I’m down for some Cracker Barrel.
At the nearby location, the food is good, the service is good, and sometimes a fella just wants a good, heavy meal. Health food? No, it’s not. But tasty and satisfying? Heck, yeah. I’d sooner visit Cracker Barrel than Waffle House.

I'm 50+ and I love Cracker Barrel. Good food and service. Best restaurant pancakes anywhere I've been.

They have to adapt or die. Ask K-Mart what it is like to stagnate.

quote:

Originally posted by vthoky:
I’m down for some Cracker Barrel.
At the nearby location, the food is good, the service is good, and sometimes a fella just wants a good, heavy meal. Health food? No, it’s not. But tasty and satisfying? Heck, yeah. I’d sooner visit Cracker Barrel than Waffle House.

waffle house food quality took a dive when the cook at the waffle machine was not allowed to smoke on the job anymore,

Woke or not, the new logo is just a poor design and lazy work by their marketing team. It's also not a "rebranding," because your logo is not your brand.

quote:

Originally posted by Hound Dog:
They have to adapt or die.

Adapt to what?

Like Bud Light, Target, etc?

quote:

Originally posted by oddball:
Adapt to what?

Like Bud Light, Target, etc?

Probably that corporate crap where if you don't show continuous profit increases the board is liable. So, regardless of whether they are doing "well" they have to do "something" even if that something causes a catastrophic error.

Private companies can say: Oh, we're doing well, let's keep doing what we're doing.

Corporations when doing well: Crap, what can we do to change this?

It can be up or down, but it can't be flat. I do feel like MANY companies run their operation like The Producers. (especially if private equity firms are involved)

I grew up in the Upper Midwest and Cracker Barrel was a southern chain. On vacation in the 80s, we stopped at a cracker barrel where for the first time I had fried okra. It also may have been the first time in my life I asked my parents if I could order a 2nd helping of a vegetable. I still love fried okra to this day.

20+ years ago, they followed the typical big chain trend which meant expanding everywhere and most food becoming either pre-cooked or frozen.

I hate what Cracker Barrel has become. On the off chance I actually wanted microwaved food, I'm certainly not going to pay somebody to run the microwave or walk it from the microwave to the dinner table.

quote:

Originally posted by oddball:
https://x.com/WokeWarRoom/stat...te-sparks-outrage%2F

And recently, a complaint was filed due to Cracker Barrel's hiring practices.
https://x.com/America1stLegal/...%2F2025%2F07%2F23%2F

https://tennesseestar.com/news...khousler/2025/07/23/

That DEI crap is almost as bad as their food

I don’t eat at Cracker Barrel often, but when I have it was only for breakfast. I liked their biscuits and gravy and the meats with eggs and grits. Last time I went they had changed the menu up getting rid of the named plates like “Uncle Herschel’s Favorites”. I liked eating there to look at the stuff in the lobby that brought back childhood memories and looking at the vintage signs as I ate. That was a part of the atmosphere I enjoyed. They never seemed to be struggling for business as they are always packed with a wait so I don’t understand the change. I don’t plan on going back.

It's 10 minutes from me, I go every few months. Food is good, it's an excellent value as the quality is ahead of price.

Looked at buying it after the dip, but at 21x earnings and coverage all over the place, I don't find any value in the stock currently. It's not even close to its low for the year.

Also stupid sign. I could see crackle barrel's sign out of the corner of my eye and bust a U-turn and grab some consistent quality food on a road trip. Now I will just assume it's a Meineke Muffler shop.

They do have some healthy options. Their grilled chicken tenders used to be very good, have some good veggies and their salads are good. BUT, they took so much quality out of the food 10 years ago, that it now just isn't that good.

They need to bring the food quality back. Not any of this other crap.

I had not eaten at a Cracker Barrel for probably 20 years. I always remembered it as good.
I had a good attitude about Cracker Barrel because of there RV policy of letting RV'ers stay in there lots for a overnight rest.

A couple months ago I was in Ohio and it was dinner time. My wife and I looked around for a restaurant and spotted a Cracker Barrel. I thought great, I finally get to patronize one.

When we entered I was a bit put off with all the clutter you had to walk through to get to the dinning room. We were seated and greeted by a waitress that looked like a crack pipe could drop out of her pocket at any moment.She UN-enthusiastically took our orders. That was the last we saw her. After 15min.I asked the roaming manager about our food and drink re-fills. She said she would look for our waitress. She eventually came back and told us our waitress had quit.
We eventually got our food and found it to be terrible. Definitely NOT the same level of quality I remembered from years ago.

I will not go back.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say the crackhead experience is probably pretty rare. Since I've been going again the last ~20 months, I've been ~8 times, zero crackheads. If anyone is interested in crackhead waitress-less service check out the one nearest to Dulles/IAD.

I've had 75% teens to early 20's young respectful first job types a seasoned old waitress, and someone who appears to be on part-time retirement job. All provided great service and received 25%+ tips.

Hey....



Someone else tried this re-branding and 'new look' thing too

My ex wife and her relatives liked Cracker Barrel so we would go relatively often while we were married. Since we got divorced a decade ago I can't remember going more than a couple times. Food and service were always decent.

But the one near me is right by I-70 and it's about 15 minute drive from home, and there are better options near by.

The redecoration highlights a deep hatred of mine for any woman that puts white paint on top of stained wood or brick. Should be a capital offense.

https://x.com/greg16676935420/.../1958628591115387031

I made good money for a couple years selling vintage hunting/fishing items to a picker for Cracker Barrel. Wonder what is doing to happen to all the cool old wall hangers now that the new decor is to be clean and uncluttered?

quote:

Originally posted by vthoky:

I’d sooner visit Cracker Barrel than Waffle House.

Waffle House is a unique experience. Especially in the wee hours, when the bars are closing.

Yeah,

Maybe if their bacon wasn't rubbery/undercooked and I didn't regularly get lousy service from one-star-girl.

Now the new sign looks like a Denny's. Denny's is like a Waffle House for people who don't know how to fight.

When Zeitz left Harley Davidson, he had managed to cut the companies' share price in half.

'People like what we're doing' says CEO Julie Fless-Masino.

What makes these companies look for a CEO that is so clueless?

President and Chief Executive Officer
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc.

Julie Felss Masino was named President and Chief Executive Officer for Cracker Barrel in July 2023 and assumed the position, along with an appointment to the Company’s Board of Directors, November 1, 2023.

A seasoned executive with a track record of success, Ms. Masino has more than 30 years of experience driving innovation and growth for globally loved and recognized restaurant and retail brands.

Ms. Masino previously served as the President, International of Taco Bell, a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE: YUM) from January 2020 to June 2023. From January 2018 to December 2019, she served as President, North America of Taco Bell. Ms. Masino served as the President, SVP and GM Fisher-Price at Mattel, Inc. (Nasdaq: MAT) from April 2017 to January 2018. Prior to her service at Mattel, Ms. Masino served as the President and then the Chief Executive Officer of Sprinkles Cupcakes from 2014 to 2017. From 2002 to 2014, Ms. Masino served in various leadership roles at Starbucks Corporation (Nasdaq: SBUX). She began her professional career in corporate positions at a variety of retail companies, including Godiva Chocolatier, Coach, J. Crew, and Macy's.

She currently serves on the board of directors of Vivid Seats Inc. (Nasdaq: SEAT).

Ms. Masino has a Bachelor of Arts in communications from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

********************

She has a "communications" degree. Not business, not finance, not strategy, not even an "executive MBA".

Her resume reads like a "hot potato". Frequent moves to different companies that think she's the greatest thing when they hire her, only to try to unload her on some other company with a couple years.

The problem is that they don't see a drop in sales as reflecting a quality issue, instead they see a "brand" issue. Brands are built based on quality and service over a long time. When the quality drops due to cost cutting and complacency, you have to FIX THE PROBLEM, not "re-brand".