Here's Why You May Want To Avoid Ordering Meatloaf At Cracker Barrel

Cracker Barrel is known for its signature comfort food dishes that taste homemade — as in fresh out of the oven. The restaurant chain knows how to make an impression with Southern classics, often selling 11 million of one particular menu item per year. Quality is always a hallmark of a good restaurant chain, and recently Cracker Barrel has been under scrutiny for compromising on the quality that most expect from the chain. Employees at Cracker Barrel revealed online that the company has started to sell day-old meatloaf. As one of Cracker Barrel's staple menu items, this has led to widespread criticism after an employee shared a viral video of frozen meatloaf in one of the chain's kitchens. 

In efforts to cut back on resources and save some money, Cracker Barrel management had advised employees to prepare the meatloaf the day before and then warm it up using a microwave moments before it was to be served. This preparation method affects the taste and texture of the meatloaf, which defies the glory of the ketchup-smothered American classic. Another menu item which the company also decided not to serve fresh are the biscuits, which were prepared the day before and reheated.

Usually the restaurant chain's meatloaf is prepared fresh and then cut into pieces while in the pan, which is where the good homemade element really comes into full effect. While the meatloaf wasn't always one of the dishes to avoid at Cracker Barrel, it's now a pre-made dish Cracker Barrel customers can't excuse. There are some employees who revealed how disappointed they were to sell the meatloaf in this way, even going as far as to reveal that the meatloaf would sometimes come out cold or lukewarm.

The company's efforts to save money resulted in all-around backlash with the meatloaf and other reheated products. Customers complained that the biscuits were hard and far from chewy and employees claimed that the meatloaf loses its freshness when microwaved. The best part about tucking into a juicy meatloaf is the soft and moist taste that makes the meal worth it (trust Elvis Presley's judgment, he once had the meal every day for six months). Cracker Barrel's new procedure left a bad taste in customer's mouths alongside the restaurant's other adjustments, such as the modernization of the logo — which was reverted back after a mass outcry to keep the iconic logo with Uncle Herschel and the barrel.