Wonderful NEW billboard along expressway made me lean towards a visit of this establishment. I haven't been to them for at least 5 years. Ordered the NY Strip Steak n eggs n pancakes. Ordered steak medium to cook. Delivery service seemed rude as food plates where placed aka dropped on table for delivery without utensils or napkins. Steak was hard as a rock and I couldn't cut into it, as it was well over done. Requested a new one and while that was being done the now COLD eggs from the original plate were delivered back to me to eat with the ONLY good thing, the pancakes. Steak was delivered again and cooked properly. But again, the steak had issues, as it was the fattest NY Strip I've ever seen. read more

Great place for a nice simple meal. Apparently, you're able to order breakfast, lunch or dinner at any time. Cracker Barrel has definitely changed. They serve alcohol now! Who knew?! Mimosas, wine, beer and margaritas! I'm shocked! Anyways, I went the pancakes and grits. The pancakes were perfect! The grits were ok. I will definitely be back for some good, fluffy and moist pancakes! read more

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store - Southern Near Me - Bessemer, Alabama

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I placed an online order. They gave me a time it would be ready, and once I arrived, my order was ready to go! And my order was accurate. The reason I gave two stars is because the quality of food. I ordered the chicken and dumplings meal with three sides. The sides were green beans, hashbrown casserole, and corn. I am not sure what happened to the green beans, however, they seem to be over seasoned and overcooked. Like they have been using the same pot of green beans for days. Please see the picture. The chicken was flavorless and had a very weird tough texture. The corn seemed to be boiled right from the can, with no seasoning at all. However, the hash brown casserole was great, and the dumplings were great! read more

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store - Green beans - Southern Near Me - Bessemer, Alabama

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I ordered it to go meal from the Cracker Barrel and it took 30 minutes after my arrival time to get my food and that was only after I called inside. They brought my food out. It looked like they Rush cooked my eggs. They were not good whatsoever and they gave me one syrup for three pancakes and one butter. I definitely would not return. read more

First time at this CB location was 02/17/24. We came here to grab a "quick" bite in between softball tournament games nearby. It was very crowded so we had to be added to the waitlist. It didn't take too long to receive the text notifying me that our table was ready. The guy hostess was gracious. Once we got seated is when everything slowed down. Service was extremely slow but our server, Emily did a nice job overall. The coffee was hot! The pancake edges were crispy, just how I like them! The food was tasty. Crying babies & loud cellphones is to be expected at CB. There's no telling what the vibe will be on any given visit. Just gobble up your food and get out! Don't skip looking around the country store, they have some great items! read more

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If you're trying to get loaded up on things like country fried steaks or chicken, eggs, bacon, biscuits or a variety of other things that might taste good but keep your cardiologist up at night, and you wanna do all that for under 20 bucks, come on down to the Cracker Barrel. It's not known for its ambiance. There might be screaming babies, or screaming adults. It doesn't seem out of the ordinary for something jarring to happen. Just order a big pile of cheap food and roll with it. You'll be fine. There's a whole store that you have to walk through when you enter in order to get to the host stand. They've got huge candy bars, shirts, jelly, all kinds of random shit in there. It's staggering to the imagination. Work your way through there, get to the host stand and prepare for a nap-inducing meal for a low price. read more

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Ok Cracker Barrel!! You have really improved! A+ food and service (McKensie was prompt and professional). and love updated menu. The hash brown casserole tots were delicious! And they brought the turkey sausage back...yay. And they now give free biscuits and gravy with your order. Love it! I hope our local CB is this good. read more

They brought everyone elses food but ours. People came after us and gave they're food out. The assistant manager keeps saying its coming and it never did. This is a abomination!! read more

We received great service from Tarah A. She frequently checked on us to confirm our needs were met. She has great customer service talents. She was very pleasant also. Thank you Miss Tarah for making our dinning experience a very pleasant experience! Food hot and no wait time! Ps. Cashier was awesome also. Thank you Cracker Barrel! read more

I don't know what is happening with Cracker Barrel. I have always absolutely loved their chicken and dumplings. This time they were terrible. Also the turnip greens and green beans were not as good as usual and everything was WAY too salty. I don't think I'll be back. Used to be the best restaurant for vegetables but no more. read more

My friends and I had the best time being served by Dominique at Cracker Barrel in Bessemer. Servers are hit and miss these days in giving good service, so we were so delighted to have such a wonderful and attentive waitress who gave us excellent service. Dominique was so friendly and outright charming and made us laugh so hard. I haven't had such a good time out in a long time. She was knowledgeable about the menu and gave great recommendations. I was not disappointed either as the food was excellent. Thank you, Dominique, for being so great at your job. I will always ask for you when I come to that Cracker Barrel. read more

Food was piping hot and delicious. Wait staff was short handed, but they did a great job!! I always love their decor and the store is awesome! read more

ordered online they said it would be ready at 827, go there at 825 didn't get my food till nearly 9pm. then i leave and it literally missing the sides, they put the brown gravy in a cup without the mash potatoes. that means they did this on purpose. also left out the broccoli, and the food i did get looks like it was microwaved.... wtf ! stay far away from this place, these people don't give two shits about your food. they said they will give me my money back if they don't i am cutting the payment off from my credit card company read more

Service is awful! Absolute DA waitress who literally can not read the menu that clearly was titled: Breakfast All Day...DA. She also did not know what a "breakfast side" meant after I asked twice. Moreover she said that she "axed" me. I dont appreciate being axed by a waitress at Cracker Barrel. Please hire people who can read the menu. Walked out:( read more

Well we thought having little wait time was great WRONG! The waitress was an older woman who had to lean into my face to hear which is fine I get it, she was fine nothing special didn't refill drinks or get bread but that's okay it's busy and she's older. Me and my fiancé sat down and ordered. He ordered a hamburger steak with fried okra and french fries and a cherry Coke drink. I ordered chicken fingers, mac & cheese, and mashed potatoes with a Diet Coke ! We get our drinks and we realize we have no silverware no cornbread or biscuits now when you go to Cracker Barrel, cornbread and biscuits is the whole reason you wanna go! We wait about 10 minutes and we get a single piece of cornbread and a single biscuit and an empty basket to me personally looked they had extra corporate biscuits from somebody else's basket and just put two in ours. My boyfriend received his hamburger steak and when I tell you, this was the smallest hamburger steak I've ever seen, he said it was like rubber and it had two slivers of onions on it and a drizzle of gravy. For his sides, they gave him about 10 pieces of fried okra and seven french fries! It had seven more minutes and my food had not come out yet when I received my food. It was half a scoop at most of mashed potatoes they were hot and cold, as if they'd come out of the microwave with burnt gravy on top. I also received half a scoop of mac & cheese with overcooked noodles and unseasoned cheese sauce spread to the side to make my plate look full. Then my chicken strips looked like frozen chicken fingers, and they were so greasy that the breading was sliding off. I can put up with the loud music and crowded scenery, but when we are paying 10 and $12 for food that looks like it came out of a TV dinner with no bread and Harley any drink refills which they kept getting wrong by the way that's where I say I'm not coming back! We even told the manager about our discrepancies and keep in mind we normally are not complaining people. We don't like to call the manager. We don't like to say anything, but the more sat there the worse meal got. read more

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store - Greasy Chicken Tenders - Southern Near Me - Bessemer, Alabama

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If I could give a negative 1000 I would 1000xs over. The food here is GROSS!!! The campfire roast was fired burnt. The okra taste like fried soggy rubber. The shrimp was fried so hard that there was more breading than the actual shrimp. My family and I have tried to give this location multiple chances, but this is the worst Cracker Barrel known to man. I HIGHLY recommend driving to the next exit or location besides the Cracker Barrel in Bessemer, AL. read more

Food is good but the wait times are lonnnng. Wait staff is nice but they're just overwhelmed. Serving sizes are much smaller than they used to be. read more

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store - a small triangle made out of paper - Southern Near Me - Bessemer, Alabama

I live in the area so I eat here quite a bit. The wait is often awful but generally the food is good for a chain and the staff is typically pleasant. I got a to-go order and it was not ready at the mentioned time but once I finally received the food it was fine. I had the new French Toast and bacon, it was a bit too sweet for me but overall good. read more

Bottom line go to tuscaloosa, Gardendale, anywhere but here. Tried to go in this week..45 mins wait and empty tables everywhere. Short staffed, food is fair at best, and prices are getting higher with less amounts on plate. I live 11 mins from here and will go down 59 to Cottondale and eat there. read more

First let me say we've had good meals at this location but today's meal just wasn't good at all. My husband loves their meatloaf but complained today that it was dry and flavorless, his potatoes were dry and he didn't get the okra he ordered. I had the hb steak(smothered), loaded mashed potatoes and okra. The hb steak had gravy, no onions like it showed, and it was also dry and cold. The mashed potatoes came out of the container in one big glob and were cold and dry. Gave most of the okra to my husband, neither of us ate it bc it was cold. Our order was supposed to be ready at 3:05 but it was after 3:20 when he got it so I suspect it was sitting in the back for sometime. Husband said there were plenty of people working and several just standing around so there was no excuse for him to have to wait. $28 wasted. read more

overall bad service, the waitress was very young , From the moment we arrived and she saw that we were Hispanic, she had a heavy attitude. She took our order wrong and on top of that, she got upset. What kind of restaurant keeps this kind of staff in business? If you go to Google to check the reviews of this restaurant, the customer service is terrible.! we love cracker barrel but very disappointe! read more

My entire Cracker Barrel experience at the Bessemer location was divine to say the least. From the ambience to the employees specifically Carson the cashier. He was very insightful and lead me to the correct products and made us feel welcome in the restaurant. I got the grandpa's country breakfast and let me tell you when I got that chicken in my mouth. It was like I was sent to a different world. I tried the blackberry sweet tea, and it was one of if not the best sweet teas I've ever had in my entire life. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone who is local or just driving by 10 out of 10 would recommend. read more

Just stopped here during a road trip because Cracker Barrel is usually consistently good. Imagine my surprise to see the low ratings on this app for this particular location. I can totally understand why. The service is awful. Keep in mind I've worked in the service industry for many years, and this was just flat out terrible. They were not busy, not even close. Tons of staff just standing around. It took myself and another gentleman over 10 minutes just to get somebody to come seat us. Then my server just kind of disappeared. I just got up and left without ordering. Will not be stopping here again and I am adding yet another lower rating to this location. read more

The food and service is always great! They have Christmas decorations out and the store is beautiful.

Never been to this location before but no complaints. We were seated immediately and our waiter was very nice. He tended to our table frequently and answered all of our questions. I ordered the Grandma's sampler breakfast with scrambled eggs, sugared ham, hash casserole, and pancakes. My friend ordered the Country Fried Steak with carrots, broccoli, and fresh fruit. We thoroughly enjoyed everything. I'll return if ever in the area again. read more

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Went there for dinner, the waitress was kind & attentive. I ordered a country fried steak plate, when I got it 15-20mins after ordering the waitress said I'm sorry to tell you but there isn't any white gravy for your fried steak, then said she can ask her manager if they can make some (quick) then came back saying that she said NO due to it being a timely matter.(she did bring me some regular gravy, but it wasn't the same) Wish the cooks/staff would've informed the waitress that once she had put in the order. I wasn't very pleased with the meal either. Corn was watered down and the fried steak was super dry. The mash was decent read more

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store - Southern Near Me - Bessemer, Alabama

Had to walk out after over an hour. They said the grill broke but apparently the drink machine did do. After being at a table for over an hour we decided it was time to go. Waffle House served us with a smile. read more

Ordered for curbside on a Saturday night. Was told to Be at restaurant at 7:29. Arrived at 7:27, did the in-line "I'm here" AND also called. Was told my order was ready and on the way out. Well, at 8:10, the driver of the car beside me in the curbside pickup, who was there before me, got out if his car, went in, and got his order. I asked him was it that easy, and he said orders are behind the cash register. So I go in and sure enough, my order was there. Stone cold now. Tick said it was placed there at 7:30. Cashier said they were slammed (she was looking at a magazine or something when I went in). So I took the cold food home. AND they shorted my vegetable plate by one item. Seriously????? The food tasted good after heating in microwave. But really, it took me maybe, MAYBE 30 seconds to leave the counter and walk to my car. Customer service??? Zero stars. read more

We arrived around 4:45 for a dinner before a local attraction at Alabama Adventure. We're seated promptly and met by our waitress quickly. Drinks came quickly and food order was placed with ease. Waited a good 7-10 minutes for food and then items started to come out of the kitchen. Grilled chicken was charred, food items were cold (hashbrown casserole, chicken n dumplings, and okra), and all ordered had something incorrect which waitress had to fix. Waitress did not offer refills ever and we had to ask for a to go cup with to go boxes because our glasses were empty and never offered more drinks. She was visibly frazzled and we didn't want to push it, but I would not recommend this location. (Also, the restaurant was almost EMPTY!!) I heard one guest ask about why there wasn't a fire and the waitress mentioned there wasn't any wood and that they'd had a rough and busy day. It was a cold night and this always adds to the warmth of home you usually feel at Cracker Barrel, but not on this night. Corporate needs to help these folks. read more

During this time of covid it doesn't do well to have a view of the kitchen witnessing food servers and others NOT wearing face coverings in the kitchen or wearing it improperly. Please tell me what is the point of the false sense of health security if it's only practiced while taking my order? read more

I don't even know where to start with this review, this was the absolute worst dining experience I have ever had with my family. I give it a 1 star only because our server was so amazing and she herself deserves 5 stars. We walk into this restaurant at 9 am to get a table for 9, we had family visiting from out of state and we always have breakfast before they hit the road home. It wasn't crowded and we didn't have to wait on a table which was nice. My daughter had my grandson in his stroller and Holiday, the front manager very rudely approached us and stated we can't have the stroller in the dining room. We told her no problem and we parked the stroller in a corner out of the way. We had been sitting about 5 minutes when said manager "Holiday" came by and noticed my daughters purse strap dangling off the back of the chair, she then attached it to the chair to be helpful one would think but she then looked at my daughter and said, keep your purse strap picked up and attached to the chair, you know there are other people in the world. Again, we never said a word back to her but noticed how she seemed to be so rude to us. Before breakfast came to the table "Holiday" once again came to our table and asked my adult son if he knew how expensive what he had ordered was because he selected separate items instead of a meal, he told her yes, we were aware and that's what he wanted. She walked away and turned around and came back and continued to explain she just wanted him to know because sometimes people come in and order this way and when they get the bill they walk out without paying. He politely asked her to leave the table that she had gone too far. She then returned a bit later with a napkin and handed to my daughter and said you need to clean that baby's nose, it's a mess. This was when "Holiday" had overstepped a boundary and went too far. While all of this back and forth with her was happening I had visited the ladies room to find a big pile of poop in the floor in one of the stalls that had also been stepped in and tracked all about the bathroom. It had been there so long it had time to begin drying up yet this lady was worried about a 1 year olds runny nose. She was beyond unprofessional, she was downright mean to our family. She had prejudged us for some reason upon us first entering the establishment and mistreated us throughout the experience. We asked to see the other manager, her name was "Claire" and she continued taking up for "Holiday" and making excuses for her behavior. "Claire" did offer to comp the entire meal however that isn't something we were looking for and my family from Louisiana who were paying for everyone's meal just looked at her and said Thank You but No Thank You after "Holiday" asked our son if he could afford the food he ordered. "Claire" also refused to give us the information to their corporate office or to tell us the General Managers last name, only that her name is "Tracy". We can all certainly afford to pay for our food but expect to be treated with respect when dining anywhere. When waiting to pay the ticket, there was another altercation between a customer and another server in their. I don't know what happened but it was something about the server drinking on the job but the server cussed the customer out very loudly and inappropriately like nothing I had ever seen and I never saw "Claire" or "Holiday" come out to try to intervene before we left the building. It was truly a joke and I will never be guilty of dining at the Bessemer Cracker Barrel again and if I ever see "Claire" or especially "Holiday" working at any restaurant I visit, I will leave immediately. "Holiday" ruined our breakfast and experience. read more

Ok so I originally pulled up the review section while in the restaurant, at this time it wasn't going to be anything more than 1 star: I'll explain why we have more, and why also it wasn't more. Our server, bless her heart, if you ever have had one of those days, I believe she was having hers today. We've all had them and we were completely understanding, telling her each time don't worry, we understand and have been there. Our food didn't get entered, we weren't in a huge rush so we didn't mind waiting. When we did finally get our food however, it was not so great. The mashed potatoes could be picked up from the edge and not come apart. They had probably been sitting under the heat lamp for a while, the burger was medium rare instead of medium, again not the worst things to go wrong as I don't mind it a little red. But it was overall just bland. I'm sure we are extra picky as restaurant owners, but the place just needs a little structure and love. Now the ONLY reason I gave 4 stars, Was for the manager! She immediately addressed all the problems before we even knew the problem existed! She went above and beyond to make our bad experience, better! I believe they just had a bad day, and we all have had them! We do appreciate the immediate efforts to resolve all the issues and hope they take the time to help the server with some training and lift her up in a positive manner as she has great potential! read more

We stopped for breakfast and found that the Bessemer location is not what it was. Our waitperson was wearing a mask when she came to get drink orders. We looked at the menu and it was very different from what we expected. When we declined to order, she pulled the mask off and got in my face asking if it was something she did. I said no and that the menu was not what was expected and we left. I said to my friend that this explains why there were so few cars in the parking lot on a Saturday morning. read more

We walked in and the hostess was extremely nice. She took my name and number of ppl. The manager came out of the back yelling at her because she didn't ask how many kids and high chairs. Then she comes over to me yelling about the amount of high chairs and kids menus I needed. She informed me I wouldn't be allowed to leave my baby in the stroller which is fine but there is a way to talk to people and that wasn't it. Then we get seated and we get our drinks and she walks my our table and snatches my purse strap (my purse was hanging on my chair.) she let me know I needed to think about the other people in the world and not leave my bag in peoples way. She then proceeded to tell me I needed to zip my bag because I wasn't the only person in this world. We ordered our food and then she came to the table to ask if we were sure we wanted the meal we ordered because not all people can afford the al a carte menu. She didn't want us to walk out on our tab. She said that exactly. While she was at the table asking if we could afford food she takes a napkin and tell me I need to wipe my sons nose because it's running and that's gross. This caused such a scene the ladies that were dining behind us said you are lucky you didn't get punched in the face telling people how to take care of their kids and then asking if they can afford food. I still didn't say anything to her. She overheard us talking to the table behind us and came back and yelled I'm just doing my job. I told the server when she came back to the table that she needed to make sure she didn't come back to our table because it would be ugly. Right before we left the other manager came from the back to talk to us and I was telling her the story. While I was telling her my concerns she told me they just have to watch out for the restraint because a lot of people walk out on there tabs so they thought we might. She then said I guess you want me to comp this meal. We paid for our food of course because it was clearly not a payment issue. Instead of listening to my concerns she tells me the other manager is having a bad day and she's not normally like that. I asked her for the corporate number and she said she wasn't allowed to give me corporates number. I could use google and find it myself. This was the worst experience I have ever had. Horrible management and the place was absolutely disgusting. While there I took my kids to the bathroom and someone had pooped in the middle of the floor in a big pile and it had been there so long it it had crusted up and had flys. s we were leaving another server got into a altercation with another customer. So much so I ask that you look at the cameras and review all of this footage. The server that was fighting with the other customer was drunk and yelled out her managers didn't care. It was the most disgusting experience from start to finish I have ever taken part in. The way we were treated by management wS something you think only would happen in movies. I will say while we were there our server was fantastic. She was kind and took all of my complaints and never once got aggressive or combative. She handled herself with respect and class while all of this was unfolding. I wish I would have gotten her name but if you review the camera like I am asking you should be able to see who she is. She was so fantastic in fact we went back in after standing outside and talking about the insane experience and gave her a larger tip because she was that deserving. You will never keep employees with that environment and the location if it continues in that direction will be closed down sooner or later. The manager that was so insane was Holiday and the manager that was making a joke of the situation and defending Holiday was Claire . Claire made sure to tell us she hopes we come back. No... I felt like it was honestly a joke at that point. read more

The manager has told several parties all sorts of excuses as to why service is poor. We were told 15 minutes wait time. 37 minutes later we asked if our table might be ready and they have to seat a large party first. Help. read more

Stopped into this Cracker Barrel for supper with a large family size of 18. The hostess explained to me that due to the size of our family, they would need to separate the family into 3 groups because they were currently short staffed. I looked around and counted additional patrons and a whopping 6 other people were seated at tables. I asked, how exactly they would separate our family and the hostess explained that she would put the family on 3 different tables, in 3 different sections. I asked her how seating is on 3 separate tables, in 3 separate sections helps if they are short staffed? I asked if they were short staffed, why not have 1 table, with 1 server? She explained that it would stress the server. After trying to negotiate with the hostesses for 15 min, we left the establishment. The on duty manager was willing to assist us and even stated she was fine with 2 tables 1 section and seemed willing to compromise but the hostesses flat out refused to help in any way. The server and staff lost out on a big tip. read more

i ordered a biscuit and gravy, and all i got was gravy, 3 things of gravy but no biscuit, after i got my biscuits which took 30 minute, my gravy was cold, matter of fact half of my table didn't get drinks, and the people here were just rude, service sucked, food was cold read more

My favorite when I travel. Quality of food is great just love the real maple syrup...thanks.

It was a lot better before Covid. Now it's super slow. Food is blah. I've always said how Cracker Barrel is so consistent no matter where you go. Not the case any longer. The waitress forgot our silverware. She realized it and said she was going to go get it for us.. that was no big deal, because we didn't have our food yet. They brought out biscuits for us and my wife asked for some jelly she said yes. She was really polite. She never brought it though. Also asked for a refill, that never happened. Finally got our food after a long wait. Still no silverware. The last few files I've been there it's been really bad. read more

Earlier this week I visited Cracker Barrel with my grandfather. We both had an amazing time there and the service was fantastic. There were no visible Covid 19 precautions at this particular location though. I ordered the Grandpa's Country Fried Breakfast and the food was delicious and the portions were perfect!!! The restaurant was clean and quiet, and it felt very comfortable! Overall we had an awesome time and I will definitely be back!!! read more