Quick answer: Cracker Barrel runs a set schedule of daily specials. Monday is chicken and rice or meatloaf, Tuesday country fried pork chops, Wednesday broccoli cheddar chicken, Thursday turkey and dressing, Friday the fish fry, and weekends belong to Southern fried chicken. Most weekday specials cost about $10 to $13 as of October 2026 and include sides and bread. Prices and lineups vary by location.
Most restaurants hide their best value in a chalkboard you only see after you sit down. Cracker Barrel does the opposite. The specials follow a weekly rhythm that regulars memorize, and once you know the schedule, you can plan a visit around your favorite plate instead of hoping to get lucky.
The Week at a Glance
| Day | Special | Typical price |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Homestyle Chicken and Rice, or Meatloaf (varies by store) | ~$10.99 |
| Tuesday | Country Fried Pork Chops | ~$11.49 |
| Wednesday | Broccoli Cheddar Chicken | ~$10.99 |
| Thursday | Turkey and Dressing | ~$11.99 |
| Friday | Fish Fry (fried cod or catfish, store dependent) | ~$12.49 |
| Saturday and Sunday | Southern Fried Chicken | ~$13.99 |
Every special arrives with your choice of country sides and buttermilk biscuits or corn muffins, same as the regular dinner plates. That is the whole appeal: a full dinner for a few dollars less than the standard menu price, just for showing up on the right day.
Monday and Tuesday: The Comfort Openers
Monday flips a coin by location. Some stores run a homestyle chicken and rice, tender chicken folded into seasoned rice with a homestyle gravy lean, while others plate the meatloaf with its tomato glaze as the Monday special. Neither choice disappoints. Call ahead if your heart is set on one of them, because smaller stores pick a single lane for the season.
Tuesday belongs to country fried pork chops: two chops, breaded and fried like the steak, under sawmill gravy. It is the richest plate of the week and the one line cooks will tell you they eat on their own breaks. Pair it with greens to cut the richness and you have the balance right.
Wednesday: Broccoli Cheddar Chicken
Wednesday’s special is the one people describe as the sleeper hit. A grilled or baked chicken breast gets covered in a cheddar cheese sauce with broccoli worked through it, served over rice at most stores. It eats lighter than the fried plates, lands around $10.99, and shows up in copycat recipes all over the internet for a reason.
Thursday: Turkey and Dressing, the Weekly Holiday
Thursday is Thanksgiving practice. Sliced roast turkey over cornbread dressing, turkey gravy, cranberry sauce, and your pick of sides, with sweet potato casserole as the traditional partner. At roughly $11.99 it undercuts most holiday plates by a wide margin, and the dining room fills with people who clearly plan their week around it. Want the same flavors for a crowd at home? The heat and serve family meals cover that job.
Friday: Fish Fry Night
Friday closes the work week with the fish fry: golden fried fish, cod at many stores and catfish at others, plus hushpuppies, coleslaw, and fries or your choice of sides, around $12.49. It is the busiest special night at stores near the interstate, and the fish is fried in batches all evening. Arrive before 6 p.m. or be ready for a porch wait with the rocking chairs.
The Weekend Belongs to Fried Chicken
Saturday and Sunday run Southern fried chicken as the headline special: bone-in pieces with a seasoned, craggy crust, served with two or three sides and bread for about $13.99. It is the priciest special of the week and still a bargain next to ordering the components separately. Sunday lunch crowds treat it as tradition, so the same early-arrival advice applies double.
Specials vs. the Regular Menu: Where the Savings Really Are
Run the numbers on a Thursday. A turkey plate ordered off the regular dinner menu, where it exists, tends to sit near $13 to $14. The Thursday special plates the same turkey and dressing for about $11.99, sides and biscuits included. Two dollars here, three on Friday’s fish, and a family of four that plans around the schedule saves $10 to $14 on one dinner without ordering a single thing differently.
The specials also explain themselves in the kitchen. A dish the line is plating two hundred times an evening comes out fast and consistent, while slow movers off the regular menu can lag on a busy night. Ordering the special is not settling. Half the time it is the freshest plate in the building, because it never sits.
Stack the habits: special day, arrive before the rush, and split one dessert for the table instead of skipping it. That is the full regulars’ play, and it works at nearly every store in the chain.
How to Get the Most From Special Days
A small fourth point, about leftovers: the turkey, meatloaf, and chicken specials all reheat well, and the portions run large enough that plenty of solo diners order the special, eat half, and box the rest for tomorrow’s lunch. Two meals at a special price beats one meal at the regular price, and nobody at the table has to know the second meal was planned all along.
Three habits separate the regulars from the rookies. First, specials are a while-it-lasts deal at most stores, and Thursday turkey at a busy location can run out by 7 p.m. Second, the special price usually beats the same plate on the regular menu by $2 to $4, so it pays to bend your schedule one day either way. Third, check your store before a special trip, since a minority of locations shuffle the lineup seasonally. The full menu context, including breakfast served all day, sits on the home page, and the daily specials guide tracks reader reports on lineup changes.
What About Breakfast Specials?
Fair question, since breakfast is half the reason people come. The morning menu does not rotate a daily special the way dinner does. Breakfast value works differently: the budget anchors are on the menu every day, led by biscuits and gravy around $9.09 and the smaller egg plates and oatmeal under $10. Seasonal pancake stacks show up for a few weeks at a time, and those are the closest thing breakfast gets to a special event.
One timing trick ties the two menus together. Specials start around 11 a.m. at most stores, while breakfast runs all day. A late-morning table can order pancakes for one seat and the day’s special for another, which is exactly what the 10:45 a.m. crowd at the counter is doing. The full morning lineup lives on the breakfast menu page.
Specials Questions
What time do daily specials start?
At most stores the lunch and dinner specials start around 11 a.m. and run until close or until the kitchen runs out, whichever comes first.
Which day has the best value special?
Wednesday broccoli cheddar chicken and Monday’s special usually carry the lowest prices of the week, around $10.99 at most locations.
Do specials include sides and biscuits?
Yes. Specials come with your choice of country sides plus buttermilk biscuits or corn muffins at no extra charge, just like a regular dinner plate.
Is the Friday fish fry cod or catfish?
It depends on the store. Many locations fry cod, others use catfish, and some offer both. The price is typically around $12.49 either way.
Can I order the daily special to go?
Yes, specials are available for takeout at most stores, in person and through online ordering where offered.
Do all locations follow the same schedule?
Most do, but lineups can vary by store and season, and Monday in particular flips between chicken and rice and meatloaf. A quick call to your store settles it.
Cracker Barrel Menu Guide is an independent guide and is not affiliated with Cracker Barrel Old Country Store. Prices shown are typical US prices as of October 2026 and vary by location.
Cracker Barrel Daily Specials: What to Remember
Pick your day before you pick your plate, and the cracker barrel daily specials will save you money all week. Keep this cracker barrel daily specials table handy, then check the official Cracker Barrel menu for your local store before you set off.
Why the Weekday Rotation Works the Way It Does
The rotation is not random. It spreads the kitchen load across the week, so no single station gets hammered five days in a row. Monday leans on comfort food because a lot of folks walk in tired after the weekend and want something familiar. By Thursday, turkey and dressing shows up, and that is no accident either. It gives regulars a midweek meal that feels like a small holiday without the cooking or the cleanup. If you visit the same store often, you will start to notice the rhythm. The same faces show up on the same days, and they usually order the same plate. That is the rotation doing its job.
Ranking the Week for Value, Not Just Taste
Taste is personal, but value is easier to judge. Look at what comes on the plate, not just the main dish. A special that pairs a filling protein with two hearty sides and bread tends to stretch further than a lighter plate at a similar price. Friday fish fry nights often win on sheer portion size, while Thursday turkey and dressing wins for people who want leftovers for lunch the next day. Monday can be the quiet bargain, simply because fewer people think to go out at the start of the week. Prices vary by location, so treat any ranking as a guide, not a promise. Check your local store before you plan around a price.
Best Value Days for Different Kinds of Eaters
Big appetites usually do best on Friday or the weekend, when fried chicken and fish portions feel generous. Lighter eaters often prefer Wednesday, when broccoli cheddar chicken feels rich without being heavy. Families juggling kids and a budget may find Monday or Tuesday the easiest win, since the plates are familiar and kids rarely argue with them. If you are eating with a group, see the Cracker Barrel family meals guide before you decide between individual specials and a shared order.
When Specials Sell Out, and How to Beat the Rush
Popular specials do run out, especially on Friday evenings and holiday weekends. It is not a marketing trick. A store only preps so much turkey, fish, or fried chicken for one service, and once the pan is empty, that day’s special is done. Arriving before the dinner rush helps more than anything else. Lunch visits are usually calmer, and weekday lunches are calmer still. If you are driving a fair distance for one specific special, a quick call ahead saves a wasted trip. Ask whether that day’s special is still available, and ask what time it usually runs out on busy days.
Pairing Each Special With the Right Sides
The right side can turn a good special into a great meal. Mashed potatoes and gravy suit meatloaf and turkey and dressing because they soak up the sauces. Green beans or turnip greens cut through fried food on Friday and the weekend, and they keep the plate from feeling too heavy. Macaroni and cheese works well with chicken dishes, especially for kids, though adults order it just as often. Cornbread or biscuits are not an afterthought here. They are part of the value, and they are worth saving for the last few bites with gravy. For evening plans, the Cracker Barrel dinner menu with prices guide helps you compare a special against the full dinner lineup.
Planning a Week of Visits Without Repeating a Plate
You do not need to visit five days in a row to enjoy the rotation. Pick two or three days that fit your schedule and build around them. A simple plan works well: one comfort day early in the week, one fish or chicken day later, and one weekend visit if you want fried chicken at its busiest and freshest. Space the visits out, and each plate feels new again. If breakfast is more your style on a weekend morning, check the Cracker Barrel breakfast menu and prices guide first, then return for a lunch or dinner special another day. The point is simple. Let the calendar do the choosing, and you will spend less time deciding and more time enjoying the meal.