Cracker Barrel Old Country Store

Ah yes, another cracker barrel. I think I’ve been to Cracker Barrel about 1000 times. I came with a party of 8 for lunch on a Saturday. I was expecting a long wait but we got our table in about 5 minutes. This time I decided to try the BLT with a cup of soup. It was pretty good. Pretty standard as far as Cracker Barrels go.

Down home cook food patronized by country folks if Illinois. I like this simple because it’s the vibe it gives, no pretentious servers, or gimmicky hipster décor. Reasonable price and good food.

Got food poisoning about a year back at this Cracker Barrel. Well, not only me… but the 3 other people that I was with as well. Their corporate offices thought $ 50 in gift cards was good enough to make this all better. We’ve all decided that staying away from here is the best bet.
The food was never anything great anyways. Orders were rarely ever right the first time. The waitstaff was good and friendly, though.

We were in town for my husband’s class reunion at Olivet Nazarene University and stopped to have breakfast. Have to boast about our waitress Gloria. She was very pleasant and polite, making sure we were well taken care of. It was obvious she loves the people and her job. Quite possibly the best experience I have ever had. It was a joy to run into someone such as Gloria. If I lived local I would most certainly ask for Gloria each and every time.

This is the most disappointing Cracker Barrel we have been at, and we have been at a lot of them. They ran out of biscuits, got my order wrong, and they got my wife’s order wrong.
They had to reorder my bacon and my hash browns because the forgot to order them the first time. They delivered my wife’s biscuit and gravy without the biscuits. The gravy was cold as a rock, and they never delivered the biscuits, the bacon or the hash browns. We left after waiting 15 minutes.
The bad part was they were not even busy.

Do you know what really sad is? I’ll tell you. Cracker Barrel has better fried shrimp than Red Lobster just down the road. I discovered their friend shrimp a few years ago when RL became so much worse than before. Generous portions, crispy breading and good flavor. RL has since improved, but Cracker Barrel is still a good bet for friend shrimp or fried fish. Plus their many other «home cooking» style entrees.

Gone downhill. For a franchise that I rely on, this location has hit a low watermark. The service is more like part time amateurs and I got pretty sick about 4 hours after ate the oven fried chicken. It was cold when I got it and the waitress admitted it had been cooked earlier. On another occasion, the food was cold and the service was slow and almost non existent. I was brought the wrong order after quite a delay, so the time frame was extended further.
No mas for this Hoss

I never thought I’d be be giving a Cracker Barrel a negative review. We decided to meet a friend there at around 11:30am on 6÷12÷15. Two of us ordered breakfast and one ordered lunch. The two of us who ordered breakfast were very disappointed. We ordered eggs over easy that were very runny and cold. Potatoes were also cold. Yuk! I asked for lemon for my water, which I never received and the service was terrible! Cracker Barrel food is usually consistently good so we were very disappointed!

Breakfast in the Bourbonnais Cracker Barrel bothers me. I just returned from Tampa Florida which is a large metro area. The prices there are 30 – 70 cents cheaper on every meal and the thing in Bourbonnais that really bothers me is… up charging for different sides for breakfast. Not one time in Florida did I get up charged for changing the grits to hash browns (and I did it three times), I get back to Bourbonnais and up charge time. The food is the same in every Cracker Barrel, the rules should be also.

Lots of neat stuff to look at while waiting to be seated or after the meal. Brings back the good ‘ol days feeling. Sometimes the specials are sold out, so they should not be advertised. One of the few places that appreciate the power of gravy.

Very disappointed in this location. I placed a to go order, but the couple that entered after me was seated, served, completed their meal and checked out before my salads were brought out. We I went to eat my order was incorrect. I tried calling the manager but he was too busy to talk to a customer. Very disappointed

Was surprised how tasteless our meal was. Four people and none of us were impressed. The wait staff was attentive and they got us in quick but we would definitely not go back. For what you pay, there are so many better local places to go.

This particular location was fantastic. I heard negative things about it so my expectations were low going in. I had the roast beef dinner and it was delicious. Food was cooked to perfection and the service was timely and friendly. I highly recommend this location.

A hit or miss on whether your food will be great or bland. Recently decided to never return here because of Cracker Barrels decision to stop carrying Duck Dynasty products. A company that does not support freedom of speech and religion will receive no income from me.

It is 12:04PM and they are out of the new salmon patties! How can we try it if you can’t serve it? I would like the waiter to tell us about this outage first!
This visit did not start out well. I always enjoy the country gift store. No matter which season is upon us, I can always count on Cracker Barrel for getting me in the holiday spirit. We passed by the gifts and proceeded to the front podium. We were promptly seated and a waiter arrived shortly. Our drink order was taken and then… it happened. We were trying to order the new salmon patties. But we were told that they ra out earlier today. That’s funny. It was only 12:04 PM. The waiter, Eric H., never told us this. We wasted time getting the thought of something new in our mind and on our taste buds. Poor planning and customer care on the part of Cracker Barrel.
The meal was okay. I had to assist the team hand plates over the other five in our lunch party. We had to remind them about drink refills, ketchup, and a fork. Really? I think we should expect more. It wasn’t awful food or service; but I hardly think that this is the level of service that Cracker Barrel wants to provide. We finished the meal. I went to the front to pay. I received prompt service; but the fact that the cashier was carrying on a conversation with a person behind the counter didn’t make me feel that my transaction was her first priority. This location needs to improve its ordering/​forecasting and customer service. I have many places to choose from when it comes to lunch. I know you probably value the money that you spend when eating out. Try Cracker Barrel if you wish. I will think twice about spending my money he again.

I have been going to Cracker Barrel restaurants since I was a kid, I have very fond memories with my parents and grandparents with the company. I have carried that over with my own family now and this is a place that is in our regular rotation to have lunch after church. I am giving the three star review for THIS Cracker Barrel and mainly for the service.
First of all the food is awesome, so delicious. The sunrise sampler breakfast brings back fond memories of country breakfasts growing up outside of Atlanta, GA. The country ham is spot on and the grits… ahhhh the grits. Like I said I spent a huge chunk of my childhood in Georgia and visit the southern US every year so grits are in my blood, and they’re hard to find out here in Chicagoland.
I love the store, there is such a variety of décor, clothing, country quilts, soaps, hand lotions, nostalgic candies/​home items, Yankee candles, kids’ toys… I actually go here often to shop for gifts even when not eating.
Now to the not so good. The service is terrible, I’ve been there many times and I would say almost 100% of the time it has been lacking. The service staff seems to be uneducated in actually serving and are short, unattentive, and appear to be overwhelmed. There were many problems at our last visit and many of them were not with us but the tables near us. One server actually said, «What did you need» in a really snotty tone to my husband when he waved to get a refill on coffee (it had been empty for 10+ minutes and in that entire time we hadn’t seen our server once).
I should mention that the staff in the store has always been more than friendly and helpful (minus the hosts, they are in the same boat with the servers… rude, short, and overwhelmed).
This place is all southern and down home minus the hospitality, which is sad.
My advice… up the training of your servers/​hosts, give some sort of incentives, have management walk around to tables and ask how the visit is going and possibly hire people with experience.

Up until a few months ago, I thought this was just the place where grandparents went to socialize with other people their age. I had no idea how great the food was until my dad asked us to go to breakfast as a family and my mind was blown. I’m glad I discovered it because it’s become my favorite breakfast spot and I’m officially a regular.
I haven’t tried their lunch or dinner menus yet, only their breakfast menu. My favorite meal is the Country Boy breakfast. It has a steak, hashbrown casserole, apples and eggs. The first time I got it, I assumed it would be rubbery or low quality and my expectations were low. BUT The steak is always so juicy & melt-​in-​your-​mouth tender. However, I’ve ordered it medium well, and they still undercook it. I still eat it though. and love every bite of it. The servers are always so friendly and if you tell them what you want, they’ll tell you the cheapest way to order it. I love that they’re not just trying to take all of your money.
The store is fun to peruse while you wait and oh, yes if you come on the weekends, there WILL be a wait. They have lots of Burts Bees products and Yankee candles and other fun stuff that you like but don’t really need. A great place to get some last minute Christmas gifts or even a cute «I saw this and thought of you» present.

Absolutely love this place. It’s the closest to a home cooked meal that I’ve been able to find while dining out. I can’t leave here without having at least one order of the hashbrown casserole, whether it is breakfast or dinner.
During the breakfast time, it is crowded with some wait time, but it just gives you time to browse the store.
For two people we usually walk out with a bill $ 25 or under.

The same homestyle fare you are used to from other Cracker Barrels, but with great service and a friendly staff. This place is always fairly prompt with seating you and is usually very clean. If you go on Sunday watch out for the church crowds, but rest easy as this place will clear the crowd quickly.