One of the Reasons Cracker Barrel is So Cheap is a Gut Punch to New Hampshire and Maine

Editor's note: This article was written by a Townsquare Media Northern New England contributor and may contain the individual's views, opinions or personal experiences.

Who hasn't heard of Cracker Barrel, known for its homemade, massive breakfasts and a warm welcome when you arrive?

Cracker Barrel Restaurants Lawsuit

For me, and I think for many, it's a favorite for grandparents and families who want a less expensive yet huge breakfast as well as the perfect road trip stop.  Those tall Cracker Barrel signs dot the highways and byways across the country.  It's almost like America's Sweetheart when it comes to restaurants, with its hometown classic comfort food, country lifestyle filling our tummies with biscuits and gravy, blueberry muffins, tall stacks of pancakes, and of course that country store that draws us all in with its Southern hospitality no matter where it's located.

Fresh baked biscuits with country gravy on a rustic wooden table

That old-fashioned feel where chicken and dumplings, vintage trinkets, and old-time candy are everywhere.

Alan Jackson At Cracker Barrel To Promote The Alan Jackson Collection

Even the rocking chairs lining the wrap-around wooden entrances or lawns beckon.  And again, it's so inexpensive comparatively, which is unheard of when you think about their descriptions of farm-fresh, thick-sliced, country-style, and so forth.

Cracker Barrel Restaurants Lawsuit

So are you ready?  I stumbled upon this article in Mashed and it spilled the goods on why Cracker Barrel can keep its prices lower than most, and the first reason was truly a punch in the gut if you live in New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont.

pancakes with maple syrup

Let's talk about those tall stacks of fluffy buttermilk pancakes and dive into the delicious, thick french toast where butter and our ever-loved maple syrup are synonymous.

Close-up of pouring maple syrup on stack of pancakes.

Cracker Barrel's syrup isn't 100% pure maple syrup!  What the what?!? How dare they in the maple syrup capital of the country?  Now clearly that's a bit selfish sounding on my part, considering maple syrup holds a special place for us in New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont.  I mean, we rule that market with Vermont as the number one producer according to Statista, followed by New York, Maine, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan, then New Hampshire. So, anything not pure is basically blasphemous.

A line of trees with maple syrup buckets.

Cracker Barrel, according to Mashed, mixes maple syrup with sugar cane syrup, and even the label confirms this on the Cracker Barrel syrup bottle.  It literally says that it's 55% pure maple syrup and 45% sugarcane syrup.

Oh well, at least we know, and I doubt it will stop any of us from saying no to our grandparents or parents who want to take advantage of the cheap prices.  Maybe we can just bring out own maple syrup.

Tapped New England sugar maple tree dripping sap into bucket.

Pure maple syrup is pricey as well, considering it takes about 40 gallons of sap to produce one gallon according to Penn State. So, mixing it with sugarcane syrup is one key way that Cracker Barrel keeps its costs down, passing that on to you and me.

Click here for the other 10 reasons why Cracker Barrel is so cheap.