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Until today I was a "Rising Star" at Cracker Barrel - working here was the worst experience of my life. At CB it is always the servers fault.if you knew how employees are treated I doubt you'd dine there. Servers are paid $2.13 p/hr and are required to roll 135 sets of silverware per shift that is if you work a double you better roll 290 pieces in between running food, bussing tables, and sometimes preparing food in the kitchen or seating guests after they have sent home employees making over $9 p/hr this is to cut down the cost of labor vs sales ratio so that management can get a bonus.

What hurts the server is by doing all of this extra work we are unable to give good service to our tables - poor service = small gratuity. So mgmt gets a bonus and the servers (many single moms)trying to feed their families make less money - triple the work and less in the servers pocket. Servers are not allowed to take breaks - this is cruel and illegal but they get away with it because jobs are hard to come by in this economy and they know it. So most servers are exhausted and hungry taking one biscuit is considered theft from the company and will cost you your job.

An employee can drink water, tea, and coffee all else is off limits unless you pay for it before you drink it. Meals are 50% off while on the clock however you cannot eat it there or take it home after your shift therefore you can not eat. I have witnessed servers shoving a biscuit in their mouth in a corner fearful of getting caught by mgmt and being walked off the job.

The atmosphere behind the scenes is extremely dysfunctional there is a lot of shouting and screaming people scrambling around trying to get everything done in record time. It's a real beat the clock game and not to give you a great dining experience its to get you fed and shoved out the door to enable staff to seat another set of guests. Feed 'em and street 'em that is the CB way. last week I was expected to serve 5 tables, greet and seat guests, make salads, dish out soup, and prepare desserts for my tables, answer the phone for take-out orders and then roll 135 sets of silverware in a 5 hr shift - all without a break or a pat on the back for all your hard work.

So who suffers the most is the guest of CB - do you think the server is using safe food practices while making your salad when rushing to get 4 other things done at the same time? Are you - the guest of CB really being treated like a priority when someone untrained in safe food handling or has no time to put on gloves to keep the germs on their hands from touching your food?

Next time you think Cracker Barrel is a good choice to dine at remember this post and ask yourself would you let your MOM work here? Thank you if you have read this post in full I appreciate your time.

Location: Livingston, New Jersey

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Guest

I have noticed CB going downhill in the last few years. Step up your game or you will all be out of a job!

Selling alcoholic beverages is not the way to help CB. If I wanted to eat in a bar I would go to a bar. CB is a family oriented restaurant but you are trying to make it into a bar. The quality of your food has gone WAY down and the choices are getting less and less.

you are always cutting something from the menu. the breakfast menu change was the kicker for me.

I dont go to CB for breakfast anymore. I dont know whose bright idea all these changes were but I hope he gets FIRED!

Hassel Orc

Because I was treated rudely last week by the manager so I will be spreading the word at work and to my friends. This happened in West Monroe, Louisiana

Ossie Hht
reply icon Replying to comment of Hassel Orc

Doubt all your friends and workers will boycott the restaurant because you had a rude experience.

Guest

Gift shop Over priced unless you're an employee. Great disounts. You get 35% off as an employee an if item is already 50% off......SCORE!!!!

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-2233384

There is nothing in that gift shop worth having, even if it were free.

Guest

OMG that is crazy you deserve more, and thank you next time I go I will give the server $100 for there hard work .

Guest

What do you expect from a company that fired Brad's wife after 11 years of service.

Guest

I worked at cb for 8 months putting up with mngmt talking to me like a piece of *** everything you said is true I was fired for not rolling silverware

Guest

What unit did you work in because this is not my experience at all.

Guest

Horrible - why was this angry person allowed to touch food.

Guest

Sounds like the CB i work at too

Guest

Take your whining somewhere else. Good grief.

I worked in food service and have friends at CB. Maybe you and your mom friends stuffing biscuits in your mouth in corners is how it went at your CB, but they're not all like that. Give me a break. And we all know how very much servers are capable of making when they do their jobs (and the majority goes unreported for taxes, so be careful about talking about illegal things happening).

Put your big girl panties on and go be a cashier somewhere. A pat on the head?

REALLY? GROW UP.

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-1529508

You might be in the industry, but your comment makes me think you've never been a server in your life. Also, your friends are the most likely ones with this "majority unreported for taxes." IRS requires 100 percent of tips to be reported. Go be a server when you're not living at home with mum and dad, while following all the rules; then we'll see how your tune sounds.

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-1529508

yikes... maybe you need to go work there.

iโ€™ve worked there and left because of the way they treat the servers. working at p.f. changโ€™s now and the management and company as a whole treats their staff way better. cb doesnโ€™t care about their servers nor do they care about the service their guests receive.

check back check down is the way they view it. bring the food then immediately drop the check off to get them out.

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-1691902

I was treated to Cracker Barrel food a few times while hitch-hiking and it was such a welcome change than the usual c.r.a.p. fare from McDonald's that I would get when I would ride the Greyhound.

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-1529508

CB doesn't function as most restaurant's S.O.P. That's a fact.

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-1529508

Moron at best.

Guest

I just started working there and I absolutly agree with everything you said. I hate the sidework and how everything is running in the kitchen fast because it's hard to give great service when people tell at you for not running your coworkers dish and that's my pay .

Guest

A friend worked there, same experience. Except theyโ€™re trying to appeal to a younger crowd, so letโ€™s hire young people!Except itโ€™s all the regular servers doing the work, the young ones are treated much better, not doing any of the old โ€œrequirementsโ€.CB NEEDS TO BE SUED!

By employees! Theyโ€™re going to keep doing this unless you stand up and say NO MORE! I donโ€™t want anyone being treated badly by the same company that had a history of this cruel treatment!

This is not Fair or Ethical.It is illegal! The biggest problem is CB knows desperation of income & are taking full advantage of no one coming forward.

Guest

I was a server at the Cracker Barrel for several years. I am sorry to hear that your experience was so terrible, but the reality is that not every location treats it's employees that way.It is not uncommon in the restaurant business to have side work nor to roll silverware.

The amount needed to be rolled depends on how busy the restaurant is and how many servers are working. I never rolled more than 75 per shift.As for the screaming in the back of the house, I was not yelled at by my management at my Cracker Barrel store. Our management dealt with problems in a professional manner.Many times, almost every shift, I would eat an employee meal in the back in the break room. So, to say that employees are not allowed to eat there is inaccurate.Serving is a difficult job and takes the ability to multi-task.

Blaming lack of good service on side work makes me wonder about your integrity.

It is important not to generalize your experience to include all Cracker Barrels as your experiences are not the experiences of all employees. Clearly you are just disgruntled.

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