TikTok Is Terrified Of This Cracker Barrel Training Video

If you've ever started a job in the food service industry, you might have had to sit through a training video before you began your first shift. Training videos are designed to teach you the ins and outs of the job you were hired for — but are they actually effective? According to Topyx, the answer is yes. "Studies have shown that video training helps employees gain knowledge as well as retain them more effectively than other methods of instruction," one contributor stated. A video's effectiveness is also increased when it's accompanied by a quiz segment.

The message of the video is less likely to get across, however, if it comes off as cheesy or — as is sometimes the case — downright hilarious. For instance, McDonald's once released a cleaning video featuring a fake Michael Jackson (per YouTube). The video depicted workers dancing through the dining room and exchanging the words of Jackson's "Beat It," with "Clean It." And apparently, this creation wasn't simply conjured up for the internet: it was actually used for training many years ago. "My first job ever was working at McDonald's and this was no joke. I must have seen this video at least 50 times in my days as a crew trainer," one comment read. Though graphics and video quality have increased in modern times, that didn't stop one training video from going viral on TikTok for its disturbing features.

Sitting pretty with more than 267,000 likes and 2,000 comments, a TikTok video recently gave a behind-the-scenes look at Cracker Barrel's training methods. The video was posted by @makayla.noelb, who was strongly amused when a cartoon popped up on the screen rather than actual employees working in a kitchen. "Just look at this video of what we have to watch," she said before flipping the phone to reveal an animated, storybook-esque video that began with "once upon a time." TikTok users in the comments were equally as amused as the original poster. "Why is it using a Shrek style intro," one comment read. Another person wrote, "Y'all gotta play Oregon Trail for training."

This wasn't the only time Cracker Barrel's training program garnered mixed reviews. In 2018, an Indeed user asked, "How long does it take to watch the training videos?" One employee claimed the video is non-existent, "they put you to [work] without proper training in for mins," while another said the videos seem never-ending: "Weeks hours!! & every season u watch a few new ones to learn how to talk about items (like Christmas, Halloween)." Likely, though, the methods have changed over the years, which has been made evident by this unique, albeit awkward, video circulating the internet.