12 Things Waffle House Actually Does Better Than Cracker Barrel

When it comes to country-style breakfast restaurants, two names immediately come to most Americans' minds: Cracker Barrel and Waffle House. But while both chains offer big, hearty breakfasts, each offers a very different experience. For example, Cracker Barrel is a sit down restaurant with a large, expansive menu and an even more massive gift shop full of knickknacks, home decor, and other Southern-inspired gifts.

And that homey experience is very different from the one you get at Waffle House: a chain of small, 24/7 breakfast spots that offer a stripped-down experience. How stripped down? Well, a typical Waffle House only has seats for between 30 and 35 people, with the rest of the room mainly taken up by the open kitchen so the diners can see their food being cooked. And the menu is much smaller, focusing on breakfast items, some sandwiches, and a few "classic dinners." Eating at a Waffle House tends to be a bit more focused on convenience. There's less options, and your food comes out quickly. (And there's also a lot less stuff glued to the walls.)

Now, from that description, you might expect Cracker Barrel to be the clear winner, as it has fancier locations and a wider menu. But there are a surprising amount of things that the underdog Waffle House does better than its fancier competitor. Here's a list of our favorites.

If you're not familiar with grits, they're a type of breakfast porridge made from dried corn. But that description really doesn't do the dish justice, especially when it's typically served with enough butter or cheese to create a wonderfully rich and savory experience. And as a staple of Southern comfort food, grits feature on the menus of both Cracker Barrel and Waffle House, but that doesn't mean the dishes are exactly the same.

For example, Cracker Barrel uses coarse-ground grits, (also sometimes called stone-ground grits depending on their method of preparation), which use larger pieces of dried corn, resulting in a richer corn taste but take longer to soak and cook. Online reviews of the grits describe them as being bland and flavorless. According to one Redditor, "If you ever get their grits you might as well be eating glue. It's the worst grits I've ever eaten in my life."

In contrast, Waffle House offers up quick grits, which use a smaller corn size, sacrificing the rich corn taste to make a smoother version of the dish. And while some purists may say the coarse-ground version is more authentic, personally I prefer its slightly creamier version. And it's really hard to argue with Waffle House's grits bowls, which covers your bowl of grits with eggs, cheese, plus ham or sausage. Or you could always upgrade your Waffle House grits with this simple ordering tip. Either way, you'll enjoy 'em!

When you want your food, you typically want it fast. And for speed, Waffle House definitely has Cracker Barrel beat. Not only does the small size of each Waffle House cut down on the number of orders the kitchen has to deal with at one time, it also has its own unique method of logging orders that also speeds up preparation, dubbed the "Magic Marker System."

This system replaces the order ticket system that most professional kitchens use, with each cook instead marking orders by placing items like jelly packets or pickles, on the plate. This allows the cook to quickly keep track of each order without constantly having to sort between the ticket and the plate, meaning you can't accidentally switch tickets or orders. It's a system designed to get diners in and out in 20 minutes, with minimum fuss.

On the other hand, Cracker Barrel restaurants are much larger, with more traditional kitchen duties. And even with a larger cooking staff, that can lead to longer wait times. And that's not including the time it takes to actually get seated, as you have to wait for previous diners to leave first. At least it has that gift shop and those rocking chairs to keep you busy, right?

Just because you're ordering eggs and bacon, it doesn't mean you want it during breakfast hours. Indeed, from my experience, breakfast — like most comfort food — is best eaten at odd hours or late at night.

Unfortunately for late-night snackers, Cracker Barrel is a traditional restaurant and is typically only open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fortunately, it does offer breakfast all day, but if you've got a craving for eggs at 9:05 p.m., you're out of luck.

Not so at Waffle House, though. Most of the locations are open 24/7, 365 days a year, making it perfect for satisfying your late-night cravings for bacon or grits. Although, you might want to be careful about what time you visit a Waffle House. The chain's own website details the wild things that can happen late at night at its locations. It points out that these things tend to happen between 11 p.m. and 11 a.m., probably due to the patrons frequently being intoxicated.

So be ready to leave if something goes down, especially if it's after 2 a.m. when the bars close. (That's just one of the 12 must-know rules before stepping foot inside a Waffle House, but it might be the most important one.)

Ah, biscuits. Another staple of Southern cooking, a great biscuit is a thing of beauty: a lovely, flakey delicious bit of buttery pastry. Both restaurants have them on the menu, and this is another one where Waffle House wins, hands down.

Oh, sure, there are fans of Cracker Barrel biscuits, which are offered as breakfast side dishes, or on their own in groups of four. But there are plenty of online complaints about them, including customers complaining about them being "stale and hard on the edges."

Now, Waffle House biscuits have one huge advantage over their competition: the grill. You see, Waffle House chefs cut the biscuits in half and grill them, making them extra hot and crispy, while also giving them an extra savory taste from all that delicious grill grease. And customers are quick to rave about them, with one Reddit commenter simply writing, "The biscuits smack." Couldn't have put it better myself.

And if we're going to talk about biscuits, we have to talk about their greatest partner: gravy. Specifically, the sausage gravy that gets lovingly (and often sloppily) poured on biscuits in Southern cuisine. Until I lived in Florida, I never knew the simple joys of sausage gravy (or white gravy, as it's sometimes called) — a savory delight made from flour, bits of sausage, water and fat drippings.

And like so much of the Waffle House menu, it's also improved by the grill, as the cooks use some of that grilled sausage grease as the fat, which thickens up the gravy and gives it an extra meaty taste. Both chains offer biscuits and gravy as a dish, but it's the Waffle House one that fans swear by. One Redditor simply posted a thread called "The gravy be bussin at WH!," where commenters replied with testimonials like "That gravy is amazing! I order some with my sausage, egg, and cheese grit bowl."

In comparison, Cracker Barrel uses a version of sawmill gravy, which while flavored with pork fat, does not contain actual pieces of sausage. So, you don't get the real meaty taste you get from Waffle House's version. And online commenters have described the gravy as being too weak, with one Reddit poll giving the gravy a simple rating of "Yuck." And that makes it just one of 13 Cracker Barrel menu items that continue to disappoint customers.

When you want food at a restaurant, you generally want it fresh ... not sitting around in a steam tray for hours. Unfortunately, according to Redditors claiming to be Cracker Barrel employees, the chain now precooks a lot of its food, especially bacon and vegetable sides. The cooks then take those precooked sides, reheat them and assemble them with your freshly cooked entree before serving you. And the result is that your food is just a little less fresh when it gets to your table.

Now Waffle House does pre-prep some of its food like longer-cooking food like chili and grits, which is cooked during the overnight "third shift" from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. But the rest of the food is cooked to order. And if you don't trust that, the open kitchen plan means you can always watch your food being cooked right in front of you. Waffle House's lack of walls means the cooks have nowhere to hide.

Another beloved breakfast item, is there anything better than a heaping helping of crispy, fried hash browns? I guess an even bigger helping would be better, and both chains are known for offering sizable portions, either as sides or as entrees.

Now, Cracker Barrel's version is pretty popular, especially its Hash Brown Casserole, which blends them with colby cheese and chopped onions to create a deliciously cheesy side dish. But back in 2025, online reviewers accused the chain of changing its recipe to use dehydrated potatoes, which one commenter said was "just horrible, with multiple complaints from guests."

But the clear winner has to be Waffle House's version, which allows you to customize your order with nine different options that will definitely be popping up again later on this list. In fact, that customization is so popular, it's easy to see how Waffle House's hash brown code became a fixture at the breakfast chain. Or you can just do what I do, and order them "all the way," which includes every option, all at once, in one giant pile of cheesy, chili goodness.

I think we've all had the experience of being overwhelmed by a giant menu filled with wonderful options. After all, it is possible to have too many choices. And that could describe Cracker Barrel's menu, which is constantly changing, with new items added every season. And new products meant losing others from the menu, which left some longtime customers unhappy that they'd lost some of their favorite foods. Or as one Redditor posted last year, "The changes to the menu, ingredients, and portion sizes have caused a lot of people to either go there less often, or stop going completely."  

While Waffle House has recently been changing its menu (for example, the chain recently began testing tacos at certain stores), those changes haven't been nearly as drastic as the Cracker Barrel revamp. In fact, the addition of a Strawberry Shortcake Pancake in 2025, was reported as the first new item to be added to the menu in a decade. And for a market largely driven on comfort food and nostalgia, I think customers enjoy knowing exactly what they're getting when they go into a restaurant. Or at least, I know I do.

Country ham is another popular Southern food item, and is made from the hind leg of a pig dry-cured in salt. Cracker Barrel offers country ham on the breakfast menu, either as part of a main dish like the Country Boy Breakfast or as a side dish, or as a dinner entree in the Country Ham Dinner. 

However, in 2024, the chain changed the menu and only offered country ham as a breakfast option, prompting customers to post angry reddit threads like "What happened to my country ham?" Earlier this year, it reversed course and brought the country ham back to the dinner menu, however reviews aren't positive. One Facebook poster claims that the new ham was so salty and dry that they "thought it was beef jerky."

However, Waffle House's country ham has better reviews, with one Facebook post describing it as "a whole nother dimension." Another Facebook user praised it and commenters agreed with the comment, "Waffle House beats Cracker Barrel anytime in my opinion."

This one comes down to numbers. Simply put, Waffle House has way more locations (around 2,111) than Cracker Barrel (approximately 657). So, you're almost three times more likely to run into a Waffle House than a Cracker Barrel.

Okay, maybe that's simplifying things a little too much, as Cracker Barrel locations are spread out around the country, with 43 states having at least one location. In comparison, you can only find Waffle Houses in 25 states, mostly in the South, Midwest and Southeastern United States. But if you're in the right state, you'll find a ton of them. For example, Georgia has a whopping 443 of them, while Florida has 193. Cracker Barrel, on the other hand, has only 46 locations in Georgia and 60 in Florida.

So, if you end up in a Waffle House state, chances are you're going to find a ton of them. But if you're out of that state — or even worse, in one of the only states in the U.S. where you won't find a Cracker Barrel, you'll have to spend a couple hours on a plane to sate your cravings for quality breakfast foods. (And I don't think even Waffle House biscuits are worth that much hassle.)

One of the delights of ordering out is (hopefully) getting exactly the food you want, as you like it. And having a menu that gives diners plenty of options is the key. And for this, it's hard to beat Waffle House's menu, which has enough options that it's developed a unique glossary of terms for customizing your order — one that you might want to learn before visiting for the first time.

If you're not familiar with them, saying the following words will add extra ingredients to your order: smothered means sauteed onions, covered means melted cheese, chunked means grilled ham, diced means grilled tomatoes, peppered means jalapeño peppers, capped means grilled mushrooms, topped means chili, and country means sausage gravy will be added.

And while those terms are usually meant for your hash brown order, you can add those extras to any egg dish, too. Now, Waffle House does only allow you to order your eggs scrambled, while Cracker Barrel lets you choose other options like over easy or egg whites, but it's hard to beat the ability to unleash chili on any breakfast dish.

If there's one thing that Waffle House is known for – apart from 2 a.m. fights – it's low prices. Now, that reputation for value has taken a bit of a hit recently, especially after a meme comparing 2026 menu prices with 2018 prices started circulating earlier this year. The biggest complaint involved the chain's All-Star Special combo, which offers diners eggs, bacon, grits, toast, and a waffle. The 2018 menu offered all that for $7.50 (discounted from $9.90), while the 2026 menu offers the same combo for $12 (discounted from $15.75). For comparison, we checked the menu of the Waffle House in Marietta, Georgia, and the same combo will currently run you $12.85.

Over at the Marietta Cracker Barrel, the closest equivalent is The Old Timer's Breakfast combo — which offers eggs, bacon, biscuits, and hash browns, plus an additional cost for some pancakes on the side — which will run you about $14.97.

And if we're talking overall prices, the most expensive item on Marietta's Waffle House menu is the Cheesesteak and Eggs Breakfast at $14.10. But across town at the Cracker Barrel, most of its entrees will run you over $14.99, with the most expensive items like the Steak and Shrimp combo running you $25.49. So, yeah, if you're looking to limit yourself to more affordable options, we have to go with Waffle House. And if you're looking to save a bit more money, here's how to score free hash browns on your next Waffle House visit.