Pros
Fun job when things arent shutting down or too crazy. Lots of kind staff, and some really nice customers. Tea and coffee for free, with 50% off a meal when you work.
Cons
Poor hours and even worse management. Giving constantly 3 hour shifts to people is not right, a lot of people spend more in gas then they will make on shift!! When i arrived we were going though managers like we go through Pot Pies on the only day we serve them... and still cant hold down a manager, and the few who stay, hate their job and the staff they employ. They can be friendly at times but never want to do their job, do the bare minimum to make the store run. When things go wrong they hide and avoid staff that need their help. We run out of things constantly in which the servers suffer because usually leads to less tips, we run out of silverware, napkins, glasses, food products from simple bread to the main menu items! All due to poor management not ordering enough, and not keeping tabs on everything. There is constantly a disgusting mess in the back, mold in every corner you look, rotting food and really strange places, that never gets cleaned or managed if were lucky maybe once a month gets cleaned! When staff need anything from just clocking out, to help with bad food or customer theyre not where to be found and usually push the blame to everyone else in the place but them, but usually the server, even when it isnt the servers fault (aka running out of food or the biscots not being done for 15mins while the customer expects it out before the meal but we cant serve them dough). When things are not too busy they sit in the office like there is no work for them to do, when theres millions of things they could be doing. They DO NOT evaluate the staff and the few who do get it, they managers have no clue what theyre doing because they are never around to see the staff work, going by purely hear say, so they cant even give a proper evaluation. Lastly they DO NOT treat the staff fairly. there are most defiantly favorites who get more tables despite complaints, training, years loyal to cracker barrel, the amount they help out and even rotation. The servers have to take it into their own hands giving and taking tables according to what is truely fair. The waitresses and waiters who suck up to the managers despite what should be factored in get preferential placement, more tables and better treatment overall, like overlooking them not doing their side work, silverware, and tables just because they buttle up management screwing over closers and other staff who do their work leaving them to usually have to roll extra silverware, do more sidework to either close or help the closers and clean extra tables that werent theirs so the closers and staff can go home at the end of the day! The management is not doing their job well, theyre doing the bare minumum to make the store run, but by no means making sure the staff is taken care of as well and are happy, we constantly have angry servers, which leads to unpleasant experiences for guests, makes other servers unhappy, and the management avoids us all, instead of hearing out the complaints and seeing what they can fix, and the few they do hear out, nothing changes or only changes for a short while then goes right back to the way it was!