This past Wednesday, I was able to go with a few friends at the Senior Center to the Cracker Barrel Restaurant in Cranberry Township for lunch.
For those not familiar with this franchise, it’s set up to look like a large scale country general store—with rocking chairs lined up out front and a store full of clothing, curios & doodads inside. You’ve gotta walk thru said store to get to the restaurant deeper inside.
My 20 year old niece Sophia works at a Cracker Barrel in Morgantown WV (between college semesters) where I’ve eaten at twice, and both times the food was excellent.
This CB wasn’t bad, but freshness-wise did not compare to the one in Morgantown. Still, it was nice getting out of the house and spending time with friends.
After arriving at the restaurant, Dennis tells us to head on in while he finishes his smoke outside
Some of the doodads on display in the store inside. A few of the women remarked there were new items they hadn’t seen before. Ugh. STUFF.
Glad you felt well enough to go out with friends. When we used to drive to Florida, we would stop at Cracker Barrel for a decent meal instead of fast food. It was always a fun stop. Gigi
ReplyDeleteThanks very much Gigi. 🙂
DeleteHi Doug, wonderful you felt well enough to go out! I have heard of Cracker Barrel but I don’t think we have them here in Canada. Your meal looks very hearty! Evvie, what a sweetie! Looks like your weather is Spring like. We are getting there.
ReplyDeleteTake care Doug and thanks for sharing your latest outing.❤️❤️
Robin
Thanks very much Robin, you're a sweetheart. It was a hearty lunch, I wound up bringing half of that home! And we are finally getting some spring days here but you never know what you're getting in March. I hope you and Chuck are well. ❤️🙂
DeleteThanks for taking us along on your Cracker Barrel adventure, Doug. Oh boy, I sure would have enjoyed the pot roast meal you ordered. And I could almost imagine hearing the creak of floor boards in the store part. (Although I'm sure it is actually up-to-date and solid.) I would have opted for the rocking chair option rather then the store browsing choice as well. ❤️🦉
ReplyDeleteThank you Florence, and you are very good at picturing things as those floor boards were spot on. And I sure wish you could have been there too! I hope all is good with you and is that the little owl that sits in your windowsill? 🙂❤️
DeleteI suppose it could represent my window's solar owl. All is good with me. Just bought a new vehicle. (An off-road type one.)
DeleteThat's wonderful Florence, congratulations! I sure hope you plan to share it with us in your next blog, maybe this month we could get a bonus one :^)
DeleteI'm so glad you got out for a lunch with friends! CB looks like an interesting place; I've never been to one. I don't think they exist here. I love breakfasts so I would probably order Evvie's meal, minus the sausage. What a great excursion!!
ReplyDeleteThank you Margaret, you're the one that inspired me to write a little about this restaurant as I know you've never been to one before. I should have mentioned that after Evvie got her meal, the server came out and told her she was owed another pancake. So she got her fill.. 😊
DeleteCracker Barrel is a fun place to eat (and shop!). We have them here. They usually have seasonal gifts - love their Easter and Christmas stuff. Seldom buy, but love to look. The food is OK... have only been there for breakfast (and not in ages). My friend, Janet, likes their chicken and dumplings. So glad you were able to get out and about. The weather has been so nice lately, I hope you will be able to get out more and enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteThanks Rian! Well, I'm not a shopper but I like their country menu--just wasn't impressed with this one as I am with the one in Morgantown (back home). You're right about the weather though, I have all my windows open airing this cave out :^)
DeleteReally glad to hear you've been out and about. Sounds like Rita has a crush on you! 😉
ReplyDeleteThank you Bobi, I had to carry a box of Kleenex with me (still a lot of congestion). As for Rita, haha-- yes she was not a shy person!
DeleteI'm glad you were able to get out and spend some time with friends.
ReplyDeleteMy friends and I ate at Cracker Barrel on New Year's Day as nothing much else was open. I recall Jim had the pot roast and enjoyed it a lot. I can't recall what I had, but I do remember it wasn't very good. We did not stop to shop either!
Thanks Maebeme--well, that place can be hit-or-miss. I loved the food at the Morgantown location, this one ehh... I'd much prefer we go to private-owned restaurants but I was just glad to get outside & be with friends again. :^)
DeleteI think I love Evvie. Tell her that I said so, okay? And Rita? Well. Tread carefully, buddy. Seems like she is on the prowl.
ReplyDeleteThank you Debby, I will let her know--Evvie is sweetheart and a dear friend. As for Rita, she's a character alright! But I did feel the need to say something early on... she's a kind person though.
DeleteOh...and Cracker Barrel? I've been a couple times in my life, to the one in Erie. Not a big fan, tbh. The gift shop? Not my cup of tea, for the most part, although I did find a set of 'jadeite' cannisters in Goodwill that I fell in love with and bought.
ReplyDeleteDebby, just the way I feel. I didn't hate it, but don't want to go there again anytime soon. I prefer the family owned restaurants, like the fish place we went to in mid-Feb. What a difference it was!
DeleteI love reading about the senior outings…my favorite thing to do is people watch…my sister lived in nyc for fifteen years and I would visit often and when I did I would just walk around nyc people watching and collecting interesting amusing stories of said people watching
DeleteBeth
Thank you Beth, and thanks for sharing. I bet NYC would be a great place to just watch people going about their day... :)
DeleteI’m sure everyone will say it, bit I’m glad you’re up and out and about.
ReplyDeleteSTUFF, indeed. There sure looks like a lot of it in there. I assume someone buys it, or perhaps, it’s just an ersatz museum.
I had a good laugh at Evvie’s comment.
The food didn’t look as enticing as most of your other food columns. I’d give that one a miss (except for the company, I imagine).
Rocking and dozing and people watching – that’s the way you do it.
Thanks Peter, you're a good guy. Listen, I only took one tiny photo of that restaurant's store. There was 10,000 more items than what you saw above! As for Evvie's comment, at least race doesn't come between us haha--as for Cracker Barrel, I feel just the same way. It's a franchise like McDonalds. I much prefer family owned places. :^)
DeleteNever been fan of Cracker Barrel, because I think it's all too greasy and filled with sugar and other unhealthy additives. My sisters who live in Texas think it's a great treat to eat there and were offended I wasn't thrilled to go back.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry you're not a fan DJan... well, I've only been there twice myself. Still, I'm not a fan of the chain restaurants.
DeleteI like Cracker Barrel, though it's been ages since I've been in one. I remember the rocking chairs to be white.
ReplyDeleteThank you Joanne and I hope you're well, I was just talking about you earlier. And there were plenty of white rocking chairs there as well. :^)
DeleteAww, I love Rita and Evvie! Glad you could get out. I like CB. Food like you would get at home. 😊. Joyce
ReplyDeleteThanks Joyce! I was just glad to get out more than anything, and see my pal Evvie. :^)
DeleteWe have a Cracker Barrel in a nearby town! They had some delicious carryout meals during covid that came in containers that were easy to reheat since we had to drive them home. The menu has changed since then and our local Cracker Barrel even has a liquor license which I think is just weird.
ReplyDeleteI want to go to Cracker Barrel with your group! And can I sit by Evie! She sounds like a riot! I am so glad you were up to going on the field trip.
Son in-law is doing great. He even picked up a side gig. He is the online help for college math homework on line for a company that does that kind of thing. And he is fulltime boy's tennis coach for spring and it is working out great. Hoping things are getting better and better for you, too.
Thanks Miss Merry, and this is most interesting... THIS Cracker Barrel just started selling liquor, I wonder if that's something they're rolling out to all their restaurants? Anyway, I would personally love to have you come along I know how much fun you can be! And that's wonderful to read about your son-in-law, my own long covid has been mild these last 2 days and I'm praying it lasts a little longer. :^)
DeleteSo no CB restaurants in the UK - good to see you getting out and looking well
ReplyDeleteSiobhan x
Thank you Siobhan, it's good to hear from you. As for CB, you're not missing out on anything special. 🙂
DeleteEvvie's breakfast didn't look sparse, at all. But whoa! Your pot roast meal looked humongous! And to think Rita treated you to it. What a terrific friend! Glad you had a great time.
ReplyDeleteThanks Gigi, the lunch was generous on Rita's part but I can't say we're friends I don't know the woman!
DeleteGlad to see you're doing a bit better. We typically stop at a Cracker Barrel when we're on a road trip. Guilty pleasure.
ReplyDeleteThanks Tom, and for sharing. Hope you know your blogging friends miss you! 🙂
DeleteIt's good to know you were up, about, and out of your apartment finally. Getting to spend time with friends is good medicine, too.
ReplyDeleteThanks dkzody 🙂👍
DeleteHi Doug your meal looks great and somebody paid for it!! I actually heard a little more to that story you stud!! Glad you could make it out it was a beautiful day. Hope to see you soon!
ReplyDeleteThank you Anon (is this you Mary)? You are too funny, I'd like to know what else you heard! It was nice to get out, I just wish my other friends had been there too--talk to you soon! :^)
DeleteYour Pot Roast looked delicious and yes, their Peach Iced Tea is some of our Seasonal Favorite they offer. Our Cracker Barrels are pretty consistently good and the prices are fair. We love the Gift Shop portion to browse around. Sounds like a nice day out with Friends.
ReplyDeleteWell this was nice to read, thank you Bohemian... and yes I'm hooked on their tea! :^)
DeleteSo glad you are feeling recovered from your flu or whatever. My CB stories come courtesy of a friend who used to drive from VA to Alabama a couple times a year - she loved to stop at CBs because the bathrooms were clean and the coffee was strong and they would fill up her thermos cup very cheaply. I pointed out that drinking a cup at the restaurant and the thermos cup on the road probably guaranteed that she would be looking out for the next CB to come along.
ReplyDeleteCheers, Ceci
Oh shoot, this is like the third or fourth time I've heard how good their coffee is. I'll have to remember that for next time! Thank you Ceci 🙂
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