My tale of Cracker Barrel Woe....

[BigMcLargehuge]

I've never been a big fan of chain restaurants as I grew up working in the 92 seat seafood joint my parents owned and I know the kind of hard work it takes to make a little place successful. I also know how much more an indie puts into the town as far as revenue, wages sure, but they also buy from local restaurant supply warehouses, local linen companies, local seafood wholesalers, local meat packers, local vegetable companies, local beverage companies, and local misc shops for decorations and supplies that can't be had anywhere else. Chains generally don't.

That said, there are occasions when you just can't sneak into an indie for a quick dinner with the wife and kids and in laws, and in such times we are occasionally relegated to eating chain food in chain joints.

Such was the situation last May.

It was Sunday night. About 6:30. Derry Pizza, our usual place of quick eats was stuffed to the gills with customers and the wait for a table was 45 min to an hour. I was happy to wait but the kids were starving, so were my inlaws. So I reluctantly agreed to return to Cracker Barrel, a restaurant that served me perhaps the worst food I've ever attempted to eat two years earlier. The place was virtually empty, and seats over 150. However, their five large tables (six seats) were occupied in the non-smoking section and they refused to push a couple of smaller tables together to accomodate four adults and two little kids (one of them in a high chair). Rather, they seated us in the smoking section where they had a large table available.

If it was just us adults, I'd have had no problem with this. But I'm there with two kids, one 4 and one 1.5.

I asked if they could push a couple of tables togehter in the non-smoking section, which was nearly empty save for the big tables, and they said "we can't."

We sat in the smoking section. Twenty five minutes later I asked the hostess if she actually told the waitresses that we'd been seated as no one had come to take a drink order. She blushed and hurried off to the kitchen.

Our waitress, Mary (for the sake of this tale) appeared and took the drink and dinner orders. The orders were -

Two salads (mom and dad in-law)
One chicken fried chicken (Mrs. McLargehuge)
One roast beef dinner with mashed potatoes (me)
One kids chicken finger plate (Ian)

By now the kids were starving and beginning to act up. Also, the smoking section was pretty full and cloudy by that point while the non-smoking section was empty. Even the big tables were empty. I asked the hostess if we could be moved but she replied that she couldn't. It was "company policy."

We did not see Mary (or any other waitress) for another 40 minutes. Again I spoke with the hostess and asked for bread and bisquits so we could at least give the kids something while the kitchen staff microwaved our dinners. I also mentioned that we hadn't even received water at the table yet.

By now we'd been there over an hour.

The hostess ran back to the kitchen and returned with a basket containing two bisquits (cold) and two rolls (also cold) and no butter or margarine.

We waited another 25 minutes. Again I approached the hostess, and this is after spending nearly an hour walking Meg (1.5 years old) back and forth to the giftshop to keep her from a hunger induced tantrum. I was rapdily losing control of my daughter as it was fast approaching bedtime and we still hadn't eaten.

Finally, at 8:45 PM our food arrived.

Mine was cold, though the plate was red hot from sitting on a warmer for at least 30 minuites. I refused to eat it. The waitress was aghast that I would return food she JUST put on the table. But the shit was ice cold. She reluctantly brought it back and returned ten minutes later with a new plate, sans new mashed potatoes because "we were all out."

I pushed the plate forward and left it.

At 9:15 we paid. I wanted out but Mrs. McLargehuge and my Mother in Law wanted to look at some of the ugle neon guatemalan child labor produced kids dresses they had on sale. So we were trapped in their hoky gift shop for another twenty minutes. While waiting for them I noticed a leftover easter tchotcky, a stuffed rabbit, with a black babydoll face. The thing was supposed to suggest a baby dressed as a bunny like in those horrific Anne Geddes pictures, but instead looked like a mad scientist's medical experiment, as if the face was stitched to a rabbit body.

The junk store clerk was standing there and I mentioned that the baby was creepy looking. She agreed and smiled and said "you know, even the one with the little white baby is creepy looking."

Stunned, I said, "excuse me?"

She vanished before I could completely lose my mind.

That night Mrs. McLargehuge wrote to Cracker Barrel about our experiences that night, I tried but wrote so many expletives into their web form that my computer nearly exploded.

They replied with a gift card good for the purchase of four meals.

Fuck Cracker Barrel.

[terrya]

1. Sorry you had to go through the dining experience from hell

That tale just convinced me never to set foot in a Cracker Barrel restaurant.

Thanks for the warning.

T

[ThomCat]

2. My brother and Sister-in-law love that place for some reason.

I've never been in a Cracker Barrel and I doubt I ever will be. There have been too many horror stories of bigotry, horrible service, and vicious treatment of both employees and customers. And, I doubt there would be anything safe for a vegan to eat there even if I wsa willing to go there.
x(

[LeftyMom]

49. There really isn't anything

My kid's uncle used to work there, so he took us all to eat there on his day off while we were visiting. The only reason there was anything for me was that he went back to the kitchen and threw something together, otherwise I think I'd have wound up with a plain baked potato and some wilted iceberg lettuce.

[nini]

3. I've been to 3 different Cracker Barrels in different cities

All had great service and good food. The one in your town obviously sucks.

[Midlodemocrat]

5. That has been our experience, too.

[Zomby Woof]

20. And!

The one in Flagstaff had those kids who were well-behaved! We even complimented the parents. :D

No news yet... stay tuned! :loveya:

[nini]

34. Oh yea.. I forgot those kids.. they were cute

I've got my fingers crossed!

:loveya:

[idgiehkt]

37. thanks for supporting gays.

Cracker Barrell has an open discrimination policy when it comes to hiring gays, i.e. they won't, so thanks for giving the homophobes your good liberal dollars.

[Zomby Woof]

40. Your info is outdated

Plus, they don't have Cracker Barrel here in CA, so we aren't bashing gays with our dining choices anymore... :eyes:

[nini]

41. Yes.. I intentionally eat there because they discriminate

:sarcasm:

:eyes:


You should really know who you're talking to before you lay out an accusation like that. :eyes:

[idgiehkt]

43. are you kidding?

"You should really know who you're talking to before you lay out an accusation like that."

Um, this is the internet, so I know as much about you as you do about me, and if I am supposed to know more than forgive me for being less than sufficiently devoted to gathering information about anonymous posters on the internet. I understand that Cracker Barrel changed it's policy on paper a few years ago, so I apologize for that mistake. However, I can't understand why any liberal would want to eat there, based on their over a decade-long open discrimination policy agaisnt gays, the changing of which came from the very top down. Do I think Cracker Barrel has changed it's core values? No, I do not. I wouldn't ever consider eating at one unless I was in the position of BigMcLargeHuge and completely desperate, and the prospect of having to sit in a smoking section would render me 'undesperate' in a heartbeat.

[nini]

50. No.. I'm not kidding

UM.... you accused me of supporting homophobia, discrimination etc. and thought nothing of doing that. So, anything else you will say to me will be taken with a grain of salt.

Not that you are owed any explanation - when I ate there I had no idea about their past policies to be honest with you. Did you ever consider that? No, you decided to jump to the conclusion that I dont' give a shit about other's rights.

Let me tell you how much I can avoid a business based on their policies.. I refuse to buy union/76 gasoline because they broke a union my dad was in back in 1949 - YES 1949! - my family NEVER buys their gas because of that. I didn't buy Shell gas or Coke back in the apartheid days and didnt' for years after that. I NEVER shop at walmart. I never shop anywhere where I am aware of discriminatory policies. I never eat at Carls Jr. because of the owner's anti choice views. etc...


So, my point stands. Don't you ever fucking assume anything before you accuse someone like you did AND have your facts straight before you do.

[Name removed]

53. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[smtpgirl]

99. nini, I'm with you

Don't go to Exxon/Mobil - Valdez
Cracker Barrel - homophobes
Wal-Mart - cheap labor
HATE ALL COKE PRODUCTS
Home Depot
Sallie Mae - legal loan sharking

I'm ready to boycott BB&T bank TOO!!

[Rabrrrrrr]

51. So what do you do with a company like Volkswagen?

Do you yell out, "Thanks for supporting Jews, you assholes!" or "Thanks for pissing on the memory of Poland and Czechoslavakia, dickweed!" or "I have friends in London, you fuck!" whenever you see a VW?

[idgiehkt]

56. oh my god, it's the borg

http://redwing.hutman.net/~mreed/warriorshtm/swarm.htm

lol, how disappointing.

[Rabrrrrrr]

70. That was decidedly ignorant.

I'm sorry so many have disagreed with you that you feel the need to dismiss us all with vapid namecalling. So we are a "swarm"? Huh. Funny, I don't remember talking with any of the others who disagreed with you about "Hey - let's swarm on idgiehkt!"

Oh, well. Easier to dismiss than to enter into dialogue, I suppose, or admit that one might have been wrong, or at minimum, stated things in a rather over-the-top way.

I've always been of the opinion that if a bunch of people say to me, "Dude - you're wrong", there is more than likely a good reason to give their opinion some weight and consider my opinion/belief/action.

[idgiehkt]

73. I'm not wrong.

I am, in fact, right, and other people have supplied their opinions and links to back me up. You folks aren't arguing the point though, you are just having a circle jerk that has nothing to do with the point about about Cracker Barrel having a long history of homophobia, racism and sexism. I'm not seeing here, actually, where anyone has argued the point that Cracker Barrel is not any one of these things, so your point here is moot.

[Rabrrrrrr]

76. I'm not debating that they are, or at least were, an awful company

You might even see that I wrote earlier that they are an awful company. I have no idea whether they have changed or not - like you, I doubt that they really have, though they might have sent out announcements to the media and to their employees about how they are open and accepting, I don't believe them any more than you do.

What you are being called on here, though, is not your onion on that: what you are being called on is your automatic dismissal of a diner (in this case, nini) as being a person who is against homosexuality, or who doesn't support homosexuality, or doesn't support rights for homosexuals. I found your proclomation and dismissal of this person to be very rude. And so did others. And I found it to be just as rude as calling Volkswagen owners "Nazis". (because, you see, Volkswagen was a Nazi company; perhaps you didn't know that, and so were lost as my reference earlier).

[idgiehkt]

77. excuse me

I've read plenty of your comments on this board, and you've no right to stand in judgement of me for being surprised that there are liberals who frequent Cracker Barrel out of anything other than desperation. If I'm not mistaken you are one of the DUers who pride themselves on rudeness.

I don't care, really, what I am being called on, because it's not relevant since I am in the right. What I care about is the knee-jerk buddy system that is in play here that I find adolescent and disappointing. The poster whom I addressed, who actually used alot of profanity in response to me, which I find quite a hysterical reaction considering the topic, is more than capable of responding, as she/he proved. Other people have come to supported my argument as well, and that is nice to see. I can't figure out why it is you think I care what you or any of the other knee-jerkers think. I don't. What I care about is that your behavior is labeled for what it is, and I'm not going to refrain from doing that.

[Midlodemocrat]

78. I think this is the issue.

Rabrrrrrr and a lot of the old timers on this board have formed relationships both IRL and online. When Rabrrrrrr rants, it's funny because he has been doing it for years. It takes some time to get the ebb and flow of the lounge and figure out who can take the sarcasm and who can't, and people naturally gravitate towards posters who, at least in this forum, make them laugh.

You got taken to task today because nini has been here forever, everyone knows she doesn't have a bigoted bone in her body and because you are relatively new, (and I don't mean that as a slam at all, we were all new at one time) it seemed to folks that you were giving nini a hard time.

Frankly, if Rabrrrrr or matcom had said it, it wouldn't have gone the way it did because nini knows them. Just look at the part of this thread where matcom is screaming at Big for taking his kids into a restaurant.

A lot of these relationships have evolved via PM as well and it really helps to solidify a friendship, albeit a virtual one.

That being said, enjoy the lounge!

[idgiehkt]

80. thanks for being honest.

I don't like the terminology 'taken to task' since I'm not a child, but I appreciate someone being honest about it. I knew that is what was going on the whole time, I just wanted it admitted. I am kind of stupified that my comments would have elicited putting me on ignore, but I respect the right of people to protect their mental health, especially if they are thin-skinned. But I do kind of wonder how it is that people perceive me to be giving him/her a hard time when I am the one having f-bombs hurled at me. I am a little disenchanted with that reaction. I don't care about these individual posters, so don't worry about that. It's better to find out this stuff sooner than later.

this comment "Cracker Barrell has an open discrimination policy when it comes to hiring gays, i.e. they won't, so thanks for giving the homophobes your good liberal dollars" with the headline 'thanks for supporting gays' shouldn't have elicited such a crazy response, but it isn't the first time I've been hit with a reaction like that...as I just posted in another thread. I find it hard to understand from that one sentence why people would spasm so badly. I can take a response from who I originally post to, but when other people come screaming out of the woodwork and start piling on, then you know something from the land of internet dynamics is going on which is why I posted the flamewars link.

[Midlodemocrat]

82. I'll let you in on a little secret.

I got in a flame war with someone who has evolved into one of my favorite people here.

We discussed the issue via PM. (it was atheist versus people of faith) and the thread got really, really hot.

I approached him, he responded and we completely agreed to disagree and now we have a great online friendship.

Sometimes things get taken out of context because there isn't any body language being read.

That being said, nini and Zomby are awesome, awesome people and you would really like getting to know them.

(I didn't mean anything by taken to task. I was looking for a different wording of flamed)

:hi:

[idgiehkt]

85. I would never pm someone about a flamewar I had.

I just couldn't imagine that they would read it, if they saw my name on there, they would probably delete it. But if nini wants to apologize for her f-bombs, and zombie wants to apologize for his disgusting crack about 'getting the rope and looking for a good tree' (which someone must have found even more offensive than I did, because apparently it was alerted on) then they can pm me any time. I'm an awesome person too, and they might like to get to know me, lol.

[Rabrrrrrr]

105. And this is where you are wrong again

You said:

this comment "Cracker Barrell has an open discrimination policy when it comes to hiring gays, i.e. they won't, so thanks for giving the homophobes your good liberal dollars" with the headline 'thanks for supporting gays' shouldn't have elicited such a crazy response

Yes, it should have - because it was a rude, one-for-all statement: you tacitly implied that nini was anti-gay with your statement. You could very easily have found a much more tactful way to say the same thing without being so insulting. But, instead, you opted for the easy kill.

And then you said:

but it isn't the first time I've been hit with a reaction like that...

Perhaps it's worth asking yourself if it might be your attack posture that's eliciting the responses... I don't know, since I don't remember seeing anything else by you here, so I have no past history of you to make any judgment. But, if you are getting reactions like this at other things, that might mean it's time to evaluate your own attitude and see if maybe you ARE being to in-your-face. Like I said, I don't know; but your post to nini definitely was in-your-face, and it was rude.

and then you said:

I find it hard to understand from that one sentence why people would spasm so badly.

Again, if you can't understand why, then you might want to think about it; and then think about your own behavior, and how maybe what you said to nini WAS over-the-top enough to warrant people responding in the way they did.

I can take a response from who I originally post to, but when other people come screaming out of the woodwork and start piling on, then you know something from the land of internet dynamics is going on which is why I posted the flamewars link.

You are utterly wrong here - there was nothing of "internet dynamics" or group dynamics happening here, at least not on my end. I barely know nini, and have no personal investment in her at all. I came to her defense, and others came to her defense, because we saw someone being mercilessly and unfairly beat upon, and we felt like calling the perpetrator (that's you) on the carpet about his/her behavior. Which we did. Which you then very paranoically ascribed to some tremendous underground group effort on our part. What - you've never seen people come to the defense of the unfarily maligned or the innocents being attacked? I don't understand why you keep thinking that every one criticizing you for your ill-stated condemnation of nini is some sort of orchestrated, group effort. It isn't - we just happen to all like to call out the bullshit when we see it, and to call people on their illogical and rude behavior.

And please also note that I did not read anything that is now in that deleted subthread - I have no idea what transpired, though it sounds like a lot of rudeness went around. So if you have been judging me based on what happened in that subthread, please don't: I wasn't in it, I have no idea what was said, other than your references to the f-bombs. So I am coming to no defense of anything said there; nor am I coming to any acceptance of what was said there. Since I don't know what it was. It was deleted well before I came back and posted anything.

[Rabrrrrrr]

81. I don't get it.

You make a blanket statement to one poster that went to a cracker barrel years before she knew of it's policies, and you blanketly labeled her as anti-gay because of it.

And then we're wrong for calling you on your atomatic dismissl and mislabelling of a person's entire personage based on one small thing?

I don't think anyone here is arguing with you over Cracker Barrel's policies, either - I'm certainly not, as I've said repeatedly. The issue I have isn't with what you think of Cracker Barrel - I think the same way. THe issue is the blanket mischaracterization of one person based on one thing they've done; which is no different than, as the example I offered, calling a Volkswagen owner a Nazi.

And I am not a DUer who prides himself on being rude: I pride myself on ranting, but I strive never to be rude or mean or engage in personal attacks, and certainly never feel prideful in those instances when I have, unfortunately, been one of those. Sometimes I fail, yes; I am a human being. But I never do it intentionally, and my unintentional ones are not very often. Except for trolls. I like being rude to trolls.

[idgiehkt]

83. just a question.

why does it take four or five of you to refute what is a relatively harmless statement, on her behalf?

Why do you feel she is not capable of defending herself, despite what that she demonstrated that she is more than capable of doing so? Why do you feel it is necessary, along with others, to jump on the bandwagon? It's just fun, isn't it? And entertaining. And good sport. Whatever, I don't care, at least you are admitting it's personal dynamics instead of having anything to do with the facts of the argument.

[ForrestGump]

88. You're twisting it. Speakign for myself, I wasn't

refuting anything on nini's behalf. I was taking you to task for pursuing a line of attack -- and that's what it was -- long after you'd run out of valid ammunition.

She's quite capable of defending herself and I was not jumping in to heroically save her, and I'm sure that is true for others. For me, I am not at all admitting that it was personal dynamics, because your argument was specious. You even had the nerve to tell me I hadn't absorbed any information about that restaurant chain from you as if you could actually teach me anything with your smugly off-kilter attitude, and as if you really said anything about that restaurant chain that was in any way very enlightening -- and, as I told you, I already knew about Cracker Barrel from reading things here on DU earlier, not that you let that fact get in the way of another baseless jab.

The sad fact is that you're just not very good at this. You're too transparent...that pesky little thing called logic keeps proving your undoing.

[idgiehkt]

89. good at what?

no, you weren't "taking me to task" about anything". You were very late to the game, and all your previous comments were deleted by the mods. I was not pursuing a line of attack, at that point I was responding to being hit with a wave of profanity for pointing something out about Cracker Barrell that I don't understand how any long-term poster here wouldn't know, since everyone who isn't gay is saying here is where they found out about it.

And trust me, what behavior I have seen from you and your cronies on this board today is something I never want to be 'good at', so I'll take that evaluation of yours as a supreme compliment.

[ForrestGump]

84. I get it

Like I said in the deleted subthread, it looks to me like this person gets some kind of a thrill out of provoking responses and then going on about how a 'swarm' of people are ganging up on him or her. Unless they have a martyr complex, it's just pointlessly disruptive. And it was immediately obvious from the subthread that they were not listening to what we were saying hammering away with the same assumptions already debunked, deliberately antagonizing by mischaracterizing the posters and their relationships.

Not really worth wasting your energy on this one.

[idgiehkt]

86. look, I'm a queer, and the thought of liberals supporting that

restaurant makes me sick. I understand things have changed somewhat, and maybe in 5 or 10 years they might be redeemable. I don't understand why this is so hard for you to understand, that someone might be passionate about something like this, especially a restaurant that has had one of the most blatantly offensive discrimination policies EVER. This is how it was worded "In 1991, Cracker Barrel instituted a policy requiring employees to display "normal heterosexual values which have been the foundation of families in our society."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cracker_Barrel
That's pretty unforgivable, and a few years of having changed something on paper isn't much of a change in my book

[ForrestGump]

90. I don't understand why THIS is so hard for YOU to understand:

(i) when nini went to Cracker Barrel she had no idea of its policies.

(ii) when I went there all those years ago, I, too, had no inkling of their behavior.

We both know now, and it had nothign to do with your righter-than-thou contribution (and I hesitate to characterize it as a contribution)

Jesus F. Christmas...are we going to have to get another subthread deleted before you get it?

Though I think you get it just fine, you just enjoy this...

[idgiehkt]

92. you got that sub-thread deleted?

wow. I thought it was the moderators that did that. I don't enjoy it, i'm just a redneck cuss who has to have the last word. (Yes, there are redneck cusses who are queer, and don't eat at cracker barrel).

[Rabrrrrrr]

87. I think you're right, especially considering his/her comments

in post #83. Again, clearly not reading what I'm writing; again, not responding to anything I said; again, making accusations that are totally unfounded and unneccessary and untrue. Especially this "takes a swarm" bullshit. :wtf: I haven't been in PM contact with anyone saying "Let's swarm!!!!"

I give up.

[ForrestGump]

91. Act casual

Nudgenudge.

Winkwink.


See you back at the hive...

[TommyO]

42. Not only was that policy dropped

but they've had an anti-discrimination policy in place since late 2002 that was brought about by a shareholder vote.

Not that I eat there, their food definitely doesn't agree with my delicate constitution (not true, I can eat almost anything, but CB's food just does something to me).

[Misunderestimator]

55. Right... forced to do it. Doesn't change their past.

[idgiehkt]

57. well, goddamn.

thanks honey.

I was starting to think it was 'lynch the queer' day here in the Lounge.

[Zomby Woof]

59. 'Lynch the queer' day?

My, aren't we a bit.. over-the-top today?

[idgiehkt]

62. well,

since I'm not putting anyone on ignore over Cracker Barrel, I guess not as much as some, lol.

[Name removed]

63. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[idgiehkt]

64. I'm honored.

carry on. B-)

[Misunderestimator]

61. LOL!

Sometimes I wonder.

[Misunderestimator]

54. It's what's kept me away from that sucky restaurant.

Besides the artery-clogging food and the lousy service.

[graywarrior]

4. We ate at one on our trip from Florida

They put us at a table in the non smoking section that was RIGHT NEXT to the door leading to the smoking section. What's the point, I'm wondering. We asked to be moved, and they did let us. But you could still smell smoke througyout the entire restaurant.

I don't remember what I had. Our waitress was on the verge of either a bender, or suicide. Couldn't wait to get the hell out of there.

[Midlodemocrat]

6. Wow. What a terrible experience.

We have eaten in them quite a bit going back and forth to NY and CT to see relatives. (confession time, it is actually my husband's favorite place to eat, he loves that kind of cooking)

I like a couple of things they offer, but it isn't my type of food.

We have found them to be generally nice places with quick service.

[Rabrrrrrr]

7. Cracker Barrel is one of the worst restaurants ever. Pure shit.

Never had good food there. Though I never had the service problem you had, it's a truly shitty chain.

Add to that the racism of the owners, and I won't go there. Though I had decided not to go there again long before I realized what the owners and corporate policy were in regards to "coloreds".

It's too bad you were with people who probably wouldn't have let you leave to go elsewhere; people who wouldn't realize that, even if you had to wait somewhere else, you would probably still be ahead of the game in terms of getting served food.

That's precisely the situation that I find so enjoyable to walk out on.

[jpgray]

8. Service is down to individual management/staff, but yeah in general--sucky

[Midlodemocrat]

9. Are the owners racist? I didn't know that.

I knew about the homophobia, but that policy has been changed and at least in the one here, there are several gay employees. (I know them personally, that's how I know)

And, the chicken pot pie is delicious.

[BigMcLargehuge]

14. they were sued a few years ago

for denying service to black customers, and not just in one location.

[idgiehkt]

44. LOL.

Unreal. Well, can you blame them...I mean, they have to be able to hate somebody, don't they?

[antigone382]

60. I've never cared for their food.

Sorry you had such a terrible experience there. I almost worked in one of those places...I'm sure glad I didn't!

[jus_the_facts]

10. There's one here..I've never been to it m'self...but it's always packed...

....so is Outback...Hooters....Chili's...Bennigans...El Chico...Logan's...Lone Star...and several others in extremely close proximity to each other...they're always packed...I've been to Logan's once and it was good...Lone Star had a kick ass prime rib..but everybody else's steaks supposedly sucked...never been to any of the other resaurants listed...just don't care to. :hi:

[China_cat]

74. Yesterday, every one of the indie restaurants in

downtown Charleston (SC) was treated to a blitz health inspection. Guess how many passed?

Did you guess 0? You're right. Not a one of the chains was even looked at.

[matcom]

11. what the FUCK were you doing taking your kids to a RESTAURANT??

:grr:

:P

:hide:

[Midlodemocrat]

12. And we're off.

:bounce:

[BigMcLargehuge]

13. I tried to kennel them, honest

but the smoking section in the Pitbull Petting Zoo was full up!

[matcom]

15. should have taken them to the Dolphin tank at SeaWorld

jeebus i HATE lousy parents

[BigMcLargehuge]

16. seaworld is a long drive from here

but occasionally I let the play in the lobster tank at Shaws.

[matcom]

19. i can certainly understand what with gas prices and all

you know in this heat, they might enjoy a nice 5 mile run too.

just trying to give you a little parenting advice

[Rabrrrrrr]

17. AND WHY DID YOU HAVE THEM OUT SO LATE?

THAT'S CHILD ABUSE! THE WORST POSSIBLE KIND OF CHILD ABUSE!!!! AND IN A SMOKING SECTION!!!!!!!!!! IF YOU HAD ANY DECENCY AS A PARENT, YOU WOULD HAVE HAD A PICNIC WITH YOU JUST IN CASE!!!!! MY WIFE AND I ALWAYS TRAVELLED WITH A PICNIC BASKET OF WHOLESOME, SMOKE-FREE FOODS SO THAT MY KIDS WHENEVER THEY WANTED WITHOUT WAITING AND SO THEY NEVER HAD A CHANCE TO PISS OF DECENT PEOPLE IN RESTAURANTS BECAUSE KIDS CAN'T CONTROL THEMSELVES THAT'S WHAT THEY DO OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M READING THIS ON A LIBERAL WEBSITE!!!!!!!!!!!

IF I WERE THAT WAITRESS I WOULD HAVE BEEN ON THE PHONE WITH CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES STAT!!!!!!!!

:grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr:

[BigMcLargehuge]

18. I admit it, I'm trying to break their spirits...

so I can have little household slaves. And sleep deprivation is one of the fastest ways to accomplish my goal.

SOON THE WORLD WILL BE MINE!!!!

[matcom]

21. AND he fed them processed CHICKEN!!!111

i'm SURE his kids are REAL healthy after eating chicken beaks and feet :grr:

[Rabrrrrrr]

22. WHAT AN ABUSIVE BASTARD!!!111!!1!!!!

FUC K IT, I'M CALLGIN CPS - OH, GOD, I'M SO ANGRYA ND UPSET I CAN GHARDLY TYPEW! THIS SHOULSD NE3VER HAPEN TO ANY CHILDN!!! CHRIST, ICAN'TT EVEN SEE TOT YPE CUZ I'M CDRYING DO MUCH!!!!!!!

[Zomby Woof]

23. COATED IN CORNFLAKES!!!11

:grr:

[matcom]

25. kill that fucker

he probably likes to boil his ribs too! :grr:

[Zomby Woof]

28. Not only that

He STIFFED the TIP JAR AT STARBUCKS!!!111 :nuke:

[BigMcLargehuge]

29. Not only that, I took change from that same tip jar

when the clerk wasn't looking!!!!

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

48. It's not a real restaurant.

[ScreamingMeemie]

24. I've always had quick service there, but that sounds horrible.

We've never had a problem there. My beef is with Denny's. :hi:

[Zomby Woof]

26. I NEVER eat beef at Denny's!

Oh wait.... never mind. :crazy:

[ScreamingMeemie]

27. Me either!!!

:bounce: :hi: :hug:

[LynneSin]

30. No restaurant EVER should force non-smokers to sit in smoking section

I worked for a chain restuarant for 3 years (Houlihans - hey, they gave me benefits) and we made every possiblity to help ensure our non-smokers got tables that satisfied them. The worst thing is you had small children now exposed not only to second-hand smoke but probably some of the worst crappy food ever.

If the orginal restaurant you wanted to go to was packed, I would have just bought takeout from a local chinese restaurant and gone home to eat.

[idgiehkt]

39. I bet the waitstaff made this decision

bet they had cleaned up the non-smoking section and weren't about to 'dirty it up' again with customers. Wrong, wrong, wrong. I hope when the McL-H's wrote them they included the names of all the people that waited on them.

[jobycom]

31. Wow! Were they treating everyone like that, or just you?

I've been in restaurants where I could tell everyone else was a regular, and we got the short end of the service. I've even been in places where I've felt a hostility from the staff (usually at indies, not chains, though). But your experience--wow. That's beyond bad. I'd have been afraid to eat the food. No telling what they were up to in the back.

I usually prefer chains when I'm on the road because locals often seem to have cliques, and I can never predict the quality of food or service. Cracker Barrel is one of my favorites, mainly because I can get vegetables there. I've had occassional bad service, but nothing like what you described.

[BigMcLargehuge]

32. I have only been there twice, so I don't know about customer cliques

but as for service, everyone in the restaurant ate before we did. Even those that came in an hour later than we did.

[idgiehkt]

46. Were I you

I would give my free-meal coupons to the tallest, most fabulous black drag-queens I could find and make them promise to all go at the same time...

[Misunderestimator]

33. Cracker Barrel Sucks! I don't know how you didn't lose your mind.

Tough situation, when there's nowhere else to go, and you've waited that long. But I seriously don't think I could have handled that kind of crap.

I've always been amazed at how Cracker Barrel is able to hire people just as racist, homophobic and inept as those who actually own the chain. What a horrific place.

But... a very nicely told horror story on your part. :thumbsup:

[rug]

35. You should have played checkers while you were waiting.

[ForrestGump]

36. Ate there just once. Somewhere in Alabama or Mississippi. I was

completely underwhelmed. The food was just some undistinguished muck -- I don't remember anything on the menu jumping out at me, either. And, no, it's not because I am averse to Southern-style food. And we waited forEVER for the crap to arrive...awful service, out of all proportion to how busy the place was.

Sure as hell wasn't my idea to go there -- I was one of a bunch of grad students in a university van making our way from Georgia to Nawlins for a scientific conference 10 or 12 years ago. It was an all-day trip, and I was and am used to being the one driving on such trips, so it was bad enough without stopping at that place. I really didn't want to stop anywhere for food that took any longer than Taco Bell or Chik-Fil-A, and the interminable wait for the food was driving me up the wall -- let's get going, dudes!

To add insult to injury (financial injury, too, because their prices were higher than what I was used to getting good meals for in my college town), the driver and de facto leader of our party and his lieutenants decided it was too difficult to divide the bill up (because the bill came all combined with no identifying info as to what was what and the waitress just basically shrugged when we asked for more insight) so those of us who ordered something other than the chicken-fried filet mignon with deep fried corn, deep fried peas, and deep fried bacon or who committed the heresy of not liking sweet tea (that'd be me) got the short end of the stick.

One sample does not a very good survey make, but there'll never be a moment in my life when Cracker Barrel will be the only alternative for me...I'd never go there again. Why should I? There's great food abounding in this country, and I suspect that none of it's at Cracker Barrel.

[malta blue]

38. Wow

Just fucking WOW. I have never been in a Cracker Barrel, although people have tried to persuade me. I have always had a better alternative to offer them.

Un fucking believable.


:wtf:

[Joe Fields]

45. It dependsd on where you go.

Granted, yours was a horror story. Now in KC., where I live, Cracker Barrel is a very good restaurant. It's the Denny's that suck badly. But, in the Denny's I've been to in various parts of California, I found their food and their service completely different from in Missouri. The difference is like night and day. In fact, you might think that there were two different Denny's chains.

That being said, I'm with you. I most definitely prefer indie restaurants. I always get personalized service, and the food is almost always great. I just like "down home" atmosphere. The only chain of full service restaurants that I would recommend are Bob Evans restaurants. I've visited them around the country and haven't had a bad experience yet.

[ForrestGump]

58. I ate at a Bob Evans in Lake City, FL, once

It was excellent.

What's the bakery item they're famous for? I was thinking biscuits, but maybe it was some kind of pie. Can't recall. The food was really good, though, as was the service.

[Joe Fields]

94. Their biscuits are wonderful. They buy their pies, although very good

pies, from an outside resource. Never had a bad experience at a Bob Evans.

[YankeyMCC]

47. I agree 100% on avoiding chains

Always support to local spots...and usually you get much more interesting food experience and perhaps even met some interesting people particularly when traveling.

I once traveled to Sweden (to the island of Visby) and the people I was working with one night suggested we go to an American chain restaurant for dinner. "You've got to be kidding me." is the kindest thing I could think of responding with.

:)

[WolverineDG]

72. That's happened to me too

They just wanted me to feel "at home." We settled on a nice locals place. :)

dg

[Midlodemocrat]

79. Sometimes it is unavoidable.

Traveling with kids often finds you sitting at a Ruby Tuesdays or an Applebees or something along those lines, a place you would never catch me at home.

I do prefer the indie places here to the chains, but sometimes the situation doesn't allow it.

[barb162]

52. That kind of thing has happened to us at some chain and

non-chain restaurants too. Ordering something and a half hour later they tell you they don't have it. You reorder and 20 minutes later they announce they don't have that either. Finally you say, well what the hell do you have? Beside the fact that you had a reservation and they seat you an hour after the reservation

[driver8]

65. Did someone say it was "chicken pot pie day" at Cracker Barrel?? Because

I'm gettin' hungry!!

I'm kidding, I'm kidding...

Everytime we drive past one of their restaurants my wife says, "Fuck Cracker Barrel."

[Midlodemocrat]

66. IT WAS DELICIOUS!!!!!

[driver8]

67. A chicken pot pie sounds pretty good to me right now. n/t

[JVS]

68. Cracker Barrel is the only place I know of where I can get Charlie's...

Chips.

[mcscajun]

75. You mean these?

http://www.charleschips.com/importantinfo.htm

[jpgray]

69. Amen to that sir

I hate those places, ever since I was dragged to several on family road trips as a kid.

[WolverineDG]

71. Why didn't you leave?

To sit around for 20 minutes & not even see a server & then 40 more minutes to order is a bit much. They hadn't brought anything to the table at that point, so you could have left.

Having said that, Cracker Barrel sucks. I haven't been to one yet that had good food or service. To not put tables together when there was plenty of room was ridiculous & then to not re-seat your party when there was space available in non-smoking is inexcuseable.

dg

[BigMcLargehuge]

96. In Laws and Mrs. McLargehuge didn't want to leave

I was outvoted

[GirlinContempt]

93. I thought that was a brand of cheese

:shrug:

[ghostsofgiants]

100. Cracker Barrel cheese sucks too.

BLAKCDIAMOND4LYFE

[GirlinContempt]

101. OH NO YOU DIDNT

[ghostsofgiants]

102. Oh, yes, I did.

[GirlinContempt]

103. You best step down, fool.

[ghostsofgiants]

104. You just can't fuck with Black Diamond.

Have you ever ridden a black diamond slope? That's how fucking hardcore this cheese is.

[RoyGBiv]

95. I may as well chime in ...

I'm mostly going to ignore the nastiness above and just offer a couple comments on your situation.

The first thing that popped out at me was the "company policy" line handed to you by your waitress.

First, she was lying. No restaurant in the universe that is managed by anyone with an ounce of competence (important point) has a "company policy" such as she described. Aside from that, I know this is false simply because I've gone to a local CB on several occasions with large groups and had them push together tables for us, move us when I didn't like the location, and generally just fall all over themselves to provide as good a customer service experience as possible if I complained about anything. I got an undercooked piece of chicken once that I bit into, causing me nearly to vomit, sent it back, and the manager at this particular location came over, apologized, and took away the bill for the entire table even though I told him this wasn't necessary. Sure, I've gotten bad waitresses and have had bad experiences, but your hostess was making excuses rather than fixing the problem. I'd offer a guess that the employees were being supervised by someone who didn't give a crap and that they all were trying to get ahead on closing as quickly as possible so they could get out as quickly as possible.

Second, the management of that particular location you visited is incompetent. Either s/he has hired individuals who don't do their jobs properly and have not had a proper work ethic encouraged or those who were there had been saddled with doing more work than the number of employees they had working the shift could reasonably be expected to handle.

That said, I don't tend to like chains either. They are all about cutting costs, and at places like CB they do this by sending out two, cold biscuits that probably should have been thrown away, encouraging high turnover to keep wages down, and forcing the wait staff to do more than they can reasonably do and still provide the proper level of customer service.

One of my gay friends and I used to frequent CB religiously, particularly before their policy change. He liked to flirt with the straights and see how uncomfortable he could make them.

[Redstone]

97. Jeezuz. Four free Meals From Hell?

Not much of a recompense for a night like that.

Redstone

[smtpgirl]

98. I have never dined there

guess I never will.

I'm gay, Cracker Barrel has a thing against gays, even my sister has a great Cracker Barrel story to tell!!