Savvyspot that tells more about this succulent entree.

Wendys in Blue Ridge, Ga.

Not to be disloyal  to my employer, but I slipped off to Wendys in Blue Ridge today, in fact as I write this post I am sitting in Wendys enjoying their WiFi access sipping on a diet coke. It was too noisy at the house and I had some work to do online, so I came in up here and at a chicken sandwich and a drink  off the Super value menu, not a bad snack for $2.12, plus I was able to get some work done in the air conditioned atmosphere of Wendys, listening to a great selection of the latest in elevator music. Well, maybe not the latest, but elevator music none the less. Maybe one day, Cracker Barrel will offer WiFi, that might not fit in with the Country Store motif, but it might bring in a little more traffic. Sooner or later, like the old REO Speedwagen song, Cracker Barrel is going to have to roll with the changes.

The Guests of Cracker Barrel

First off I would like to say that Cracker Barrel is a great company to work for, it is hard work but I believe they try to treat their workers fair and provide competitive benefits, but as a server, I believe it is our loyal guests that make Cracker Barrel Old Country Store such a great place to work. Cracker Barrel is a family restaurant, and being a family eating establishment, we attract the gentler, more civil customers. I have been at the Cracker Barrel in Canton, Ga for a little over nine years, and during that time I have become acquainted with some of the best people on the planet, sometimes I am blown away by the wonderful guests that come into our store.

Whether it be Pastor Hill, who pastors the Methodist Church, who loving reaches out to our customers with God's love or brother Larry, who use to play the steel guitar at the Grand Ole Opry, when it was at the Ry men Auditorium, Hershel and Betty Ann, who before they leave tell you how much they appreciate you and Betty leaves you with a "Love ya." All are very special people that make the days better at Cracker Barrel 425 in Canton, Ga.

This is just a sampling of the many wonderful guests that we have, maybe one day I will do a series of posts on our guests individually. But, to me, it is our guests that make our store such a great place to work. And if you want to really get down to the nitty-gritty, it is the guests that down through the years have made Cracker Barrel Old Country Store into one of, if not the best casual restaurant's in the country. Without the guests, we would have to close up shop and go home. So, I say kudos to our guests.

Another Monday at the Cracker Barrel

It is good to have made it through another day as the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store. It has been a most excellent day, low stress level, nice guests, food came out fast, and was able to close down at a decent hour. I was reminded of a very important lesson tonight, a lesson that is very easy to forget in our fast paced society. I don't want to bore anybody with a moral discourse, but I feel the need to share the lesson I was reminded of, so here it is: I was doing my job, waiting on tables tonight when one of my tables was seated with a young lady carrying a big thick book. I took the ladies order and got her food to her in a timely manner, everything seemed to be well. But, she was reading and eating at the same time, she ate so slow...  As a waiter or waitress, optimally you want to take care of your guests, get your tip, and help the guest to get on their merry little way and get a new guest on your table, that is how you make money, by waiting on multiple tables. It was the middle of supper, and this lady kept sitting, and sitting, and sitting, I was very nice to her and in no way rushed her, but in my mind I was thinking that she ought to hurry up so I could get a new guest on my table. After a couple of cups of coffee, she then had some tea and kept reading and sitting. In my mind I was getting a little antsy for her to go ahead and leave, but I tried not to show it and tried to give the best possible service I could. Well to make a long story short, later on she revealed that she had been a waitress herself, and asked to speak to my manger before she left. I was afraid that something may have been wrong with the food, but come to find out she just wanted to tell my manager what a good job I had done waiting on her. She left me a large tip, around seven dollars, more or less and a nice compliment to my manager, what more could you ask for in a guest.

The lesson I learned is this, always treat people right, regardless of who they are or what they might be doing. I could have gave this girl bad service, been rude, or ignored her because I thought she was sitting at my table too long, but instead I took the high road and tried my best to provide good, friendly service, which was just doing my job. By doing my job, I was rewarded, nicely rewarded I might add. So be careful how you treat people and make sure you treat them right, you might be pleasantly surprised at how rewarding it can be.

This is something that I have noticed about Cracker Barrel in my almost 15 years of service. For the most part, it seems that Cracker Barrel has tried to treat the guests right, in fact in some cases they have bent over backwards in their efforts to treat people right, and for that I say, hats off to Cracker Barrel Old Country store.

Monday Morning Coming Down

It will not be long until I make the journey to the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store in Canton, Georgia. It has been a good weekend, as one of my boys turned 14, so we had plenty of cake and good eats. We celebrated his birthday on Friday with a trip to the Blue Ridge Pizza Hut, which happens to be one of my favorite eateries. I have been visiting the Blue Ridge Pizza Hut since my early teen years, I am forty-seven now, so our relationship goes back along ways. I still enjoy the food, and service most of the time, however, sometimes I get frustrated by the way it is run. A good example is what happened a few weeks ago as we were at the Pizza Hut.

We were at the Pizza Hut on a Wednesday night, with a semi-large group. Most of us ordered salads, but the salad bar was in bad need of restocking. In fact, all my wife and sister-in-law ordered was all you can eat salad bars. The waitress seemed to all by herself on the floor with our party of sixteen and other guests as well. There was another lady who appeared to be a manager or a shift leader, or maybe neither who was providing some assistance to the waitress,who was extremely busy. But upon noticing that the salad bar was in bad need of replenishing, the lady who appeared to be a manger or shift leader or whatever she was instructed the waitress who was trying to take care of guests to restock the salad bar. I was appalled, here was a waitress trying to take care of multiple guests, now having to restock a salad bar with a party of sixteen all wanting salads.

My question is why didn't the manager, shift leader, or whatever she was restock the salad bar, or was there not anybody in the kitchen who could do it. Either the Pizza Hut was did not have an adequate staff that night, or for some reason it just wasn't happening like it should. In my opinion, you should do whatever it takes to provide the best possible dining experience for the guest. If that means a manager/shift leader/cook/ or whoever has to restock the salad bar so the waitress can provide that experience for the guest, then they should step up to the plate and make it happen.

As a server myself, I have to work very hard at my job, I expect everyone else including management to work hard as well.

Another Hot Saturday in Blue Ridge, Georgia

Even though I work at the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, I make my residence in the beautiful mountains of Blue Ridge, Ga. It has been a hot day today, but a good one. I went to a cook out at my brothers house below me and had some of the best grilled pork chops that I have had in a while along with one my favorite foods, grilled out hot dogs.  I bought my fishing licence and me and the kids went to Blue Ridge Lake for a brief time this evening, not even one bite, but it was good to get out.

 On an unsettling note, I heard news that a house was broken into by some robbers who tied an elderly man up and shot him in the leg. I was told that the man was able to escape and that they thought that he would be okay. No word on the status of the robbers. We do not have much crime of that nature in Blue Ridge, Ga, and it is unsettling when we do. It makes us realize that our mountain paradise is not exempt from the evils of this wicked world.

Turkey and Dressing Day

It is getting late and I realize that it is already Thursday, the traditional Turkey and dressing day at the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store.

 I must lay down and get my rest,

So as I greet the guests I will be my best

So I can do my part with  the rest of the crew

Serving up that delicious  Cracker Barrel  food.

I could resist the opportunity for a little poem. I am a waiter by necessity, but my real passion is not restaurant work but writing, However, in another month I will celebrate 15 years with Cracker Barrel. A long time in this line of work, to my knowledge there are only three other workers at my store who have been with the company longer.

Waffle House Prices

I dined at Waffle House tonight, everything was fine until I looked at the bill. I was appalled, $14.00 for one person to eat. Here is what I had, a two pork chop meal, with two eggs scrambled with cheese and onions, hash browns with onions and tomatoes, one waffle, and a soft drink. Additionally, I had toast that came with the meal. I could have got everything and more, minus the waffle at the Cracker Barrel, and it would have been better quality food. I believe that I could have beat the price by two or three dollars at Cracker Barrel and got better food to boot, minus the Waffle of course. If I remember I will check the menus at work tomorrow and give more precise figures.

Independence day

Today is a most important part of our American history, this the day that is commonly known as the day that the founding fathers signed declaration of independence from the tyrannical rule of Great Britain. It is a day to celebrate the freedom that we enjoy in one of the greatest nations on the planet. May we never forget the ones who down through history have made the ultimate sacrifice to procure the freedom that we enjoy in America. Our freedom came with a price, may we never forget.

If you happen to visit Cracker Barrel over the fourth of July Holiday, in the Retail part of Cracker Barrel, ask about the wounded warrior project. Cracker Barrel will donate a portion of the proceeds from every Wounded Warrior Project product sold! This is a good way to honor those who have been injured in the line of duty while serving in our armed forces.The Wounded Warrior Project - New York City 2007

Silly bandz

In the Old Country Store portion of Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Silly Bandz are now available. The little multi-shaped, multi-colored rubber band bracelet have made their way into the Old Country Store. Kids are really crazy about these Silly Bandz, I know this because my nine-year old daughter has quite a collection of them herself. For those who prefer to buy Silly Online, Amazon has a good selection as well. Check out Silly bands at Amazon

Cracker Barrel Review

Check out this positive review of Cracker Barrel that has been posted on Savvy Spot.

Menu Prices

While it is true that Cracker Barrel Country Store offers a great product at an awesome value, Cracker Barrel is guilty of not letting John Q Public in on this fact. In a time when you can turn on the TV and see a number of restaurants advertising their specials, and deals that they are offering, where is Cracker Barrel at, nowhere to be seen. Cracker Barrel offers great deals all the time, with great menu prices for the quality of the food. Personally, I believe a good ad campaign would do more than pay for itself, getting customers in the door that will become repeat customers who will generate revenue for years down the road. I know that word of mouth advertising, billboards, occasional radio spots, and the Grand Ole Opry have maybe been sufficient according to Cracker Barrel Corporate Standards, but I believe with the right advertising, Cracker Barrel could go over the top. But, I am just a lowly waiter, what do I know.

Thursday at the Cracker Barrel

Another good day at the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store. The Turkey and Dressing looked extremely tasty today, I sold plenty of it, I also sold quite a bit of the Campfire Beef and the Campfire Chicken, two popular items. I also sold some of our Parfait Breakfest. Business was a little slow for some of the day, but also busy at times. All and all a good day at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store.