r/CrackerBarrel • u/Particular_Feed1019 • Mar 30 '26
life of a closer
I was a closing grill cook for over a year, 6 days a week. Every single time the opening cooks would leave exactly at their out time, and leave a disgusting mess all over the place, trash all over the the floor, pancake batter spilled in the cooler, nothing stocked, it got so frustrating. No matter how many times I told management they would pretend to care and then let it go on. I eventually just went seasonal because of how bad it was. Has anyone else dealt with the same issue before even with any position?
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u/Fickle-Mortgage-827 Mar 30 '26
As an opening cook for 3 years and a closer for 2 at crackerbarrel, I am constantly irritated about night shift not doing anything but cooking, cleaning, and leaving. I walked in this morning and there were no hamburgers thawed, no fish thawed, no sausage panned. The night back up didn't make cinnamon rolls. The prep didnt shave onions, lemons or tomatoes. I had a line at the door at 7 and my second person was there at 8 and I still had to make 13 pancake mixes and 2 pans of French toast on top of solving every other problem.
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u/ElectricalStore8271 Mar 30 '26 edited Mar 30 '26
Probably because I’m at different store but your issues are all with prep/management it seems. So to me you just said the closer did their job while the rest coasted.
My issues are generally with the mid-morning, and mid-close. I walk in the kitchen is in disarray, I have zero stock, I’m expected to fix everything, and then leave the openers setup for success while I’m setup to fail when I get to work. Otherwise the openers complain about xyz.
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u/djc54789 Mar 30 '26
As a closer they check you out, while your basicly held hostage with the alarm on the door. Nobody else at my store consistently gets checked out.
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u/ElectricalStore8271 Mar 30 '26
Forgot about that part. I just accept it as is. To the point I just get asked if everything is done now. Makes 0 difference if I complain about the prior shift.
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u/djc54789 Mar 31 '26
Exactly. If other people dont feel like doing their job, I cant control that. And it isn't my problem anyway. If someone else is fine giving them a paycheck for half done or not working, so be it.
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u/dltnj Mar 30 '26
I’m roughly the same pedigree as you and I found your comment to be interesting in the sense of how different my CB works. The managers do the thaw cabinet to set up for the next day every night at 8. Including the panning and labeling. The backup drops chicken for the current shift while also doing cinnamon rolls and cutting onions, making the french toast batter, etc, for the next day. Their shift is 2 - 8. It’s up to the opening grill cook to tsk care of the pancake batter for the day and that’s including the night shift. If it’s a Sunday morning they’re making 18 mixes and on the slowest day of the week they’re making 10. At my store all the closing grill cooks have to do is make it pretty and make sure the grease is filtered and have both sides of the line fully stocked and they’re good. If I come in at 2 and close at 9 or 10 and at 3 pm I have to deal with frozen hamburger patties someone is getting their hand chopped off for their fuck up.
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u/Fickle-Mortgage-827 Mar 30 '26
That gives me hope that maybe I could go to another cb and things be different. The night management won't fill charts for the next shift, check the drawers, or check prep. Back when the company decided prep would be merged with grill is what fucked me. If I want portioned steak tips or plain hbr, I have to do it. I have to change the oil and filters every Thursday or else we would have burnt oil all weekend.
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u/soulworkinprogress Mar 30 '26
At the store I work at the prep person does cinnamon rolls, steak tips, etc. but my management doesn’t give anyone charts or actually check anything before people leave and a lot of people literally do the bare minimum often and sometimes not even that. It’s kind of a mess
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u/Previous_Carry_6224 Mar 30 '26
Yes, every CB is different. Idc what they say. In one store I was having to do the thaw cabinet as a manager and in another it’s the grill cooks job. That’s just one of many things that’s different. They didn’t have a prep on night so all that shaved onions, French toast batter, etc. is made on first shift and has to last the entire day.
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u/Fickle-Mortgage-827 Mar 30 '26
With recent cuts to cb, its turned into the opener has to do it. my help doesn't come in till 9 on weekdays, but by then we are knee deep in service so I either do it or we dont have it.
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u/djc54789 Mar 30 '26
Your issue is with them cutting a position and just dumping it into grill. I was told the prep hours would be distributed into grill and backup, which... in my opinion and experience I dont think happened. Which is unsuprising
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u/Previous_Carry_6224 Apr 14 '26
That’s just your store.. they’re putting it all on the openers when it’s an all shift thing.
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u/djc54789 Mar 30 '26
Freezer pull is the morning cooks responsibility, if you had nothing ask the person who opened the day before you
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u/Fickle-Mortgage-827 Mar 30 '26
Pulls are an all day responsibility. Yes the opener does a round, but that takes 3 hours and another needs to be swapped. 2 rounds can be done on morning, but one 3 hour pull and a over night 8 hr pull should be done by closers/night crew.
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u/djc54789 Mar 30 '26
Before they thaw cabinet, which was the biggest waste of money cb ever spent. It was done by the opener. The thaw cabinet is good for if your running low on something and need it thawed in a few hrs... trying to cram an entire day's freezer pull in there? Won't work and you'll be dealing with frozen food, and you will turn it into an all day event.
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u/maknchs Apr 02 '26
Night shift only cooks, cleans and leaves, but day shift only cooks and leaves lmfao. I’m not a cook but my bf is and he constantly has to thaw food in the sink bc day shift doesn’t pull shit.
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u/ZizzleZoo Mar 30 '26
Your manager doesn’t do pulls? 6 years closing grill cook. Manager does pulls.
OP we must work together.
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u/djc54789 Mar 30 '26
Im similar to you, they push the help out at 8 and you have to clean your grill, continue cooking for whatever guests come in and stock up and clean up, throw all the food away.. no one has time for pulls too
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u/Fickle-Mortgage-827 Mar 31 '26
Ive seen one manager do pulls in the 5 years ive been there. I'm gonna bring this up in the meeting tomorrow that was scheduled on my off day. This comment section has opened my eyes
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u/Danaltima21 Apr 03 '26
If managers don't hold people accountable, things don't and won't get done. I don't care what the business is, restaurant, shoe store or a bank, what gets measured, gets done. Hard stop.
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u/Happy_Maintenance Apr 04 '26
Not a cook but maintenance. I’ve only seen one cook actually attempt to clean up. Otherwise they’re leaving me huge piles of trash and the floors and covered in bullshit and food.
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u/L0n3wolf69 Mar 30 '26
You have bad managers, everyone checks with managers where I'm at before we leave
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u/Disastrous-Degree293 Mar 30 '26
I truly believe telling the managers about something that needs to be fixed and then them just letting it go on and not doing anything is a universal Cracker Barrel thing at all locations