9 Discontinued Cracker Barrel Menu Items

Although the restaurant isn’t as ubiquitous as Denny’s, Applebee's, or IHOP, Cracker Barrel—which originally ran along the Interstate Highway System and is styled to look like a traditional Southern general store—has its diehard fans. These folks swear by the chain’s Southern cuisine favorites like Sunday homestyle chicken and country fried steak, as well as its all-day breakfast menu.

However, every now and then, the restaurant chain takes away a few fan favorites to make room for tasty new offerings. Here are nine discontinued Cracker Barrel menu items that we’re hoping they bring back sometime soon.

1. Strawberries n' Cream French Toast

Cracker Barrel might serve breakfast all-day, but one popular dish won’t be making an appearance on that menu. In 2015, the restaurant chain discontinued Strawberries n' Cream French Toast, which consisted of four slices of egg-washed and grilled sourdough bread that was filled with cream cheese topped with powdered sugar and sliced strawberries.

Cracker Barrel even tweeted the demise of the fan-favorite breakfast: “End summer with a sweet finish. Try our Strawberries n' Cream French Toast Breakfast before it’s gone 8/16.”

2. Fried Chicken Liver

While it might not have been for everyone, Cracker Barrel’s fried chicken liver dish definitely had its fair share of fans, who raised a fuss when the restaurant removed it from their menu.

“We loved to have fried chicken livers at Cracker Barrel,” wrote a South Portland, Maine fan on TripAdvisor.com. “Bad news, they no longer have them. Tried a couple other menu items, not worth the trip.”

“Please bring back your chicken liver,” wrote another fan on Facebook. Cracker Barrel even replied to the fan with, “We appreciate your feedback. Although chicken livers are no longer on our menu, we will gladly share your request with our Culinary Team.”

Folks who miss the meal, take heart: Recipes.net has detailed instructions for how to make a copycat version of the beloved meal, so you can make them yourself at home.

3. Shepherd’s Pie

The restaurant chain introduced Shepherd’s pie as a lunch special back in 2017 for the brand’s fall menu. It was made with tender beef along with peas and carrots, then topped with mashed potatoes and baked like a pie. The menu item was only available in select regions in the United States, but it never showed up at Cracker Barrel again after that autumn season.

4. Red-Eye Gravy

Around the same time that Cracker Barrel was introducing Shepherd’s pie, it was bidding a fond farewell to another popular entry on their menu: Red-Eye gravy. For the uninitiated, this special gravy was made from the drippings of fried country ham mixed with black coffee. The mixture was then simmered and reduced down to a dark brown gravy. It gives food—like country ham, fried eggs, biscuits, grits, and other Southern cuisine dishes—an extra kick.

Fans were dismayed with the chain when it disappeared circa fall 2017; one disappointed restaurant-goer even tweeted, “I was told today that you no longer offer red eye gravy. I demand answers.”

5. Chicken Salad Sandwich

Another big hit for Cracker Barrel lovers occurred in 2017, when the restaurant chain discontinued their chicken salad sandwich. Fans have been longing for the lunch menu treat ever since. “I go starving for my fav chicken salad sandwich,” one customer tweeted. “And it's been removed from menu ... so disappointed.”

Fortunately, there are plenty of dupe recipes online (like this one) so you can recreate the magic right at home—or at least give it your best shot.

6. Frozen Mugs

At one point at Cracker Barrel, you were able to order ice-cold drinks—such as lemonade, soda, cider, and even milk—in a frozen mug to ensure it stayed cold throughout your meal. The restaurant chain said adios to Frozen Mug Apple Cider at the end of the fall 2016 season, and shortly after, they also got rid of frozen mugs in general for all of their beverages.

7. Baked Apple Dumplin’

At the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, Cracker Barrel reduced the number of items on its menu. When the chain re-opened during the summer, hungry customers were disappointed to see Baked Apple Dumplin’ was no longer anywhere to be found on the restaurant’s revamped menu. At the moment, the dessert has yet to return, but fingers crossed it will someday.

8. Campfire Meals

Campfire meals were a summertime treat introduced in 2014. The dish consisted of either beef or chicken, red skin potatoes, tomato wedges, carrots, corn on the cob, peppers and onions, and spices slow-cooked and served in foil. The meals weren’t around for long, though: Cracker Barrel discontinued them in July 2018. 

9. Sweet Potato Pancakes

In February 2012, Cracker Barrel introduced the sweet potato pancake breakfast for National Sweet Potato Month. It came with three sweet potato pancakes topped with butter, along with two eggs and either bacon or smoked sausage on the side. The chain also sold a mix, so fans could make them right at home.

The restaurant has since discontinued the menu item, but fans are still asking Cracker Barrel to bring them back. “Any chance this will ever return?” one asked on the chain’s official Facebook page in 2021. Unfortunately, they have yet to make a comeback at the restaurant chain.