Cracker Barrel Has Its Own Theory On Our Breakfast Egg Preferences

Cracker Barrel certainly knows its way around the breakfast table. Consider that the chain regularly sells a whopping 162 million eggs every single year, which accompany the many downhome breakfasts available all day long. When it comes to which style of eggs is most popular at the restaurant, be it scrambled, fried, or poached, representatives for Cracker Barrel offer an interesting insight.

Speaking with Today, the Vice President of Culinary and Menu Strategy for the restaurant brand believes that your childhood has a lot to do with how you prefer your eggs. According to Cammie Spillyards-Schaefer, "However your mom cooked your eggs when you were growing up is typically how you like to eat them for the rest of your life," an insight that Spillyards-Schaefer attributes to her time spent as a chef. Of course, there's no real way to verify whether this claim is actually true, but it's clear that nostalgia definitely plays a factor in a lot of food preferences. Maybe that explains why America's favorite eggs from a statistical perspective are a classic of childhood breakfasts.

A YouGov poll quizzed Americans on their breakfast preferences, including how they like their eggs cooked. A bit unsurprisingly, 36% of those surveyed prefer their eggs scrambled, which is possibly the most common preparation. In second place with 18% of the vote are over-easy eggs, while sunny side up eggs are in third place at 12%. Over medium is preferred by 11% of Americans, and hardboiled eggs are in last place with just 6% of the total votes. Egg styles vary in terms of doneness, with over well creating the hardest yolk and over easy creating the runniest yolk. As for sunny side up, these eggs are fried without flipping, which leaves the yolk upright.

In keeping with America's wide-ranging preferences, Cracker Barrel offers a wide selection of egg preparations when it comes to the chain's build your own homestyle breakfast option. Diners can order scrambled, sunny side up, over easy, over medium, and over well eggs, as well as egg whites for a healthier breakfast option. Along with the wide selection of egg styles, Cracker Barrel also offers a variety of breakfast meats and side dish options to make the perfect meal.

Cracker Barrel is quite proud of its southern-inspired fare and enjoys quizzing customers on which dishes they love most. In a list of the chain's ten most popular dishes, breakfast options make quite a few appearances. In fact, the top spot is occupied by momma's pancake breakfast, which features two eggs, three pancakes, and your choice of bacon or sausage.

At number nine on the list is grandma's sampler, another pancake-forward breakfast option. Along with two pancakes, diners can also enjoy two eggs cooked their way, sausage, bacon, and your choice of country or sugar-cured ham. And if that's not enough, this dish also comes with your choice of hashbrown casserole or fried apples on the side. Last on the list but definitely not least is the old timer's breakfast, which features two eggs, grits, your choice of breakfast meat and either hashbrown casserole or fried apples. No matter what breakfast option you order, you can rest assured that you'll receive your eggs precisely cooked to your specifications, just like mom used to make.