Cracker Barrel Reviews

Pros

Benefits and pay is competitive

Cons

Inconsistancy of communication from management to employees

Advice to Senior Management

Better teamwork

Pros

Outside of the health benefits, there are none.

Cons

I came to the job expecting it to involve hard work, potentially getting dirty, cleaning, and working with customers. None of those bothered me. However, the attitude is very paternal, and in a negative way. There is no autonomy. Among the things they do are making you carry clear plastic pocketbooks so that they can make sure you aren't stealing (which works well to prevent theft, but carrying personal items out in front of people staring is humiliating). They also base hours on how well a cashier suggestive sells items at the register. So, if you are not able to sell the candy after someone has had dinner and dessert, you get less hours. I saw people around me who were getting almost no hours and who were working very hard (and were told in front of me that the above was the reason).

Advice to Senior Management

To please communicate more with each other and with staff. Also, to have realistic expectations as to what measurements one can make (prime example being the types of suggestive selling vs. hours).

Pros

Even though the tips are not that great, I always make enough to at least be worth coming in (which I can't say for all of my serving jobs). Managers are easy to talk to, and flexible. Co-workers are nice for the most part. No alcohol (good, if you're tired of drunk people).

Cons

You could make more money working at a bar, if you're willing to put up with the drunk people and late hours. There's a lot of side-work, which is frustrating when you make 2.13 an hour, but it could be worse.

Advice to Senior Management

Focus more on safety (employees can be really careless about laying things down on the floor, and its easy to trip over when you're moving fast with a full tray).

Pros

nice store, restaurant, and pay

Cons

management and stress from them

Advice to Senior Management

be nicer to employees we are not your slaves

Pros

Depends on what area of the country you are working in, it can be great.

Cons

They work you to death.

Pros

Can be a fun place to work when surrounded by the right personalities. Also, being right on the interstate, you get to meet and speak with many different people from all over. One of my favorite things about working at Cracker Barrel was when people would come in reminisce about the different older candies and jams that we would sell. Great way to learn new things, and become more "cultured".

Cons

Very backwards company. Many policies are a little outdated. They're way too worried about offending people than they are about just about anything else. Very hard to retain managers, or really anyone for that matter. Customer service at my particular location was not the best.

Advice to Senior Management

Update your policies to align with the 21st century.

Pros

Great pay and benifits. Very stable company with growth oppertunities.

Cons

VERY, VERY Tough on managers and hourly employees! Very little respect from the leaders above you.

Advice to Senior Management

Change the store level management structure so that managers can effectively manager their responsabilities! Need a Kiitchen, FOH, Assistant GM!

Pros

Opportunity for advancement, recognition for good performance, employee discount on in-store items and food, annual Christmas party for employees and their families, Human resources department good at listening to their employees and sorting out issues, good training.

Cons

Favoritism, no time for breaks, every 3 months you get a review by a member of management, and it isn't always the manager that actually works with you so evaluations of your performance are not always accurate.

Advice to Senior Management

work better with the employees and cut the favoritism. That will not win you any respect.

Pros

Good money
Awesome people to work with
I enjoyed it very much

Cons

Really poor management and stressful

Pros

Managers do a good job staying cool under pressure and treating employees fairly. The store usually makes an effort to ensure that all servers get an equal opportunity to earn their tips. The company fosters a good sense of teamwork--everybody is expected to pull their weight, and most employees will go out of their way to help their co-workers.

Cons

Unless Cracker Barrel is your only job, or unless you don't have many engagements beyond your work, this is going to be a tough job (for a server). Because of the extra side work, and the terribly cumbersome process of getting "checked out" to leave the store, servers are routinely forced to stay an hour or more beyond their shift.