Waited for 20 minutes at Cracker Barrel

I have worked in restaurant management for years and I think the OP
made the correct choice by writing to corporate. Waiting for a server
for twenty minutes is not a "mistake" made by a single employee. Every
franchise I have ever worked for has made a big deal about ALL
employees being aware of what's going on around them, whether its bus
boys or servers not assigned to that particular table. Yes, everyone
makes mistakes, but I have waitresses kindly remind other waitresses
often that they have a table that is still waiting and the table is
then served. The fact that the OP waited with no employee observing,
or worse: observing and not caring, shows that there is a serious
customer service problem in this location, especially if there have
been more than one complaint (which we will never know)

This problem is more indicative of an internal problem than most
letters concerning restaurants that are posted on this site. It wasn't
a problem with a particular server, or a cook, etc. It includes the
lack of observation of several (or at least a few) employees. If the
restaurant was not busy (as the OP implies), there are at least a few
people to be held responsible and any corporate franchise NEEDS to
know if something like this is happening as it could indicate a much
larger problem. I have learned after many years that the employees in
restaurants that last years in the business and make a good living in
the "biz" are ones that are constantly aware of every aspect of the
dining room and develop a sort of "instinct" as to the amount of
customer service being produced by the other employees.

If the OP had not notified the company and taken the free meal, young
or inexperienced (or slightly apathetic) servers would not have
learned anything except that serious customer service issues can be
glazed over with a free meal. I would notify corporate even IF I
thought the manager was sincere and took him/her up on the meal. If
everyone who experiences this at this location reports it to
corporate, proper customer service training can be conducted if its a
problem that others have had as well (which it may have been an
isolated incident, we don't know) instead of customers simply
receiving free meals and corporate being kept in the dark.

Trust someone who's been in management and worked on both the dining
room and the corporate side of the restaurant business: It's vital for
corporate to be able to track these kinds of problems within different
locations. Managers do have the authority to provide free meals using
their own discretion, but the biggest problems with chain managers is
that much does not get reported to the corporate office and is simply
taken care of that day with a free meal (which is fine, but it needs
to be addressed with corporate whether it be from the customer or the
manager)...

Many of you forget one huge aspect of the restaurant/franchise
business: Managers receive raises, promotions, and terminations based
on the way that their staff perform, as THEY are the trainers,
supervisors, and overseers. They tend to very much under-report issues
within certain locations and paint a much different picture to
district and regional managers than what's really going on.

So thanks to the OP for making everyone's job within the system much
easier.

FOR EVERYONE WHO DISAGREES WITH THE OP: I hope everyone remembers that
it is okay to take the manager up on the offer BUT PLEASE REPORT
PROBLEMS TO CORPORATE REGARDLESS! This ensures that the restaurant
continues to be a place you would want to eat that provides acceptable
customer service. Even a comment to the website or PF stating "I
waited for twenty minutes, but the manager John Doe was very sincere
and helpful, and we left the restaurant happy."

A positive comment while still informing corporate of issues is
something that benefits everyone. When I was a regional manager, we
used customer comments from the comment boxes about the delays in
getting beverage service at two locations (in which the customers had
been given various appetizers, discounts, etc by the manager after
complaining and considering their problem "solved") and we used these
to effectively improve our training techniques when hiring new
servers, which improved our overall quality of service, therefore
increasing sales. So it benefits the customer, manager, server, and
company.

I think this situation was handled properly by the restaurant. There
was an issue, you brought it to the attention of the manger, and (I
assume) he apologized and offered you a free meal had you stayed.

Things will happen now and then. Based on my experience with the way
other companies handle complaints, corporate will likely follow up
with the manager, find out that they attempted to make the situation
better, and let it be. If it is a consistent issue, then more action
will need to be taken, however it sounds like they tried their best to
make it up to you on the spot.

Hey Gloria. I ask this with no malice, but what would be the correct
way to address the issue for you? I thought that offering a free meal
with a nice way to make up for the mistake they made.

I disagree... Cracker Barrel is a franchised corporation and the
manager should not be able to make up for his employees' lack of
professionalism and customer service by trying to comp them a free
meal. If the circumstances Gloria describes are accurate, there is a
serious problem at this location and it goes way beyond a "mistake".

Good for you, Gloria, for not taking the manager up on their offer for
a free meal and letting the company know. Half the responders on this
page would have taken them up on it and all would have been
forgiven...and the employees would have learned a "valuable" lesson:
If you let customer service slide, its no big deal as long as you give
them some free stuff.

How did you want them to address the issue? You were offered a free
meal for the wait so it seems the manager did try to address the
issue.

Were you seated and no one came to your table or were you standing by
the hostess station? If you were seated it's quite possible that you
were seated there and someone forgot to tell the appropriate
waitstaff. It may had been that the server assigned to that table was
on a break and no one assigned someone to cover.

If you were waiting by the hostess station, I would have went over to
the cashier and let them know you were waiting. Sometimes when it's
slow, the staff starts working on things like rolling silverwear to
prepare for the next rush.

I agree that getting a free meal in and of itself doesn't address the
issue. It does however show the manager is willing to acknowldge an
issue and do something. Which I would hope carries over to them
dealing with their employees. Away from the customers.

Why not just walk to a waiter, or poke your head in the back and let
someone know you wanted to be seated.

Yes you shouldnt have to, but Id never wait 20 mins just standing
there. Sometimes you have to put forth an effort to get what you
want.


I would suggest home cooked meals.


good day

Kudos to you for not allowing yourself to be "bought off" by a manager
trying to cover his ass. The corporate folks need to know about this
kind of incompetence so they can do something about it.

If there was a host and he/she neglected to inform a waiter about your
arrival, there's your problem.

If you seated yourselves and no one knew you were there for 20
minutes, there's another problem. I don't think a restaurant dining
room should go 20 minutes without an employee checking on things.

Okay, so you were offered a free meal for being ignored for 20
minutes. What more did you want? Management *did* address the issue by
comping your meal you would have ordered.

Gloria B.,

It might not address it but it could start to make amends.

The next step (unseen by you as it should) would be for the manager to
follow-up and address the issue so it does not happen again.

Thanks for sharing.

BillR.