The two locally have been slipping in quality and service over the last few years to where we don't go anymore. On road trips, they were a pretty consistent bet and we stopped there often. We always liked the ambiance that made it Cracker Barrel.

Will they still have Orange Nehi drinks there?

I used to love hitting one of them for breakfast years ago. Been five years since the last stop it seems.

I recently ate at one for the first time in at least 10-years. There's very few out here as I would see this one location alongside the freeway I frequent so, several months ago I pulled-over and ate lunch. As I remembered, unremarkable, I'll stick to Black Bear Diner or a local greasy spoon for similar fare.

I don't see the interior update as anything bad or 'woke' for that matter, in fact the cluttered grandma's cabin look I never liked and I would say anybody younger than 60 likely has similar views. I'm fine with a handful of fish & hunt photos, a few trophies and some mounted long-guns but the endless shelves of old timey things and faux product signs gave it a cluttered, unkept and tasteless appearance. Refreshing the interior has nothing to do with 'being woke', change the paint color, reduce the volume of things, keep the firearms, animals and rural activity photos.

As for their corporate DEI programs....well, that's a different story and if they're practicing racial favoritism and corporate bigotry than they deserve to be exposed for their discriminatory practices.

We haven't been in a while . We stopped the other day and had some really good Chicken and Dumplings . The biscuits were awesome . Service was good . No complaints .

quote:

Originally posted by rat2306:

Will they still have Orange Nehi drinks there?

I'm with Radar. Grape is better.

I think CB's food quality improves the further you get away from an interstate highway. I used to go to one in Glendale, AZ (near the stadium and Cabela's) and it was adequate to good, but some roast beef in Flagstaff, AZ was tougher than a military boot.

Everybody seems to be hung up on the signage, but the real question is whether the new interior decor is still inviting and comfortable, or "wolf down your food and scoot" like the new "prison" McDonalds? That's what will make or break them.

In my experience is you eat at Cracker Barrel because it's there, not because it's good.

The food is unremarkable and I find the "experience" annoying. (maybe we can sell them something while they stand around and wait)

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:

quote:

Originally posted by rat2306:

Will they still have Orange Nehi drinks there?

I'm with Radar. Grape is better.

Nehi Ginger Ale was pretty decent too. Selogic said it, their biscuits were awesome.

quote:

Originally posted by P220 Smudge:

quote:

woke

We're using this word wrong. Some of you throw it around the way the left does "racist." It's becoming meaningless. We have people in this thread ready to boycott Cracker Barrel because they changed out the seating and slapped on a fresh coat of paint for fuck's sake.

I've seen guys on this very forum very recently bemoaning the lack of critical thinking that's become prevalent. I feel like it's only the right thing to point it out here.

100% agree. I watched all the videos in this thread. I saw nothing that reminded me of "woke" nor did I see anything that came even close to the Bud Light fiasco. I didn't see their menu changes. Are they now offer nothing but a kale salad?

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
Trying to modernize to attract younger diners because your established clientele is literally dying off is not "woke" though. That term is getting WAY overused now if you ask me.

I agree. if they start having rainbow decorations and transgender folks eat for free days, then that's woke.

Time will tell what changes they make and why. As for the food, I haven't been to one in years, though I lived very close to one and had breakfast there a few times. I thought it was good then.

Our last, recent visit was an improvement. Biscuits were served from the get go, in greater than minimum quantities that had been their practice since Covid days. Our takeaway was that management was paying attention in the table service and kitchen hopefully.

I haven't been to Crack Bar in years, and I've been there only a few times, total. I don't remember the biscuits, but I do recall their pinto beans which had the aroma of the inside of old tennis shoes, but, oddly enough, tasted delicious.

I bought a Winnie the Pooh t-shirt from Crack Bar for my wife, in the late 1990s. She wears it still. Much like Seinfeld's legendary Golden Boy, it has been rendered heavenly-soft by many washings.

There was a point I was intending to make, but I've plum forgot it.

If it comes to me later, I'll let you know. Thank you.

I'd be willing to bet that the majority of folks across the interwebs bitching about the rebranding/redecorating haven't set foot inside a Cracker Barrel within the last 5-10 years anyway.

So in reality, their opinion on the rebrand matters not one bit. CB is not losing those customers since they weren't patronizing the place anyway, and CB just might gain/regain some others.

It's a business. They're struggling, partly because their prime target demographic is rapidly dying out. What they were doing isn't working for them any more, so it's time to try something different. They're trying to survive as a business.

Here's the straight dope,y'all...

Alright, I'm hearing chatter from behind the scenes about the Cracker Barrel campaign and, on second thought: we must break the Barrel. It's not about this particular restaurant chain—who cares—but about creating massive pressure against companies that are considering any move that might appear to be "wokification." The implicit promise: Go woke, watch your stock price drop 20 percent, which is exactly what is happening now.

https://x.com/realchrisrufo/st.../1958629455125258479

Yeah, their effort to modernize the restaurants is too bad in my opinion. I've eaten in a few over the years and kind of enjoyed their decor. I often found bagged candy that has all but disappeared elsewhere.

The woke crap is going on in their Headquarters/Home office. That's enough for me...screw them.

OP should have kept the original thread title.

Browsed the gift shop part once because I delivered something to them. Never ate in one.

quote:

Originally posted by egregore:
I think CB's food quality improves the further you get away from an interstate highway. I used to go to one in Glendale, AZ (near the stadium and Cabela's) and it was adequate to good, but some roast beef in Flagstaff, AZ was tougher than a military boot.

Everybody seems to be hung up on the signage, but the real question is whether the new interior decor is still inviting and comfortable, or "wolf down your food and scoot" like the new "prison" McDonalds? That's what will make or break them.

never heard McD's described as 'prison' but I have been in several new ones and would agree,

never stopped to eat inside, hit the drive thru or kiosk inside, grabbed a mediocre chicken sammy or a fish sammy and kept driving

quote:

Originally posted by rat2306:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by V-Tail:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by rat2306:



Nehi Ginger Ale was pretty decent too. Selogic said it, their biscuits were awesome.

biscuits are delicious,

the sausage gravy, also known as glue, is not,

at the end of our meal, I would take a fork or spoon and stick it in the untouched gravy, and it almost always stayed upright,