Marc Serafino
The other day, a friend who knows what I’m doing on Wallet Weekly, asked me for money saving for Cracker Barrel. I didn’t know what to answer as I seldom eat/shop at Cracker Barrels, and a few times I had a lunch there — I’ve spent more time playing peg games than eating. 😉
So I decided to research a bit and prepare an article for my friend and for our audience. I’ve looked around and came up with this list:
6 ways to save money at Cracker Barrel
1. Get a free coffee
It is available when you order a meal, a refillable beverage and a desert. So it’s not really free, but if you planned to order those items anyway, don’t forget to ask for the complimentary coffee.
2. Take advantage of lunch specials
These are select meals that are offered for less — starting at $5.99, based on location. A different meal is featured each day of the week, including a meatloaf with mashed potatoes, chicken pot pie, and more. No doubts you will find something you like.
3. Get special deals when shopping online
If you’re buying stuff from Cracker Barrel’s online store, make sure to first check out their active promotions. For instance, you can get free shipping on orders over $50 (excluding fully assembled furniture), as well as some percentage off select product categories. Also, Google “Cracker Barrel coupons” and see what else you can buy for less.
4. Buy Cracker Barrel pre-owned gift cards
Use a service like GiftCardGranny.com to buy a pre-owned gift card for less and potentially save 20 percent or so. This trick, in case you wonder, applies to just about any retailer, both online and offline. (Related: 7 Gift Card Hacks to Help You Save Money)
5. Try Books-On-Audio program
I listen to audiobooks on a regular basis, and I love the fact that Cracker Barrel has a special program for audiobooks fans like me. Through its Books-on-Audio program, you can buy any title at full retail price, listen to it, and return to any of Cracker Barrel’s 640+ locations for a full credit less a $3.49 per week exchange fee (plus tax where applicable). Book prices range from $9.99 to $48.00 (plus tax where applicable) based on the number of cassette tapes or CDs (or size of the book). And if you are not able to return it to a location you can mail it back to Cracker Barrel.
6. Groups get two free meals
Cracker Barrel gets a lot of business from tour groups crisscrossing the country in motor coaches. With that in mind, the restaurant offers a special deal for groups of 15 or more — the driver and guide’s meals are free. More information on this offer is available from the Tour Groups page.
Anything else?
We would love to hear from you if you frequently buy stuff from Cracker Barrel. Do you think we should include some other tip to our list? Is there some other strategy that worked for you? And are you willing to share that info? Do let us know in the comments form below. Thanks.
