# Cracker Barrel dropping foods from their menu **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [December 28, 2020, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cracker-barrel-dropping-foods-from-their-menu/929069 "2020-12-28T05:43:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Jungian\_Camisole1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jungian_camisole1/32/3646_2.png) [@Jungian\_Camisole1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jungian_Camisole1)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2020, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cracker-barrel-dropping-foods-from-their-menu/929069/21 "2020-12-30T02:24:15Z")
> [@solost](#): > > I think the food is actually pretty good. Their blueberry pancakes are ridiculously perfect. The crispy edges make them worth the price. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2020, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cracker-barrel-dropping-foods-from-their-menu/929069/22 "2020-12-30T04:43:09Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I’m wondering how much of this is because of COVID or is simply being blamed on COVID. Given how much restaurant traffic is reduced, I have no trouble believing it’s COVID. You have to move your inventory or else it (at best) is a liability sitting in your freezer, or (at worst) goes bad and must be thrown out. When you’re busy, you can afford to–and have to–keep a large inventory, because you’ll go through it quickly. When you’re not busy, you need to shrink your inventory way down. Reducing the number of items on the menus will simplify that a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2020, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cracker-barrel-dropping-foods-from-their-menu/929069/23 "2020-12-30T08:30:18Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I’m wondering how much of this is because of COVID or is simply being blamed on COVID. I have a similar suspicion. I feel some businesses are just reducing the services they’re offering because they know people will accept reduced services during the pandemic. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2020, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cracker-barrel-dropping-foods-from-their-menu/929069/24 "2020-12-30T11:17:22Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I honestly thought the title was referring to a complete dropping of food from the Cracker Barrel menu! I’ve eaten in rattier Cracker Barrels where food was literally dropping from the menu. As in I open up my menu and a small chunk of the last patron’s dinner lands in my lap. Yuck. But it _was_ tasty. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2020, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cracker-barrel-dropping-foods-from-their-menu/929069/25 "2020-12-30T12:10:00Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > I was all fired up for Outback takeout the other day, only to find they’ve dropped both Prime Rib and blue cheese wedge salad from their menu. It was a disappointing experience. I guess it’s just the times we live in. The local steakhouse where I live also dropped prime rib from the takeout menu, although they still serve bone-in ribeye steaks, so they certainly have the ingredients. I assumed the problem with prime rib is that you’ve pretty much got to sell everything you make to avoid waste. If you work your primal rib roast into steaks and you don’t sell a half dozen or so you can keep them in the cooler to cook tomorrow, but once you cook a prime rib you’re stuck with it. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2020, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cracker-barrel-dropping-foods-from-their-menu/929069/26 "2020-12-30T18:15:35Z")
> [@digs](#): > > This thread has blown my mind… I cannot conceive of walking into a place that does good breakfasts, and not ordering breakfast. This thread has blown my mind too… I cannot conceive of walking into a place. Period. There’s a pandemic going on or so I heard. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2020, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cracker-barrel-dropping-foods-from-their-menu/929069/27 "2020-12-30T18:47:25Z")
Some d.r. ‘s are open, other stores have just delivery or curbside. Employees follow PAR and STARS but it’s up to the customer what they want to do. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2020, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cracker-barrel-dropping-foods-from-their-menu/929069/28 "2020-12-30T19:45:59Z")
> [@digs](#): > > This thread has blown my mind… I cannot conceive of walking into a place that does good breakfasts, and not ordering breakfast. Not a lot of places serve trout. I take my opportunities when I can find them. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2020, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cracker-barrel-dropping-foods-from-their-menu/929069/29 "2020-12-30T20:26:17Z")
A local restaurant where I had been getting takeout (months ago – I stopped patronizing when they started allowing inside dining _and_ started making you go inside to pick up food) told me that some dishes really need a “full line” in the kitchen, and they didn’t have enough volume to justify that level of staffing. So that may be an issue with some dishes, separate from supply chain issues. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2020, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cracker-barrel-dropping-foods-from-their-menu/929069/30 "2020-12-31T00:26:59Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Given how much restaurant traffic is reduced, I have no trouble believing it’s COVID. You have to move your inventory or else it (at best) is a liability sitting in your freezer, or (at worst) goes bad and must be thrown out. When you’re busy, you can afford to–and have to–keep a large inventory, because you’ll go through it quickly. When you’re not busy, you need to shrink your inventory way down. Reducing the number of items on the menus will simplify that a lot. In addition, the food has to be ready to cook and serve, which means defrosted and prepped ahead of time. So kitchen staff has to be kept on the payroll to do this prep, and then the prepped food spoils as there’s not enough patrons buying everything. There’s no more economy of scale if there’s not enough clientele coming in. I’m really surprised that anyone is surprised by this. Do they think Cracker Barrel has been secretly pining to limit their menu and now they’re grabbing at the chance? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cracker-barrel-dropping-foods-from-their-menu/929069.md?page=1)