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h3llc4t, breaker of office dress codes
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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As a born Vermonter, I see this as a crime against nature. You don't water down your maple syrup with that other crap! Shame, Maple Grove Farms, shame. (Although I can't imagine the amount of money they must get from that business partnership.)

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3 replies
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Dacker
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@h3llc4t, breaker of office dress codes:


Being originally from Middlebury, I whole heartedly agree.


Shame on Cracker Barrel for implementing this sham. Unfortunately, the same misleading marketing has been in-place for at least 20 years with maple sugar candy. Most of what you can buy has been a mix of cane/beet sugar and maple sugar (in that order.) If you've had the real stuff, it's very easy to tell the difference.


What I cannot comprehend is how they could justify switching to a sugar-based syrup AND shrinking the volume at the same time.


Since I now live in the Pacific NW, I buy my genuine syrup at Costco and/or the occasional half-price sales on Amazon (of all places.) It's well worth the $13/quart for the real stuff. I wish I could still buy it for $32/gallon in VT (via my brother's friend, a sugar shack owner.) With shipping, it's just not worth the slight price advantage to impose on him.

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subtlefrog
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@h3llc4t, breaker of office dress codes: In totally unrelated news - please follow me again on Twitter. It was unintentional - I had no coffee!!!!

But yes - I'm not from Vermont, but yikes - you don't dilute the real thing with...with...that crap.

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h3llc4t, breaker of office dress codes
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@subtlefrog: Heh, no worries, dear. I just figured you didn't know it was me.
And while I appreciate the fact that it's cane sugar rather than HFCS...you do not desecrate breakfast foods in such a manner. It is simply not done.

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bohemian
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@h3llc4t, breaker of office dress codes: This ruins the point of getting pancakes at Cracker Barrel. It is one of those high calorie indulgence meals. The pure maple syrup was one of the indulgences because I rarely keep the real deal in the kitchen at home. I would rather they increased prices.

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ludwigk
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@bohemian: They could switch to a tiny cruet of maple syrup, buy big bottles of it, and save money that way. Not every pancake customer needs a sealed bottle. This is what they do at Denny's, although they don't even use real maple syrup.

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dragonfire81
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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As a born canadian, I wholeheartedly agree!

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Mr_Human
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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I'm more offended by the tricky label (\"100% Pure Natural Syrup\"? Please.) than the change. Although if you're not using pure maple syrup with your pancakes or waffles, you shouldn't bother with them. I didn't learn that until I was 30.

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mamalicious
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@Mr_Human: I so agree. We never use anything but pure maple syrup, which we try to buy at places like Costco and Trader Joe's, because it is very expensive.

It's funny, but I've never bought any other kind of syrup, because my mom always used 100% maple syrup, so when I actually did taste Aunt Jemima's syrup - I was disgusted.

Buying real maple syrup is definitely worth it.

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kaceetheconsumer
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@Mr_Human: Every time someone tries to tell me that something is good because it's 100% natural, I remind them that uranium and arsenic occur naturally too.

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kaceetheconsumer
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@ChuckECheese: Yup, there are lots of natural things that just aren't very tasty. Most of the periodic table of elements occurs naturally.

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stormbird
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@kaceetheconsumer: I have found that if you put in chocolate chips or butterscotch chips, you don't need syrup. The nieces love that for brinner (breakfast for dinner).

HFCS is evil. It turns off the hor

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nbs2
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@stormbird: When I was in college, the cafeteria would alternate between sweet (pancake/french toast) and salty (bacon/sausage/eggs). On sweet days, it was always 4 pancakes and a 1/2 pound of chocolate chips. So good.

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stormbird
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@stormbird: Grr. Damn my enter-hitting pinky.

HFCS is evil. It turns off the HORMONE (thanks again, pinky) that turns off hunger and causes gout. There's a video at [www.forumeter.com] explaining it. I do disagree where he shows that HFCS was on the Grassy Knoll.

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kaceetheconsumer
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@stormbird: I put on 30lbs in three months when I first moved to the US and was eating exactly the same as I had in Canada, and actually getting a bit more exercise. It took me years to find out that it was because the US versions of the products I was eating had HFCS. Cutting HFCS out of our home entirely helped me loose weight...not as fast as I put it on, but it did go. Anecdotal or not, that's enough bad evidence for me to never consume it again.

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Sheogorath
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@Mr_Human:
At least it's cane sugar and not HFCS.

Delicious corn syrup. And it's %100 natural! It comes from corn, right?

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katstermonster
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@Mr_Human: I was talking to a friend one time about how I hate eating breakfast in diners because I don't eat eggs and they often don't have real maple syrup. She said, \"What do you mean, real maple syrup? They give you syrup!\"

She didn't even realize that the Mrs. Butterworth's she'd been using all those years wasn't from maple trees. *Facepalm*

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katstermonster
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@Mr_Human: Oh god, check out the conversation 3 below this. Apparently no one knows the real from the fake...

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Shadowfire
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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It's still from Maple Grove Farms. I wonder what those fine folks think of this change? I know being a Vermonter, I'm not terribly impressed.

But then again, real maple syrup? --yum--

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2 replies
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★_red3001
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@Shadowfire: From the official Cracker Barrel response, there is a shortage of real maple syrup.

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sean98125
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@Shadowfire: Maple Grove Farms is probably in an office park outside Smyrna.

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mrsam
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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It looks to me like a good chunk of that buck-fifty is the cost of the plastic bottle. There's got to be a more cost-effective way of packaging single servings of maple syrup.

At one diner I occasionally frequented, the waitress always brings out a bucket full maple syrup in sealed plastic containers. You peel off the top, and pour out the syrupy goodness. I used at most two containers, it was more than enough for my order, and by eyeballing the picture, it looks like even the shrunk bottle holds at least six-eight cups' worth of syrup.

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TCama
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@mrsam: They could do what most restaurants do and put refillable containers on the table. Not only are they not wasting the plastic/glass/whatever, but if the customer uses less than what would be in a single-serve bottle, you aren't wasting the remainder.

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bohemian
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@TCama: wouldn't a squeeze bottle be sanitary? But then they would have the issue of people using half the bottle at one sitting. Maybe they should just upcharge if you want real maple syrup rather than the flavored stuff or fruit syrups.

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katstermonster
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@bohemian: They do upcharge. The container TCama is talking about is most likely NOT real maple syrup.

@catastrophegirl: Ah, thank you much. I thought so.

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katstermonster
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@TCama: That's not real maple syrup in that refillable container. Maple syrup has to be refrigerated once opened.

@mrsam: That's probably not real maple syrup either. I've never seen real syrup in a packet like that, only the fake stuff. I don't see any in a quick google of \"maple syrup packet.\"

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flavious27
November 23, 2009 5:32 PM
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@katstermonster: and they couldn't keep the syrup containers in a reach-in?

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TCama
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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It's also tricky that it's still from \"Maple Grove Farms.\"

But pure maple syrup isn't cheap. I usually buy local stuff when I visit my parents' place in Pensylvania, and it's like $15 for a quart.

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Megalomania
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@TCama: there's something to be said about being a massive restaurant chain when it comes to getting discounts on stuff... however, I'm sure that enough people won't notice/won't care to offset those who refuse to accept lessened quality.

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Tankueray
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@TCama: \"Maple Grove Farms\" makes all kinds of \"maple flavored but not containing real\" maple syrup. [www.maplegrove.com] Warning: there's a Today Show video on the main page.

My favorite sugar free maple-flavored syrup comes from them. Got me a big-ol' bottle here. It has: Water, Sorbitol, Cellulose Gum, Natural and Art. Maple Flavor (sulfites), Salt, Splenda, and a whole bunch of preservatives that people say cause cancer. It's no where close to the real thing, but if I'm going to go with fake, I'm also going to cut out the calories.

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Verucalise (Est.February2008)
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@Tankueray: A+! I'm the same way.... might die of cancer, but at least I was able to cut out 500 calories a day with substitutes!

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bornonbord
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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As a restaurant, Cracker Barrel should be aware that when you mess with a recipe that people have come to know and love, their clientele will get upset.

Although I'm not a regular patron, french toast in general is delicious when slathered in salted butter and 100% pure Vermont maple syrup.

On the other hand, that's some expensive-ass syrup for a us-wide chain to use.

But, if you want to set yourself apart from the others.... quality products is one way to.

What's the cost of French Toast at a Cracker Barrel?

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godospoons
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@bornonbord: Have you eaten at a Cracker Barrel? I don't think the average client would notice the shift in quality. ;)

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bohemian
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@bornonbord: They also cut the portion sizes in half over about a year period of time. We used to eat at Cracker Barrel frequently when we traveled on weekends. One of their big breakfast meals was enough to last you all day, this is why we ate there before we hit the road. We noticed portions became smaller about late 2007. Then they became smaller again in 2008. That was the point we quit eating there. They quit serving the purpose of a large meal before we traveled home.

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ktetch
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@bohemian: Yeah, i've noticed the shrinking portions too.

The nearest big town to me is a truck-stop town on I20, so they have a Cracker Barrel. We'd go every so often. We noticed about a year ago that the portions just didn't fill us up any more, and we'd still leave hungry.

We went Friday night in fact, first time in 7 months. We were left waiting for our food for 45 minutes (our server was so busy helping others that she forgot to put in our order) then after the manager got involved, our food finally came. My order was wrong, and took 2 more trips to the kitchen to solve it. The manager took care of the bill, but it's the first time in the 9 years we've been together that my wife (born and raised here in Georgia) hasn't tipped (she was REALLY pissed when the server said it 'wasn't really her fault')

We were considering going there for Thanksgiving (experimenting with alternatives to expensive thanksgiving cooking - especially as I'm British and it doesn't really matter to me) but now we'll probably look at other places. Might go back to CB another time, but it will be a month or three at least

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tkates
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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I don't mind paying extra for maple syrup, but it had better be real maple syrup.

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ZeusThaber
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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at least they aren't switching to those cheap oak or poplar syrups.

Blech.

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3 replies
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ianbeyer
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@ZeusThaber: That would be a terribly un-poplar move.

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AlexDitto
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@ianbeyer: A beech of contract? Would people pine for the real thing?

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Shoelace
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@MauriceCallidice: Willow will not Cracker Barrel respond to this?

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frodolives35
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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My family will kill me if they knew (Vermont roots) but I prefer cane syrup over the maple syrup I was force feed all my life. Of cource we all know the stuff that is sold is not the best stuff and my uncle and cousins make some great syrup.

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FangDoc
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@frodolives35: Second that. I will use pure maple syrup as an ingredient when baking, but when I'm eating pancakes I prefer Log Cabin or Mrs. Butterworth because it's viscous enough to not soak in as much and make the pancakes soggy.

Sigh. All my foodie cred, gone.

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ChuckECheese
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@FangDoc: My sister hates real maple syrup. A funny memory is of her at breakfast at my house one time, yelling at her pancakes (in reference to the real maple syrup I served) \"Why do people like this!?!\"

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Sir Winston Thriller
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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Damned flatlanders.

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PsiCop
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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What a crime. There is nothing like real maple syrup on French toast, anything else is just not the same. (There are some maple farms near me and we're able to get the best around, so I know.)

As for dispensing their syrup this way, it seems pretty wasteful. Most diners have syrup in larger decanters, and you just pour it from that. Packaging it into little bottles must be costing Cracker Barrel something.

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SG-Cleve
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@PsiCop: Real maple syrup is way too expensive to allow diners to pour their own from a large decanter.

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inadequatewife
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@SG-Cleve: When the sap is \"running\" here in the spring, we can go to all you can eat pancake and sausage breakfasts for about $7 per adult (church, firehall, etc - not actual restaurants). They serve pure maple syrup in Rubbermaid pitchers, also all you can pour.

The syrup comes from a local maple farm, and they have a table in the corner set up to sell their products. They do quite a brisk business.

The syrup may be expensive, but decanters eliminate the \"theft\" of the little bottles (yes, I know they are paid for in the cost of the meal) and the waste from half-used bottles. I'd think it would balance out in the end.

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Kimaroo - 100% Pure Natural Kitteh
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@PsiCop: They do it this way so that you go into their store section and buy the matching bigger bottle for home use.

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Shoelace
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@Kimaroo - Fortified with Kittydus Purrularis: I think sales are about to decline. And just in time for the holidays!

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inadequatewife
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@PsiCop: I commented further down that Cracker Barrel should switch to the decanters with real maple syrup, but I guess then we wouldn't be able to believe it was \"real\" vs \"fake\".

I assume that the average restaurant uses \"maple flavored\" syrup and not the real thing. Which used to impress me at Cracker Barrel because it was clear that they were using 100% pure maple syrup. I guess the average consumer doesn't notice the change in packaging/labeling.

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Kimaroo - 100% Pure Natural Kitteh
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@inadequatewife: It impressed me as well, even though I don't use the syrup personally. It made it seem like they really cared about quality ingredients. I'm pretty shocked by this change.. and I'm glad I had the evidence to prove it!

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RecordStoreToughGuy_starcommandseries.com
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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Meh, I've never been a fan of maple syrup, really. I suppose I only put it on waffles at home out of habit, and even then, it's the Roddenberry's Butter Maple Syrup Product. I've also never really been a fan of Cracker Barrel's pancakes or french toast. Their Old Timer's or Smokehouse breakfast is pretty awesome though.

I suppose I will get pilloried for saying that I much prefer IHOP's strawberry syrup to any variety of maple, even the 100% pure kind.

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Verucalise (Est.February2008)
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@BluePlastic: Holy moly... and I thought my S.O. was the only one who used Karo syrup (and a stick of butter!) on his french toast....

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Mackinstyle
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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CANADA IS ANGRY

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ChuckECheese
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@Mackinstyle: @Mackinstyle: Why should Canada be angry? It's almost assured that the new, redacted \"Maple Grove Farms\" is some erabliere de Quebec where the supplies are greater than Vermont and the prices cheaper.

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inadequatewife
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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I grew up thinking \"maple syrup\" was Aunt Jemima or Mrs. Butterworths. Never had real maple syrup until I was an adult and my husband introduced me to the real thing.

Every spring we head to the maple farm 20 minutes away and buy a 4-liter tin for $55.00 - very pricey but worth every penny and we support a local farmer. We keep the big tin in the freezer which turns the syrup into a thick sludge, but keeps it from getting moldy. We transfer smaller quantities to a syrup dispenser which we keep in the fridge.

This article definitely affects my impression of Cracker Barrel. Even though they're a big chain, I figured they were a little more \"home cooked\" than the typical place that just microwaves precooked food.

I agree with everyone else that they should use dispensers on the table, with real maple syrup. Less expensive packaging with the real product seems like a winning combination.

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HogwartsAlum
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@inadequatewife: Oh, I wish I had a maple farm that close. That is awesome. I tried real maple syrup recently and loved it. It's different, but totally yummy.

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inadequatewife
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@HogwartsAlum: The maple farm we go to is great - a family run business that's open all year. They have a little museum in the barn with old equipment and will teach you all about the history of maple syrup production. The boil the sap right there in the barn, so you can see/smell it happening. They do hayrides back into the sugar bush so you can see all the buckets and (newer) plastic tubing.

They have dispensers where you can taste the different grades and compare the texture/flavour. Best of all, they have a little store where you can buy their syrup - everything from a 2 oz bottle (way overpriced) to a 4 liter tin (affordable, yet still pricey). They also sell maple butter, spreads, cookies, candy, etc... that they make on-site.

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ianbeyer
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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While maple syrup prices tend to fluctuate wildly (it's a traded commodity), and it's still a crop subject to the schizophrenic whims of Mother Nature, If you are in the business of serving maple syrup, you understand this as a cost of doing business.

I grew up in maple country, and refuse to put brown corn syrup on my pancakes. I'll pay market rate to get the real deal.

Costco sells maple syrup, and packages it such that the price remains constant, and the package size varies based on the going rate for the current year's crop. Maple prices were high this year, so the bottle was smaller. A few years ago, when syrup was cheap, the $14 at Costco bought you a 2-quart jug. I shoulda stocked up!

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ChuckECheese
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@ianbeyer: Grade A syrup (too pale for my tastes as I prefer dark amber or B) is still available for ≈ 50¢ / oz @ Costco. This means that Crack Barrel should be able to get it for less. Somehow I doubt that the stuff costs CB $1.50 a bottle. Nevertheless, it is still a condiment that is ruining their breakfast margins. And I bet the bean-counters rue the day they offered it for free. Someday they'll probably offer it as an upcharge. I also remember that about 6 years ago, those bottles were 2 oz. So the shrink ray has stared it tiny on more than one occasion. Soon it will be the 1960s & 70s again and people will be boiling sugar with water and flavoring it with Mapleine.

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tankertodd
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@ianbeyer: Sam's quit selling maple syrup and since then I've been scoring it whenever I can. A recent trip to Canada and the duty free shop helped a lot. A beekeeper friend of ours gave us some honey, which is PHENOMENAL. Just a beautiful, complex, flavorful sugar. When you take a mixture of half honey and half butter and put it on pancakes, it's just SUPER.

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katia802
November 23, 2009 5:32 PM
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@speedwell, new and improved: Think my blood sugar went up 200 points just thinking about that one!

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JulesNoctambule
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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I'm slightly impressed they used cane syrup instead of corn syrup.

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The Cheat
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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[s0.ilike.com] ??

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katstermonster
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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Okay, so a few comments on this article would lead me to believe that people don't know the real stuff from the fake stuff, or even know there's a difference. A few key points:

(1) REAL maple syrup must be refrigerated after opened. The refillable container at IHOP is not real syrup, and neither are those packets you get at the diner.

(2) If you're not paying extra for it at a restaurant, it's probably not syrup.

(3) Real maple syrup develops maple sugar crusties around the top of the container (YUM). If you don't see those after the first use....it's not male syrup.

(4) The real deal will be labelled with \"100% Real Maple Syrup,\" plus an indication of the grade (A, B, etc.).

Do as many people as I think really now know the difference? Not being snarky, I'm just really curious, since I grew up on the real stuff and was shocked as all hell to have breakfast at a friend's house at the age of 5 and gag when I tasted Mrs. Butterworth's. Blech. I guess I'm just a syrup elitist. :)

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NatalieErin
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@katstermonster:
#2 is only true at chain restaurants and diners, IMO. A lot of the little breakfast places I've been to only have real syrup.


@HogwartsAlum: Someone made a Little House on the Prairie cookbook? I believe I'll be asking for that for xmas.

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kaceetheconsumer
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@katstermonster: I have known far too many people - mostly living in the southern half of the US where they never see snow or maples - who don't know the difference, and when presented with the real thing, prefer the fake stuff. Their tastes have been cultured to sweet sweet sweet, not flavour.

It is sad.

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dragonfire81
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@inadequatewife: Mmmmmmmm good! That's the stuff right there. As a Canadian I love me some maple syrup or maple taffy or maple candies, but down here in the southwest they are hard to come by but I always make sure to have my relatives from up north send me down some for Christmas. :D

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Tankueray
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@dragonfire81: Oh yeah, I love some maple candy. I haven't found anything close in Texas my whole life. I think maybe in the '80s Hickory Farms used to sell something...

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Tankueray
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@kaceetheconsumer: Well, being transplanted into the south at a very early age, I have to say I was horrified when I saw someone pouring pure clear Karo syrup on pancakes once. I can't normally afford real maple syrup, and I actually prefer sugar-free maple flavored now for dietary reasons, but yeah, it takes all kinds.

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RecordStoreToughGuy_starcommandseries.com
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@Tankueray: Karo aside, the south has been known for favoring highly sweet condiments and dishes. Maple rarely made it down here, but we made do with sorghum, cane syrup, and molasses, all of which are likely far sweeter than maple, and probably have a less complex taste (with the possible exception of the molasses). Although I've never seen anyone put pure Karo on their pancakes; in my family it was used for cooking, and then mostly pecan pie (also known for being diabetes-inducingly sweet.)

I've always preferred jams, jellies, and preserves to syrups, anyway. Or even straight-up honey. They're far, FAR better on biscuits than maple syrup, anyway. Maple I can take or leave, but I'll kill the man who comes between me and a fresh biscuit with homemade strawberry preserves. XD

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katstermonster
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@kaceetheconsumer: That's horrifying. Mind-boggling. To each his own, I suppose.

@CFinWV: Huh. Interesting. I love me some real maple syrup...probably because it's what I grew up on, though.

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katstermonster
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@katstermonster: LOL @ my accidental misspelling of maple as \"male.\" Hehe.

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MostlyHarmless
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@katstermonster: That point #3 has SO much potential.

But OTOH, are you trying to tell me that my male syrup isnt really male syrup unless it doesnt form crusts?

Also,

Off The Grid: Your doin it rong.

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katstermonster
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@MostlyHarmless: Hey, I never said I was giving up the Big C for the weekend.

@EarlNowak: Ah, so true. I guess living here in CT I benefit from being close to all the syrup-making, etc. Kind of blew my mind wen I figured out other people didn't eat the good stuff. Heh. How expensive is it in other parts of the US?

@subtlefrog: Yesssss.....accidental, I say. Haha. Now that I look at it, it makes sense that some people don't know the difference, simply by geography. Still hurts me, though. I love my male -- er, MAPLE syrup!

@Laura Northrup: Same here. I actually use syrup pretty sparingly, because I only make pancakes or french toast a few times a year, and it's definitely worth the price to have it around. My mother buys in bulk. YUM.

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subtlefrog
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@katstermonster: \"Accidental.\"

This story suddenly takes a very perverse turn about \"male syrup.\"

I don't really think that many people know the difference, though, because I'd bet most people didn't grow up on the real stuff. I'd bet most people grew up on Mrs. Butterworth's because it is widely available, and cheap. The average person probably looks at the cost of real maPle syrup and doesn't see a reason to spend that. Again, I'm talking about the average person, not everyone. Else, how would so many syrup companies still be in business?

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EarlNowak
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@katstermonster: A lot of us live in the south and were never exposed to things like \"Maple\" or \"Snow\".

Until I had a roommate from upstate new york in grad school, I didn't know the difference between Maple and Table syrups. Then again, I had to teach her the difference between Wild Shrimp and imported farmed shrimp, so I think it was an even exchange.

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inadequatewife
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@EarlNowak: Maple and Snow in the same sentence = Maple Taffy on Snow = pure decadence.

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HogwartsAlum
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@inadequatewife: Is that like in Little House on the Prairie, where they poured the hot syrup on the snow and made candy? I'm gonna try that this year, if we get any amount of snow where I can get some clean stuff from under the top.

Heh, I have a LHOTP cookbook. :)

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inadequatewife
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@HogwartsAlum: Yes. Hot syrup drizzed in a line on the snow. Let it harden for 20 seconds, then you take a popsicle stick and roll it into the sticky mess until you get a lollipop. The stick keeps you from burning your hands on the molten syrup, and lets you walk around eating it without it sticking to your mittens.

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kaceetheconsumer
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@inadequatewife: I actually find it too sweet myself, but the whole area smells good when it's being done. :D

Of course, part of why I only eat the real stuff on pancakes is because it's so sweet and flavourful that the tiniest drop packs such a punch that you don't need to slop it on like the fake stuff. *shudder*

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Kishi
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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Well, let's be honest, Sugar Ray hasn't really done much in years, and their latest CD isn't getting the press they wanted, so they've got to find something to do.

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Laura Northrup
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@katstermonster: The very idea that people don't know the difference between maple syrup and table syrup makes me very, very sad.

I grew up on Mrs. Butterworth's (maple flavored sugar water) but we switched to only actual maple syrup when I was probably middle school aged. I never looked back.

Now, when I can't afford maple syrup, I just don't bother. I use it on pancakes, waffles, and to sweeten plain yogurt. Nom.

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TCama
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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I make my own maple syrup at home.

Well, I did in college. We did it with the buckets and a sugar shack and all.

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Dacker
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@TCama:
That probably makes you and I the only people on this thread who know what is an arch, an evaporator pan, and how many gallons of sap it takes to make a gallon of syrup (on average.)

Sweet!
[pun intended]

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TCama
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@Dacker: And, of course, a burnt pan. Someone did that last year, the year after I left. I wonder if it's been replaced.

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h3llc4t, breaker of office dress codes
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@Dacker: Nope, not the only ones. And I know all about the different grades too. :) Green Mountain State represent!

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aloe vera
November 23, 2009 5:32 PM
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@h3llc4t, breaker of office dress codes: Count me in, too. My hubby makes it from trees we tap in our yard!
~40 gal sap = 1 gal syrup


We're currently doing it totally backyard sugaring style right now (boiling in an old keg) but hope to get an evaporator pan for this coming season.

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Dacker
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@h3llc4t, breaker of office dress codes:

Mea culpa for me!

I had to shake my head a few years ago when they tinkered with the grading system for marketing purposes. Actually, I ignore it and get the stronger flavored Grade-B anyway.

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h3llc4t, breaker of office dress codes
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@Dacker: We always get grade B, although my family got A Fancy when I was little. My fiance grew up on Long Island and had never really had much experience with real maple syrup. We had to go back to Vermont for a funeral and I took him by one of the local tourist traps so the proprietor could let him taste the full range of syrups. I made a Grade B convert that day.

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Snarkysnake
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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This story just nicely sums up what has happened to American consumers over the last couple of decades: Quality products have been adulterated ,cut ,watered down and ruined by companies that just want to make a quick buck. They play Jedi mind games with label nomenclature that is technically correct but still not totally honest (or downright disingenuous) to convince us to pay top dollar for shoddy goods.

Craker Barrel could use top quality maple syrup if they wanted to. But some accountant or other bean counter convinced management that we consumers are too stupid to know the difference and they can put the ($) difference in their pockets . (It probably won't go to the rightful owners - managements nowadays gobble up any gains in profitability so fast that there is seldom much left over for the shareholders)

I personally would love to see where the orange juice that they serve comes from. (I'll bet its from Costa Rica or Brazil). The best orange juice in the world is grown here ,but mangements of these chains feel that you don't deserve it. They will pay to import juice from anywhere on the planet to save a few cents rather than serve the very best.

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Trai_Dep
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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I shudder to think what would happen if Cracker Barrel were in Canada and they tried messing around with Maple Syrup in such a scandalous fashion.
Oh dear sweet, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Blazer-wearing Father Christmas, I shudder to think. My typing fingers quiver in abject terror imagining the snow-charged, bear-clawed, lynx-fanged holocaust that would result.
About the only thing more sacrilegious than messing with The Maple for our Northern Kin is substituting a hockey puck for a frisbee during a Stanley Cup match, explaining both teams' players' teeth are worth the switch.

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Kimaroo - 100% Pure Natural Kitteh
November 23, 2009 5:32 PM
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@Trai_Dep: Something tells me that the Cracker Barrel wouldn't make it very far in Canada, indeed.


I'm sure they think we're all hoodlems anyway, after reading the comments on this post it seems like most people don't realise there is a difference between real Maple syrup and the kind that they are used to eating : /


My dad thought Log Cabbin was the real thing too. I educated him and he actually helped me take the picture of the bottles. He is really proud of himself that he contributed. He said that I'm famous now and he helped, lol.

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sean98125
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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Wait, are you guys telling me that the sugar free syrup that I see in the grocery stores isn't real maple syrup? Am I going to have to slap Mrs Butterworth?

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HogwartsAlum
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@sean98125: Please do. If my syrup bottle started talking, I'd run screaming out of the house.

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fencepost
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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That article is from March, how are syrup prices now? According to [www.nass.usda.gov] the US 2009 harvest was the largest since 1944, up 22% since 2008.

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lostsynapse
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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Sadly there is a good chance that at some point most of our maples will be wiped out like the elm and American chestnut. The current candidate is the Asian Longhorned Beetle which comes over in Chinese shipping pallets. [www.uvm.edu] When this happens, real maple syrup will become a rich man's delicacy.

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Chuck Norris' wig
November 23, 2009 5:32 PM
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@lostsynapse: I wish elm trees were gone. It would be no loss at all, as they are very poor quality trees and more of a nuisance than anything. Now the chestnut blight, that was another story. Chestnut was the go-to wood for early American furniture making for 100 years. It's fantastic stuff, if you can find it, and if you do, you will PAY!

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jacques
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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These guys are damn lucky they don't have a restaurant in VT. IHOP opened in Burlington earlier this year, it's the only one of the chain to serve real syrup (at a $.99 upcharge, of course), since they knew that cane syrup crap wouldn't fly.

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I'm a tweeple too!
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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Maybe part of the problem is people \"stashing\" one at home?

Rising costs from \"stashing\" are included in the shrink ray.

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Kimaroo - 100% Pure Natural Kitteh
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@I'm a tweeple too!: First of all, I didn't stash it all the time.. and second of all.. it came with my meal which I paid for and what is the difference in whether I eat it at the restarant or if I take it home and eat it later?

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aplusboy
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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I never eat at Cracker Barrel. They have a long history of discrimination against gay employees. It's just a bad corporate culture. It took ten years of boycotts and protests from various gay groups to get CB to change their discrimination policy against gay employees. Ten years. So, frankly my dear, I don't give a damn about what's in their syrup.

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HogwartsAlum
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@aplusboy: Me too, and I don't like their food, anyway.

I don't buy the cheese either.

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NatalieErin
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@HogwartsAlum: I think that's a Kraft product, not the restaurant.

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JulesNoctambule
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@aplusboy: Same reason my family doesn't give them our business.

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GearheadGeek
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@aplusboy: The most genuine thing about Cracker Barrel is their use of \"cracker\" in the name.

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NikonGal
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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I think it's important to post Cracker Barell's reason for doing the switch:

Read it here:
[www.walletpop.com]

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savdavid
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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Instead of raising their price, they lower their quality.

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coffeeswirl
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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I never liked Cracker Barrel. They don't offer any kind of low-fat salad dressing and all of their vegetables come with meat. Oh you wanted sting beans? Here they are, covered in bacon.

I like occasionally eating fatty foods just as much as anyone else, but when I think \"home-cooked meal\" I don't think \"added lard to every recipe\".

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JulesNoctambule
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@coffeeswirl: As I like to say about places like that, just about the only thing without pork is the sweet tea. And that isn't a promise, either.

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kcvaliant
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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Let me get this correct, people are complaining over free syrup??

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baquwards
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@kcvaliant: Trust me you pay for that syrup. To pay $6-8 for french toast or pancakes, which are insanely cheap to make, I don't consider the syrup \"free\" by any means.

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CFinWV
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@katstermonster: I can taste the difference primarily because I think real maple syrup is nasty. Personal preference really.

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tankertodd
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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I don't fault Cracker Barrel for replacing pure maple syrup with something less pure. Syrup is very expensive these days and cutting it with something else probably tastes almost as good. I do fault these companies when they don't come clean with their shrink ray and watering down.

They're saving money. They should come clean and tell us what they've done. Most consumers will probably be fine with it - they'd rather pay the same for their pancakes and have the quality decrease by some amount than pay more.

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matt1978
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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Folks, before everyone here gets all crazy on how the packaging is wasteful, with it being single serve and whatnot, please remember this: At any restaurant that serves a syrup dispenser with anything, there has been a patron who has licked the top of the bottle. Shoney's, Waffle House, IHOP, etc, somebody has licked a drop of syrup off of the plastic. Please don't fool yourself into thinking it was cleaned between that person and you, either.

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StanTheManDean
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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This really sux. I am happy with about 1/4 of the bottle of syrup. They could kept the purity and shrunk the bottle and I would have been just as happy.

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Ronin-Democrat
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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Ahhhhhhhhhh,

Even the \"real America\" can be scammy schmucks!

I wonder how much they paid their legal department to come up with that label..

I think they would have been better off leaving the label off and just buying some dirty dishwater \"pancake\" syrup and selling that.

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rwalford79
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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Maple Syrup.... what the hell is that?


Here in California we have something called... Maple Flavored Syrup, which consists of High Fructose Corn Syrup, and maple extract flavoring... aka, Regular Ass Syrup as I call it.


So if someone is growing up in a \"Maple\" area and finds their Maple state all of a sudden went all \"Californian\" on them... Id be pissed and skeptical as well.

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SG-Cleve
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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A sign of big trouble for a restaurant:


When the accountant drives the decisions about the food that is served to the customers.


The accountant will never recommend a change that improves the food.

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RvLeshrac
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@inadequatewife:


Too bad you have to be in a place that gets *plenty* of snow to take advantage of it!

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katstermonster
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@I'm a tweeple too!: She paid for it...so you're saying that people should pay for stuff they don't use to prevent prices from rising? The implications of that idea are staggeringly bad.

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Laura Northrup
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@I'm a tweeple too!: This would make sense if they re-used the bottle if you left it behind. They don't.

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Red_Eye
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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Well there is one more place not to frequent

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PLATTWORX
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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\"REMEMBER: EACH SYRUP COSTS $1.50, GIVE ONLY ONE\"


Huh? Yes, pure maple syrup can be pricey but how on Earth is Cracker Barel paying $1.50 for each 1.7 ounces of it (old bottle)?? I can get a bottle of pure maple syrup at my local grocery store for about $6 (store brand). I was just looking at it last week.


That store bottle would probably fill 10 of these little Cracker Barrel bottles. How are they paying $1.50 for each small bottle.

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happymom2007
November 23, 2009 5:32 PM
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I live next to Geauga County, OH who makes a lot of maple syrup. I can't handle the fake stuff and refuse to have it in my home. CB has some good meals, but what they did to the maple syrup is horrendous!

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dazex
November 23, 2009 5:32 PM
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I am willing to bet that the $1.50 that the syrup costs is the cost of the little bottles in the \"Country Store\" and not the actual cost of one. They probably say give only one to stop hoarding and increase store sales.

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HeavyMental
November 23, 2009 5:32 PM
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that is sad !

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PBallRaven
November 23, 2009 5:32 PM
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Sugar Ray Leonard smacked around a bottle of syrup? What those old boxers won't do to make a comeback...

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Winteridge2
November 24, 2009 9:15 AM
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Like cold french fries and \"tacos\", most folks today don't know what real maple syrup tastes like.

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ReaperRob
January 12, 2011 4:21 PM
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I've had real maple, I didn't care for it. I'll stick with cane syrup and honey. Especially Tupelo honey.

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