FARK.com: (6823160) Woman writes in to The Consumerist to complain about how Cracker Barrel gave her and her sister a free meal because they had to wait a few minutes for their lunch order

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		Woman writes in to The Consumerist to complain about how Cracker Barrel gave her and her sister a free meal because they had to wait a few minutes for their lunch order (consumerist.com)		103
		More: Strange, Cracker Barrel

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103 Comments (+0 »)

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Bathia_Mapes

2011-12-17 12:44:08 AM

It doesn't sound like she's complaining at all. She's just wanting to know if getting your meal comped after waiting is corporate policy or not.

buckler

2011-12-17 01:18:12 AM

She isn't complaining - she just thought it odd, and was wondering if it was unusual for them to do that. I recall in Orlando, there was a place called Hops, a brewery / restaurant I used to go to sometimes. I was surprised that the bartenders always seemed so friendly, and often comped me beers, until I found out from one that they were required to comp a certain percentage of them during each shift. Of course the idea was to provide exactly that impression of generosity by using a product that literally only costs them pennies per glass to make.

Could be this Cracker Barrel manager was hyper-sensitive about customer service and wanted to give a good impression, or he honestly felt they'd waited too long for their food, or maybe they just happened to have those meals sitting around because of a mis-order and had to ditch them quick. Beats me.

Nabb1

2011-12-17 08:39:48 AM

I think it's great she left money on the table anyway even though the meal was comped. Many people forget to tip the server in circumstances like that (meaning it's not the server's fault the food was late).

LargeCanine

2011-12-17 10:22:36 AM

Good publicity.

Bob16

2011-12-17 10:22:41 AM

Cracker barrel food is so bad you'll wish you ate the barrel

Lone Stranger

2011-12-17 10:23:27 AM

They don't sound fat.

Dafatone

2011-12-17 10:28:05 AM

I always feel awkward when I get my meal comped in a situation where I didn't really feel like I waited too long.

/leave a big tip, obviously.

ExperianScaresCthulhu

2011-12-17 10:32:09 AM

Nabb1: I think it's great she left money on the table anyway even though the meal was comped. Many people forget to tip the server in circumstances like that (meaning it's not the server's fault the food was late).

People who forget to tip don't do it because they forgot.
Lot of cheap ass, entitled people out there.

/the worst are rich folk who steal tips from other tables

HotIgneous Intruder

2011-12-17 10:33:10 AM

Redneck people's problems.

jeffrey626

2011-12-17 10:36:02 AM

This is probably the most sensible consumerist article ever!

Cromar

2011-12-17 10:36:16 AM

Nice troll headline! Got me to click it, though, so good job.

badhatharry

2011-12-17 10:36:37 AM

Somebody in the kitchen screwed up. The manager comped the meal to preempt an old person from freaking out. Have a nice day!

Warthog

2011-12-17 10:38:30 AM

Misleading headline is misleading. A fat -1 and may god have mercy on your soul.

error 303

2011-12-17 10:38:48 AM

Have you heard of the Consumerist?

You will.

I May Be Crazy But...

2011-12-17 10:47:38 AM

This sort of thing wasn't unusual when I was a waiter at Cracker Barrel. One meal doesn't cost them much and it gets them good will.

sandi_fish

2011-12-17 10:47:54 AM

I think she is really trying to say that her sister is a biatch. Note how she says her sister complained, while she was perfectly fine with waiting. She should have wrote to Dear Abby.

I May Be Crazy But...

2011-12-17 10:50:16 AM

I May Be Crazy But...: This sort of thing wasn't unusual when I was a waiter at Cracker Barrel. One meal doesn't cost them much and it gets them good will.

I forgot to add, it's easier for the manager than arguing.

And it doesn't come out of the waiter's pay at Cracker Barrel, so that's nice.

Le Geno Vert

2011-12-17 10:54:10 AM

I love The Consumerist...

it's becoming a meme in its own right...

plus I don't get nearly enough whine in my life, so it's always good to have a place where it's concentrated for my convenience.

/dnrtfa
//dnw 2eat@CB

badhatharry

2011-12-17 10:57:37 AM

/puts on tin foil hat

What she doesn't know is that they are secretly listening to you at the table. It is the best way to monitor quality and customer satisfaction. You have no privacy in a public place. It is the wave of the future.

/removes tinfoil hat

havocmike

2011-12-17 10:58:03 AM

whoa whoa whoa whoa.. stop the clock. restaurants will comp your meal if you wait a long time, then complain?

what's the definition of "a long time"? also, i'm white, do i count?

/ick. cracker barrel. free isn't good enough. you'd have to pay me to eat that down home crap

HeartBurnKid

2011-12-17 10:58:53 AM

ExperianScaresCthulhu: People who forget to tip don't do it because they forgot.

In most cases, yes, but there are a lot of people who don't seem to realize that when you get a discount or a free meal, it's considered proper etiquette to tip on the pre-discount price, not the post-discount price.

wickedworld

2011-12-17 10:59:41 AM

I wouldn't say that she was complaining but like myself she was just baffled by the experience. From my own personal visits to Cracker Barrel I would say this was an exception and not a common occurance.

HeartBurnKid

2011-12-17 11:00:09 AM

havocmike: whoa whoa whoa whoa.. stop the clock. restaurants will comp your meal if you wait a long time, then complain?

what's the definition of "a long time"? also, i'm white, do i count?

/ick. cracker barrel. free isn't good enough. you'd have to pay me to eat that down home crap

Actually, if you RTFA, she says she didn't complain at all.

Apparently, Consumerist readers so rarely get good service that when a shop or restaurant is actually proactive in making up for mistakes, it's a completely new and mystifying experience.

remscheld

2011-12-17 11:00:47 AM

Chain restaurants typically have time standards that dictate how quickly food should come out
after the order is rung in. If the meal's time significantly exceeds their standards, a good server/manager will apologize and comp something.

$5 said the server told the manager their table was taking too long, the manager was too busy to go to the table and give them a free dessert or an appropriate comp, and just bought the whole check. Probably not what the GM would have wanted, but when you're the only manager on the floor during a lunch rush, you deal with problems as quickly as possible.

PizzaJedi81

2011-12-17 11:01:08 AM

badhatharry: /puts on tin foil hat

What she doesn't know is that they are secretly listening to you at the table. It is the best way to monitor quality and customer satisfaction. You have no privacy in a public place. It is the wave of the future.

/removes tinfoil hat

Shh, don't tell them about the microphones in the salt shaker, and DEFINITELY don't mention the video cameras in the pepper shakers!

ihatedumbpeople

2011-12-17 11:07:02 AM

What she doesn't know is her coont sister went "to the bathroom" and complained to the manager while she sat there oblivious.

Grables'Daughter

2011-12-17 11:07:32 AM

I May Be Crazy But...: This sort of thing wasn't unusual when I was a waiter at Cracker Barrel. One meal doesn't cost them much and it gets them good will.

And here we all are talking about it, so it must work.

NightOwl2255

2011-12-17 11:07:37 AM

I'll eat anything. Roasted yak ass? Slap it on a plate and call me for dinner. I've eaten at CB once. Once. It's horrible "food". Free ain't gonna do it. You would have to pay me to go back.

John Buck 41

2011-12-17 11:10:17 AM

Misleading headlines suck.

YouPeopleAreCrazy

2011-12-17 11:10:57 AM

ExperianScaresCthulhu: /the worst are rich folk who steal tips from other tables

How do you think they got rich?
By stealing!

badhatharry

2011-12-17 11:10:58 AM

ihatedumbpeople: What she doesn't know is her coont sister went "to the bathroom" and complained to the manager while she sat there oblivious.

Possible. But a good waitress knows what's going on at her tables without asking.

I May Be Crazy But...

2011-12-17 11:12:11 AM

Grables'Daughter: I May Be Crazy But...: This sort of thing wasn't unusual when I was a waiter at Cracker Barrel. One meal doesn't cost them much and it gets them good will.

And here we all are talking about it, so it must work.

See? Perfect. You know, as long as you don't ask about the food they're getting for free.

/Actually, the chicken sandwich isn't all that bad.

macadamnut

2011-12-17 11:13:15 AM

Cracker Barrel's not the worst road food. We stop there on long trips because it's usually the only place with actual fruits and vegetables.

I May Be Crazy But...

2011-12-17 11:17:04 AM

macadamnut: Cracker Barrel's not the worst road food. We stop there on long trips because it's usually the only place with actual fruits and vegetables.

There's enough animal in the veggies than I'm not sure it still counts as a vegetable. I did have someone at a table once ask what on the menu was vegetarian. They ate a lot of biscuits.

airplane_mech2

2011-12-17 11:18:23 AM

I like Cracker Barrel. I love their catfish with the Uncle Herschels breakfast. People who say they don't like cracker barrel are either serial complainers or nothing can make them happy. seriously, who doesn't like eggs, bacon and pancakes served with warm syrup?

Satanic_Hamster

2011-12-17 11:19:38 AM

Restaurants can be weird at times about comping things; all depends on the clientèle they get.

CSB:
Was at a Lebanese cafe/diner here in Houston a week back, they forgot to bring out my dad's Turkish coffee. We didn't complain, whine or anything, just asked them to bring it out please. At the end of the meal, the owner brought out free baklava.

Moonfisher

2011-12-17 11:21:27 AM

HeartBurnKid: ExperianScaresCthulhu: People who forget to tip don't do it because they forgot.

In most cases, yes, but there are a lot of people who don't seem to realize that when you get a discount or a free meal, it's considered proper etiquette to tip on the pre-discount price, not the post-discount price.

If my tip is too small or non-existent, it isn't because I forgot or I miscalculated; it's because the service sucked.

I've only ever left no tip twice, and it was the same restaurant with the same crappy waiter. Waiting 20 minutes for your drinks on a Tuesday night is not normal.

Sandy Duncan's eyeball

2011-12-17 11:24:13 AM

havocmike: whoa whoa whoa whoa.. stop the clock. restaurants will comp your meal if you wait a long time, then complain? sternrate.com

Approves.

NIXON YOU DOLT!!!!!

2011-12-17 11:25:42 AM

Why all the hate for cb food? I could eat their biscuits and sawmill gravy by the bucket. And their frosted cider mugs? Heaven!

Chibi Shinigami

2011-12-17 11:25:50 AM

Worst place ever to work. But they do have this going for them. Waitresses are allowed to decide to comp something without manager approval; you can just do it and tell them later. They figure, "It's your tip - do what you want with it." If you comp stuff all the time they might ask you about it, but I never once got anything more than a "Oh, you comped this? K."

Mr. Coffee Nerves

2011-12-17 11:29:39 AM

The Cracker Barrel near me took all the Penn State merchandise out of the gift shop. Now I wish I had complained on behalf of NAMBLA to score free fried apples.

Grables'Daughter

2011-12-17 11:30:00 AM

It always seemed to me that Cracker Barrel would make you wait for a table - even though there appeared to be plenty of empty tables and staff - so that you would browse their crappy gifts.

I'm guessing that's standard procedure...

Mad Tea Party

2011-12-17 11:32:48 AM

Bob Evans > Cracker Barrel

Desmo

2011-12-17 11:33:16 AM

Is Subby the author?

i43.photobucket.com

CruJones

2011-12-17 11:35:17 AM

NIXON YOU DOLT!!!!!: Why all the hate for cb food? I could eat their biscuits and sawmill gravy by the bucket. And their frosted cider mugs? Heaven!

It's certainly not gourmet or healthy, but if you hate it, you simply don't like down home country cooking. Which is fine, you don't like that type of food. But to flatly say it sucks is, well, untrue.

/has lived in NC, TN, MS and TX
//knows what good southern food is
///for a chain, CB ain't bad

Splish

2011-12-17 11:36:29 AM

Yeah, but they bought her lunch at Cracker Barrel. I'd complain too.

bemis23

2011-12-17 11:37:26 AM

Subby and many others apparently failed to actually read the article.

All of you fail.

henryhill

2011-12-17 11:37:39 AM

Mad Tea Party: Bob Evans > Cracker Barrel

You must be quite the gourmand.

MoronLessOff

2011-12-17 11:41:57 AM

Grables'Daughter: It always seemed to me that Cracker Barrel would make you wait for a table - even though there appeared to be plenty of empty tables and staff - so that you would browse their crappy gifts.

I'm guessing that's standard procedure...

Having worked at the Barrel, standard procedure is for the guests to browse after dining so they forget to pay their check so I get in trouble for a walk out.

Good food, but don't screw your workers like that!

Ed Finnerty

2011-12-17 11:51:51 AM

I always though Cracker Barrel was a reference to armed, white Southerners.

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