Look What The Competion is Doing

It seems that Cracker Barre'ls competition is resorting to giving away food to bring in the guests. Cracker Barrel is not giving away food, but is still offering tasty, quality food at hard to beat prices.

in reference to: Chili's Free Chips & Queso! (view on Google Sidewiki)

Good Ole Uncle Herschel

Seeing this article on the late Uncle Herschel, rest his soul, I had to post this link on my blog. Uncle Herschel is to me the Cracker Barrel Icon. To me he embodies what I want to believe is the original vision for Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, good ole southern, country hospitality serrved with a smile.

in reference to: Uncle Herschel finally gets his Way - Decaturdaily.com (view on Google Sidewiki)

Change Buys van

Who says that pocket change isn't worth much. This is amazing story of a man buying a van with loose change, don't despise that jingle-jangle in your pocket, it may lead to something big.

in reference to: Chinese man buys £9500 Nissan van with loose change | Motoring News | Honest John (view on Google Sidewiki)

Cracker Barrel Number One Breakfast

Cracker Barrel is on top of its game. Being voted numer one breakfast in a Zagat 2010 consumer survey. It is good to see the CEO of Cracker Barrel giving recognition to Cracker Barrel's employees. I have renewed confidence in the leadership of Cracker Barrel, and being a long term employee am glad to see that we have a competant captain at the helm of the ship.

in reference to: Cracker Barrel Breakfast “Best” in 2010 Zagat Consumer Survey: Business Wire Business News - MSN Money (view on Google Sidewiki)

New Promo

I got to sample new promo that Cracker Barrel will soon be rolling out. An apple, bacon, grilled chicken salad. It is delicious, also the apple parfait, delicious as well. On another note, to the best of my knowledge, our eggs at 425 are salmonella free.

Recipes

10 Food Processor Recipes You'll Love by Rodger Haroar



Sometimes it seems like cooking is just too difficult to do on a daily basis, but food processors take a lot of the hassle out. If you don"��t have a food processor, I highly recommend that you get one. In fact, go out and buy one right now! I use my food processor everyday, keeping it on my kitchen counter for fast use. Why? Because I have so many great recipes! Here is my top 10 favorite food processor recipes guaranteed to make you love your food processor.



1. You can make your own peanut butter or any other nut butter that you like in your processor. Cashews make wonderful nut butter too.



2. Speaking of peanut butter, peanut butter cookies are the easiest recipe in the world: 1 cup sugar, 1 egg, 1 cup peanut butter, and a teaspoon of vanilla if desired. Toss them into your processor; give it a whirl for a few seconds until well mixed. Scoop out a tablespoon of dough and scrap it on the side of the bowl to even the spoon, drop onto a cookie sheet and smash it down with a fork to make the cross hatch design. Bake at 350 degrees for 7 to 9 minutes and you have fabulous, gluten free peanut butter cookies.



3. Make steak sandwiches by chilling, but not freezing, leftover steak in the freezer until firm but not frozen. Slice with your processor and then add to a skillet in which you have been sautéing bell peppers and onions. Put it all on a sandwich bun, top with jack cheese, and enjoy. I know, who has leftover steak? Plan for this and throw an extra steak or two on the grill next time.



4. Specialty butters are definitely a favorite of mine. In fact, I get ideas from many restaurants, constantly seeking new flavors to spread across bread. Armed with my food processor, making specialty butter has never been so easy. My favorite is basil-garlic butter. By processing a stick of butter with a couple cloves of garlic, I can then add some crushed basil leaves and let it sit in the fridge for a week or so in an air-tight container. Then, it"��s French bread and wine for dinner. Sometimes I even use it on grilled cheese with mozzarella, sliced tomatoes, and bacon. So delicious!



5. For fresh lemon sherbet, mix equal amounts sugar, milk, and half-and-half with freshly grated lemon rind and some lemon juice. Then pour into a pan and freeze it, covering it for at least two hours. After frozen, use your food processor to blend it until smooth. Four hours in the freezer later, you have a wonderful dessert to go with anything you can cook up!



6. Another great idea is to take blackberries and sugar, blending them with your food processor until they"��re smooth. Then, pour the mixture through a strainer into a pan and stir in some buttermilk. When frozen, break into chucks and beat with an electric mixer until smooth again, and then pour it back into a pan and cover it until firm. This is a great way to make a cold, berry concoction that the whole family will love, especially on hot summer days. And you can substitute blueberries or raspberries as well!



7. I am a huge fan of chocolate, and my food processor allows me to take melted chocolate chips, some tofu, salt, 3 egg whites, half a cup of sugar, and a quarter cup of water and turn it into a light, chocolaty masterpiece. My chocolate mousse is a favorite amongst all of my friends, and can be topped with either grated chocolate, whipped topping, or both!



8. My 14 cup processor will hold an 18.5 ounce cake mix. I can have the cake ready to bake in less time than it takes me to haul my big mixer out and find the correct beater.



9. I always use my processor to make pie dough. I even chill the bowl and blade in the freezer to help keep my dough chilled and flaky.



10. One of my favorite uses for a food processor is making soup when I"��ve had a hard day. Some chopped onion, garlic, milk, a bit of flour, chicken broth, broccoli, cheese, and pepper can be easily put together to make an excellent meal. After sautéing the onions and garlic, add all ingredients except milk and flour and cheese, cooking over medium heat for 10 minutes. Afterward, combine with milk and flour and cook an additional 5 minutes, then let cool while adding cheese until it melts. Place in a food processor, and you have smooth, creamy broccoli-cheese soup that can relieve any stress-filled day.



Don"��t those recipes sound wonderful? Well, they are, and the food processor makes everything so much easier. If you don"��t have one, you need to go get one right away. In fact, soon you"��ll have your own list of top 10 recipes to share with all of your friends.



Rodger Haroar, after working as a chef in a commercial kitchen for years, he is no stranger to Hobart parts. Hobart parts or Biro meat saw parts, he knows the best place for replacements is National Band Saw. He can get the commercial restaurant equipment parts and also the replacement parts for his personal food processor. Now that"��s handy.



Article Source: ArticleSnatch Free Article Directory

Going green

Should van drivers be encouraged to go green. Check out this writers view and decide for youself. It seems as if the UK is at the forefront of the green movement. Maybe Al Gore should try running for Prme Minister in the UK, his green views might be taken more seriously by UK voters than those in the US.

in reference to: Should Van Drivers be Urged to “Go Green”? - Job and Employment - Jobs and Employment News (view on Google Sidewiki)

More Country Music at Cracker Barrel

The retail side of Cracker Barrel old Country Store continues to feature a great selection of music. The half-srore side of the Lebanon based restaurant chain is releasing country star Rodney Atkins next album on September 6th. It appears that Cracker Barrel will be the only place where Atkins new album will be availabe. As an employee of Cracker Barrel, sometimes I question some of their ways, at other times I believe that they are marketing genious'. Anyways, hats off to the Cracker Barrel retail department once again.

in reference to:

"restaurant"
- CRACKER BARREL PRESENTS RODNEY ATKINS (Rodeo Attitude News) (view on Google Sidewiki)

A Talk with General Manger

Yesterday, I had a nice chat with the general manager of our store that gave me a new appreciation of him as a our general manger. The chat was in reference to a complaint I had made about having my hours cut. I should have taken it up with him first, but instead I went straight to the home office. John ( my GM) was very gracious and didn't fuss me out about going over his head as some may have done, but gently asked why I didn't come to him first. I explained that I was a little uncomfortable about approaching him due to my perception of how he might react. He was very understanding and I was able to share what was on my mind, and he listened intently and let me know that if I had any problems that I should always feel free to approach him and share what is on my mind. The issue with my hours was resolved, and John handled the situation in a very professional and courteous way, a good example for all mangers to follow in the company. So kudos, to John Rotundi of Cracker Barrel Store 425.

I would also like to encourage fellow employees, if you have a problem, take it up with a manager, give them the opportunity to help you out. Do not be like me and let a misconception about a how a manger might react keep you from sharing any issue that you might have, you might be pleasantly surprised abut how they listen and address the issue.

Law of the Garbage Truck

>


I received this from a former co-worker Bill Jones, a great guy, one I hated to lose. I felt this is worth sharing.
 Law of the Garbage Truck

 One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport.
 We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us.
 My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us.
 My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was really friendly.

 So I asked, 'Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!'
 This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, 'The Law of the Garbage Truck.'
 He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment.
 As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you. Don't take it personally.
Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets.
 The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day.
 Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets,
 so ... Love the people who treat you right.

Pray for the ones who don't.
 Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you take it!

> Have a blessed, garbage-free day!

Should a Good Employee Lose Hours to Someone with Less Senority?

Is it a good management decision to cut the hours of a worker who is experienced, high-performing, and overall is a positive force for the company and give those hours to others? I don't think it is for a number of reasons.
1. I feel it is unethical. To take a loyal employees hours and give them away to others with less time with the company is no way to treat your long-term employees. it is no way to reward somebody for 15 years of service.
2. Compromises performance of the company. In the case of a sports team, you keep your best players on the field. As long as they perform,you keep them playing, you don't take them off the field to make room for others; this is a win-win situation for the team and for the player as well. By taking your one of your best workers off the serving floor, a manger could compromise the level of service that the guest receives. This goes against Cracker Barrels core principles.
3. Lowers morale. If a senior employee, who gives exemplary performance gets their hours cut, who's hours are safe. If after 15 years a worker loses hours, what can other workers expect who put in long years with Cracker Barrel. This lowers the morale of the one who has their hours cut and can affect the morale of others as well.
4. Can discourage long time workers from staying with the company. Instead of continually bringing in new hires, why not treat long term employees in such a way that will keep them at the store. Mangers need to acknowledge and show the long term workers that they are a valuable asset to the company, not an expendable resource.
5.Can cause resentment towards new hires and management. When people come into the company, it should be a welcome site, but cutting hours to make room for new hires can cause new hires to be viewed with contempt. Instead of thinking, great here is some needed help, workers might thing, oh great, here is someone to take more of my hours.
 This is just my opinion, but I feel that I have made some valid points. As a training store moving forward, Store 425 needs to focus on boosting morale and also on building the business. Cutting the hours of quality workers who offer years of service to the company is not accomplishing either.

On Attitude

In my line of work, I encounter many people who have a rotten attitude. It seems that nothing pleases them and they appear to be angry with the world in general. Now, I have to be fair, working at Cracker Barrel is no walk in the park, there are situations that I face daily that tempt me and sometimes do put me in a bad state of mind and heart; sometimes I am the one with the bad attitude. But from my experience, if I will just try to do my job, and not let my circumstances cause me to have a bad attitude I usually have a pretty good day. I believe much of life is just doing the best with the hand that we have been dealt in life, and to do the best we have to maintain a proper attitude. For example, on a slow work day, a lot of servers walk around complaining about how slow it is, which accomplishes nothing. On the other hand, if on a slow day they would use the slow time to focus on giving extra good service to the guests that are there, it could help in building the business. One server, a trainer no doubt, asked me why I was working so fast. She reasoned that because the business was slow, I should be working slow. Not so, no matter if there is a dining room full of guests or just one patron, we should do our utmost to provide the most efficient, best dining experience possible. Having an attitude of providing the best service, whether we are busy or slow is the attitude that will keep Cracker Barrel on top in the years to come.

New Cracker Barrel Menu Item?

I got this in an e-mail, I thought it might be something that Cracker Barrel may want to place on the menu.
Bacon Cheese Turtle burger


Just in time for this the BBQ season.

Mmmmmmm bacon...............this is a heart attack waiting to happen.

Handmade ground beef patties, topped with sharp cheddar cheese,

wrapped in a bacon weave.then the next step, add hotdogs as the heads, legs and tail. Next step?

Place on an oven rack, covered loosely with foil and baked for 20-30 minutes at

400 degrees. A little crispy, not too crunchy...just how a turtle

should be, no?

Can you imagine this .. omg

Cracker Barrel Job Application

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Cracker Barrel Job Appilcation
I found a nice post about a getting a job at Cracker Barrel. Very positive, very uplifting, and true for the most part. Cracker Barrel in principle does try to make employees feel valued, but sometimes in practice at the store level it does not always happen that way. Don't get me wrong, I have had managers and district managers make me feel like my hard work and skill are much appreciated, on the other hand I have had mangers that made me feel undervalued at times. I say this for any mangers who read this blog, if you have a quality employee, treat them right, let them know you appreciate them. There will always be an abundance of people you can hire, but good workers who can perform well, they are a rare breed.

Nantahala River

The beautiful Nantahala river in the evening. My wife took this picture on our way back from the Great Smokey Mountains.

15 Years with Cracker Barrel

Wednesday marked my 15 year anniversary with Cracker Barrel Old Country Store. It has been an interesting journey to say the least. I started with Cracker Barrel when I was a young man of 31 as a part time waiter, since October of 2000 I have been working full time. When I started I had never had a job as a waiter, and the manager was apprehensive about letting me wait on tables, suggesting that I try being a host. But at my insistence, he relented and allowed me to give waiting on tables a try; now fifteen years down the road I make a decent living waiting tables, making more money on the hour than I would ever have expected. As a whole, the Cracker Barrel company is a good company to work for, although I have worked under managers who's decisions and judgements are not what I would deem the wisest. I would love to be able to provide a training course for managers from a grass-roots employee level, to share with up and coming managers some of the experience and wisdom that I have garnered over the years. In fact, I would like to talk with the movers and shakers in Lebanon and share some ideas that I believe could take Cracker Barrel up to the next level. Of course, I am just dreaming, it seems that the thoughts and opinions of those in the lower echelon of a corporation are not considered as valuable as those with degrees, or who have always worked in higher positions. I still believe that the person who can describe the landscape the best are the ones who are the closest and who have their feet on the ground, not those flying overhead with only an aerial view. But what do I know, I am just a lowly waiter living off tips. Anyhow, I am thankful for Cracker Barrel allowing me to work for them and the wonderful benefits that they have provided for me and my family.