Need to get a nice dinner for a group in a pinch? I have discovered a great place: Cracker Barrel. They sell family sized dinners that serve six people. The dinners come with a meat, 3 sides and bread for around $42. You can also order 6 servings of only meat for about $20.
To keep the cost down, I offer two sides to my group instead of three. Let’s say I am feeding a group of 18. Here’s how it breaks down:
| Cost | Meat | Veggie 1 | Veggie 2 | Veggie 3 |
| $42 | 6 Pork Chops | 6 Mashed Potatoes | 6 Mashed Potatoes | 6 Mashed Potatoes |
| $42 | 6 Pork Chops | 6 Fried Okra | 6 Fried Okra | 6 Fried Okra |
| $20 | 6 Pork Chops | – | – | – |
| $104 | Total | Serves 18 | $5.77 per meal |
I can get $6 meals from other restaurants, but the reason that I like Cracker Barrel is that they offer a variety of meals that you can get at this price. I can take advantage of this meal deal with many of the entrées from their menu, and any of their sides. This means that I can use Cracker Barrel over and over again without being redundant.
The only challenge to this deal is that it comes in servings of 6. If your group is an exact multiple of 6, no problem. The good news is that you can buy single portions, but they are not as cost effective (and some managers seem more helpful with this than others).
They request a day’s notice, but they have always had it ready and waiting, even supplying the butter, jelly, and other trimmings. I definitely keep Cracker Barrel in mind if I want to offer dinner to a group.
