Cracker Barrel's Temporary Dip Into Mediocrity Is Over! They are back into Good Old Fashioned Southern Food Excellence! Eat Here! Eat Here With Confidence! And you will get traditional homestyle cooking that just can't be beat! * * * Samuel C now temporarily turns from food reviewer to Special Reporter for the Yelp Restaurant Business Report. Many of the changes both bad and good at Cracker Barrel were well covered in the Hospitality Industry Trade Press. The CEO who instituted both the cost cutting initiatives and the disastrous logo change was Julie Felss Masino who got the promotion in 2023. The more subtle revenue enhancing measures that led to a decline in food quality would have occurred in 2024 and 2025. 2025 saw the disastrous logo change experiment. Many companies would have axed the CEO after a disaster of that magnitude. However, giving credit where credit is due, Masino saw the errors of her ways. There was a rapid pivoting towards re-emphasizing food quality and guest experience. They made a grand official announcement of the revitalization of these old classic priorities in a series of press releases in October of 2025. There were a lot of personnel changes too in upper middle management, promoting old-timers who were solidly grounded in Cracker Barrel's traditional ways of cooking and providing customer service. The repair job has worked magnificently. Cracker Barrel is now the outstanding chain we all remember. I for one could not be happier. * * * I went down to check out the new "old" regime at the Cracker Barrel in Buda. I had a homestyle dinner that was thumbs up all the way. A terrific chicken fried steak. Super meaty super tasty greens. Addictive macaroni and cheese. Homemade fried okra - not the standard stuff Sysco sells restaurants in 20 pound bags. Total comfort food. I was totally comforted. * * * Just for the record, the stupid stuff that they sell in the store when you come in, Was just a little more interesting and almost crossed the threshold of being buy-able. (I may be getting old but I am not stupid yet. If I were to ever buy merchandise from a Cracker Barrel Country Store, Some family member would need to take control of my credit card and put me on an allowance.) * * * Still the chain is back up to its original level of all-time favorite. I can hardly wait to go back. read more

This place has some good ole home cooked food. I ordered the Grandpa's Country Fried Breakfast (2 fried eggs chicken fried steak with sawmill gravy. Served with biscuits and gravy and hashbrown casserole) with a side of 3 pancakes. I like my eggs over easy and they were cooked just right. I didn't think the chicken fried steak was very good. The meat tasted kinda funny, I don't know if it was the seasoning or what. The texture of it was like a sausage patty. Just wasn't what I was expecting for a chicken fried steak. Plus it didn't seem to have much breading on it, and what there was on it didn't stay on the chicken fried steak and was soggy/mushy. The sawmill gravy was good. The hashbrown casserole was just okay, it could have been cooked a little more...in my opinion. I never got the 2 biscuits. I forgot all about them and just remember after I had left. The pancakes were really good. Plus the breakfast wasn't hot...more like, lukewarm. I was told that the wait to get a table was 20 minutes. It was actually 27 minutes, not too bad. I usually expect at least a 30 minute wait. The issue I had was after ordering my food, it took 52 minutes to get it. This seemed to be a long time to me. The hostess and server were average. I had to keep waving the server over when I needed anything, she never came over on her own to check to see if everything was OK or if I needed anything. The restaurant was clean. The nice thing about the restaurant is there's a lot of stuff to look at in the front while you're waiting to be seated. Overall, I was kinda disappointed with the wait time, with some of my food and my waitress. This is why I am giving 3 stars. read more

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The Cracker Barrel Old Country Store branding scandal is over but remnants still exist like the upgraded menu. I ordered the Grilled Catfish with Broccoli and Mac&Cheese. The catfish was very tasty and liked it very much but little spongy. The staff were super nice and friendly and proved me with biscuits and cornbread. After I logged into the app I was alerted I had a free birthday desert. I ordered a slice of pumpkin pie to take home and it was very good. I also had a coupon I received via email from them to get a percentage off tab my which I took advantage, but in return gave a larger tip. The store was transitioned to Christmas and had a nice various selection of products. It was well organized and looked great. read more

My husband and I went for breakfast. There was about a 20 minute wait and we enjoyed looking around the store to see what new items were available. Once seated, I ordered the Blueberry Pancake Plate that comes with two blueberry pancakes (with the blueberries in the pancakes!) and served with two eggs any style (I got scrambled), choice of breakfast meat (I got extra crispy bacon), and blueberry syrup (which even had blueberries in it!!). The pancakes were full of blueberries and perfectly crispy, especially on the edges. The scrambled eggs and bacon complimented the pancakes. Everything tasted great and all staff, including our server Ana, we friendly and attentive. read more

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store - Part of my scrambled eggs and bacon. - American Near Me - Buda, Texas

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I wanted to eat here for my birthday breakfast and it was easier to put my name on the waitlist. We only had to wait around for about two minutes and it was fully packed so highly recommend getting the app to join the waitlist. Our waiter Dillian was excellent. He took really good care of us. All of the food was excellent. And I even had a rewards that I could use to save six dollars. This location is always very busy so highly recommend going early! I loved walking by the fireplace. It sets the mood to be calm. read more

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The service was very fast and friendly. The food is always consistent if not on the bland side, but it is an easy place to pick if your group isn't sure what they want. read more

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store - American Near Me - Buda, Texas

We had a great visit to Cracker Barrel today. It was very hot and there was a 40 minute wait but their system was very accurate and they texted me when the table was ready. It was just under 40 minutes, but luckily there were rocking chairs available on the porch where we could rock for half the time and shop the other half. There's a lot of candy and clothing and gift items to look at. We ordered both breakfast and lunch items and everything came out just as we ordered it. My only complaint is I would've loved to have my salad before my meal, but that is OK because we had the biscuits and corn cornbread to hold us over. Our waiter Dilan was very attentive And we enjoyed all of our food.s read more

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So Cracker Barrel has always been one of my favorite restaurants love the biscuits and apple butter but my trip to this one was a nightmare so we arrived and were seated took about 10 minutes for a waiter wasn't a big problem they were busy right We get out waiter he takes our drink order about 15 minutes later he brings our drinks and ranch with hush puppies and tells my wife that's what they come with and brings my salad and no silverware after about 40 minutes I have to find someone for a refill on our drinks then a new waiter shows up and tells me sorry they can't find my waiter and then I was served a plate with cold meatloaf my chicken and dumplings were watery on top from sitting worst service ever this is a disgrace to the cracker barrel name read more

First time at this famed establishment. Don't know about the low reviews. I mean the place was bustling with people on a Saturday morning despite the average ratings. Adrienne is a fabulous server. She made it a point to make sure she didn't get the caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee mixed up. Then when the country fried steak, which I ordered, didn't taste quite right, and I asked for hot sauce, she volunteered to switch it out with chicken fried steak instead. The food came with a side and biscuits. Food was great, after the switch for chicken, but I say Adrienne's service outshined and made up for it. The restaurant has a store attached to it which was fun to browse through. And Cabelas, another Texas icon, is just a stone's throw away. read more

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store - Grandpa breakfast - American Near Me - Buda, Texas

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I stopped eating at Cracker Barrel because of their horrific track record with inclusion. For some odd reason I tried it again tonight and was rewarded with crap food. I tried the new herb roasted chicken with a salad and corn. Everything came out at once so the food slowly got cold while I ate my salad with its super thin blue cheese dressing. The chicken skin was good. Leg and thigh tender but the breast portion was dryer than a saltine cracker. Corn was straight from a can with no seasoning or anything-just like DelMonte in the microwave. I also hate how you have to go through the store and stand in line to pay. Of course, how else are families going to resist their kids screaming for all the stuff they want to buy? I'll definitely not be back. read more

Ordered the fried turkey with sides. My dressing was semi cold but added dumpling gravey to heat up. Waitress was great. The wait to be seated was as long as getting the food. Atmosphere was a bit overwhelming but it's Thanksgiving. read more

Check your receipts!!! Dined in during Veterans Day and at first they "didn't know" to take my husbands veteran meal off after spending almost two hours with an half empty dining room waiting on food. After reviewing the receipt noticed a major price discrepancy. We asked for two sides of ham to go and was majorly overcharged for both of them. See photos of the receipt and how much a side of ham costs according to the website at the same location. Avoid! Check your receipts!!! Dined in during Veterans Day and at first they "didn't know" to take my husbands veteran meal off after spending almost two hours with an half empty dining room waiting on food. After reviewing the receipt noticed a major price discrepancy. We asked for two sides of ham to go and was majorly overcharged for both of them. See photos of the receipt and how much a side of ham costs according to the website at the same location. Avoid! read more

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store - Online price of side of ham - American Near Me - Buda, Texas

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Not sure what the negativity and low ratings are about. I love Cracker Barrel and always know I'm going to be happy with the food. It can get pretty crazy after church on Sundays, so get there early. read more

5 of came here this evening and it was great fast friendly service good food and served hot. I had the chicken and dumplings fried apples and turnip greens. Great prices and amazing gift shop. read more

We got seated right away and service was kinda slow. It took awhile for our server to take our order and the food took awhile to come out too. Our server was friendly though! We all mainly got either the grandma's sampler or the momma's pancake breakfast. The pancakes were good as usual! Buttery with nice and crisp edges. Everything else was just ok but it's fine since it's just eggs and breakfast meat. I also got to try a side of the hashbrown casserole and the loaded hashbrown casserole tots and those were delicious! read more

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store - Momma's Pancake Breakfast - American Near Me - Buda, Texas

Their food is good and the people are awesome. It's a great choice if you don't like fast food, or if you are tired of eating typical order in food and you don't have access to home cooking--it comes close. I ordered "to go", to pick up on my way into Austin. My only complaint is that the baked potato was too dried out and tasteless to eat. I ordered the chicken meal the green beans were very good and the biscuit was excellent. I won't order the baked potato again; those are difficult to cook ahead and not end up with a dry product. I'd give it a 4.5/5 because of the potato. read more

Unfortunately worst customer service. I have tried to come here multiple times but it's the same customer service every time. I drive to the San Marcos location for better service. read more

I'm here at this restaurant because it's assumed to be the best healthier option. So far the service has been horrible and slow. The restaurant isn't at a quarter of its capacity and the service is terrible. Our server brought our water and eventually burned cornbread muffins with no saucers for us to put the bread on. We asked and still waiting even after we've eaten a couple of biscuits and cornbread. Still waiting and oh no napkins and several waiters and waitresses have passed us up. Well it took long enough for our food to come out and I knew it my order was wrong. I told him don't bother to change or correct it! I wanted fried catfish and they brought out grilled! The service was not great at all today. read more

First time trying out Cracker Barrel and enjoyed my experience. Upon entering you go right into the store and make your way to the restaurant side. The place was busy but the wait was only 10 -15 mins. I like how you can browse around while you wait. They call your name of the intercom which is convenient. They had a 50% off sale in the store. I ended up getting a plaid jacket for $20 but the shirt I got my boyfriend was not on sale. Had to get the jacket before we ate. Now the food, My dad ordered the home style chicken with coleslaw and broccoli. My mom got the lemon pepper grilled rainbow trout with pinto beans and broccoli. I got the hamburger steak with steak fries and mashed potatoes. Portions here are huge. Overall, We enjoyed what we ordered. The food was delicious and service was friendly and quick. read more

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We arrived about 5:00 and there was peace and quiet in Cracker Barrel allowing three of us to talk. That is the first time I heard my wife talk to me in there. Wonderful, and the food was great also. read more

Over the last few weeks, we've randomly run into two Cracker Barrels during our travels, and of course we took the opportunity to stop and partake lol This time we landed at the Buda location for a late lunch around 2 PM and we both ordered the meatloaf because honestly, we usually love their meatloaf. It's our go-to. But this time, it was a little off. The meatloaf came out lukewarm, which was kind of a bummer. Not ice cold, but definitely not hot. The sides were actually served hot...we had mashed potatoes, fried okra, and corn and all of those were great. Just not sure what happened with the meatloaf. Maybe it was sitting for a bit? Not sure. We didn't send it back because at that point we'd been on the road most of the day and just wanted to eat, have a warm cornbread moment, and keep it moving. Our server Andrew was great though. Really friendly, checked in on us the right amount, and kept things moving without making us feel rushed. He did a solid job and we appreciated that. Not a bad visit, just wish the meatloaf had been served hot, because when it's good, it's really good. Still love a Cracker Barrel stop every now and then. Just hoping the next one has that meatloaf coming in hot. read more

This was my first time to Cracker Barrel. Wait time was thirty minutes before getting access to the restaurant. When I entered, I was in a boutique shop. Seating to the restaurant was off to the left. I found the restaurant to be comfortable. A lot of nostalgia covering the walls with posters and pictures of once was. I ordered Grandma's plate, which consisted of two sunny side up eggs, one piece of bacon, one round sausage, a piece of ham, shredded potatoes, and two pancakes. The sausage was a bit burnt on one side. It was tough. More like jerky. Overall, the meal was just okay. Nothing to write home about. If you know what I mean. I could have made a better breakfast at home. But, I wanted to try Cracker Barrel, and now I have. I won't return only because I can make better. For those who prefer not to cook, then Cracker Barrel is for you and/or your family. I did find it a bit odd, so many people were waiting outside in the cold, and inside, there were many empty tables. I suppose there were not enough servers. read more

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the food tastes like hospital food. It is loud crowded and over rated. service was fine and Love the Gift shop. Only things i enjoy

Cracker Barrel is a good place for good food and friendly service. Their shop has very cute and interesting things to see.

Worst service and food quality ever. Waited 45 mins. Mgr said because the chicken was freshly made. No biscuits offered. Food served all meals were lukewarm at best. Chicken was cold on the inside. Server uncaring and messed up a simple order of eggs and hash browns. Never going back! read more

Quick and easy to be seated after adding our selfs to the waiting list on the Yelp App. Food was delicious as always! read more

Me and my husband went there to celebrate me getting a job after only two weeks of being unemployed. The ambiance was amazing as usual. We were greeted by our amazing server carly who took amazing care of us and was very prompt and very friendly. The food as always was amazing and I cannot wait to come back!!! read more

I am so disappointed. I waited & planned how to get to the Buda Cracker Barrel since I don't drive. Just for some chicken & dumplings. The chicken broth was absolutely tasteless. It was like eating flour & water, no celery,no onions, absolutely nothing to give any flavor. Stop messing with your decor & focus on keeping your food quality up to par. I doubt I will be back. read more

Short review. They weren't particularly busy and seemed fully staffed. However, we were ignored and finally left after a little over 10 minutes. Told the manager on the way out, he apologized, while barely looking ip, and went back to his conversation with another employee. We used to eat here all the time pre-pandemic and thought we'd give it another chance. Swing and a miss. read more

Bad - no turkey after the billboard told how good it was. Most entrees deep fried. Out of ice cream for the pie which was meh. Broccoli cheese too intense. Loaded potato was very good. We like the store too. read more

Cracker Barrel in Buda is never a dispoint til today! Asked for my steak medium...came out well done! 2nd steak came out medium well! And the biscuits were burnt! Hope they get better! read more

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store - Burned biscuits - American Near Me - Buda, Texas

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ordered lunch plate turkey and dressing. came on a little plate, Dressing was horrible! Looked gray, mushy wet bread. turkey processed, sliced and served with a gelinouse gravy. Biscuits did not have any texture or color, underbaked, so flimsy it fell about in hands. Sweet potatoe "casserole" o.k. just mashed potatoes. I felt like I was eating out of the back of a Sysco processed food truck. I was used to the freshness element of the food before another corporation bought it. So sad, and the place was packed and had old decor back. read more

Great tasting food and generous portion sizes. Customer service is friendly and my order is always accurate. read more

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My family and I had the best Thanksgiving experience here tonight! The food was fantastic our server said he had only been there 2 days and was a freaking Rockstar when it can to his customer service and serving abilities. I have to give crackle barrel more than 5 stars but yelp would not allow me. The gift shop always awesome. The samtaff very observant. The cleanliness of the facility great condition. From the time we put our online reservation in till we left the building one of the best Thanksgiving we had without our family. read more

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store - Biscuits are delicious!!! - American Near Me - Buda, Texas

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I was so disappointed! I was brought here for mothers day and I asked for the NY strip with no garlic sauce on it. I asked for a baked potato which I was told they were out of. We had to ask after several minutes for bread. My steak came, swimming in garlic sauce, and I'm not going to send it back to have spit in it. I told my waiter I asked for no garlic and all he could say is sorry. Then, the table next to us got two beautiful looking baked potatoes! So, I told him, I thought you had no baked potatoes and he said,oh I thought we didn't. Sorry! Do not sit with Alejandro in Buda. You have been warned. I will probably not go back! read more

Ordered delivery for the first time and food arrived perfectly. Nothing missing and food very good. Will do this again!

Shitty work environment Manager Jeff treats his employees like slaves and his voice is so loud you can hear his screams in the dinning area. His yells will not make things better. I've only seen 1 person buss tables and he's doing the best he can while being run raged. If the employees are being treated like shit with such terrible management, I'm surprised the place hasn't been shut down with the horrible conditions they have to work in. read more

Went here to celebrate my mother's birthday and had horrible service. On a Sunday-no cinnamon rolls, no bacon. Had to repeatedly ask for ketchup which never came until we asked the hostess. Server had an attitude and was arguing with us as to whose gravy was whose. We will NOT be back. Food was mediocre and service was SLOW. read more

The waitress we had today was absolutely RUDE. She had an attitude the whole time we was ordering & getting our food from her. She was literally having her tray right in my face & her hands when putting stuff down on the table when I was eating. There's other places to work at if you're so unhappy with your job ! I did not catch her name she was black with short hair . read more

Was told 5 to 10 minute Wait. Waited 25 minutes before being sat down. Then eventually left because no one ever came to take a drink order. Others that came in at the same time already had their food. The restaurant was not busy. read more