It’s great that they are reversing course on the logo. But I don’t really care about the logo.

I hate the remodel of their restaurants from an old country store feel into a shitty knockoff of IHOP. I like some of the food at Cracker Barrel. It’s not gourmet by any means but they have a few dishes that I truly enjoy that are reasonably priced. But more than anything I like the ambience of the restaurant. After reading comments from employees I can sympathize that the current design does require a lot of maintenance to keep clean and I would be fine with a remodel that got rid of some of the wall hangings and lattice work that makes cleaning a nightmare. But the new stores took a massive turn and got rid of the old country store ambiance completely. They could have kept the tables and chairs and some of the decor without modernizing everything while still making maintenance easier.

And a new logo and interior isn’t going to attract a new client base. I doubt that there is a bunch of 20 somthing year olds who will start eating there because they painted the walls white and put in some booths. It’s a restaurant. If they want to attract new people they should focus on the food, not the ambience.

This has little impact on my life.

The nearest one to me is closing to be replaced with yet another “data center” (aka big, fugly, ugly, building with zero aesthetic value).

quote:

I hate the remodel of their restaurants from an old country store feel into a shitty knockoff of IHOP

An apt description and I’ll wager the board of directors is hoping that everyone will take the sign return as the win and overlook the redesign and woke horseshit.

They've made a baby step in bringing back the old logo. Now, the Board of Directors needs to clean house and:

get rid of all of that woke, DEI crap

fire that brain dead, Theranos wannabe CEO

focus on food being cooked (i.e. not microwaved, not boil in bag, not reheated) in the restaurant, having flavor, and having texture. Have a bland, easy to chew section of the menu for your elderly guests.

A 6.6 million dollar annual salary for this CEO, and this is the kind of clumsy reckless bullshit that passes for top-level management. Some of these people are just not that bright. She should resign today.

quote:

Originally posted by Pale Horse:
It’s great that they are reversing course on the logo. But I don’t really care about the logo...

And a new logo and interior isn’t going to attract a new client base. I doubt that there is a bunch of 20 somthing year olds who will start eating there because they painted the walls white and put in some booths. It’s a restaurant. If they want to attract new people they should focus on the food, not the ambience.

Yep, it's the food, not the ambience.
They aren't going to attract a younger crowd without good food. From what I've read here, the food has also been slipping.

quote:

Originally posted by Sig2340:
The nearest one to me is closing to be replaced with yet another “data center” (aka big, fugly, ugly, building with zero aesthetic value).

Is that the one close to the intersection of Route 28 & Old Ox Road, next to the Fairfield Inn?

quote:

Originally posted by 229DAK:

quote:

Originally posted by Sig2340:
The nearest one to me is closing to be replaced with yet another “data center” (aka big, fugly, ugly, building with zero aesthetic value).

Is that the one close to the intersection of Route 28 & Old Ox Road, next to the Fairfield Inn?

Just west of where Routes 28 and 606 intersect near Dulles President Donald J. Trump Airport, next to the Fairfield Inn at 38°58'47.81"N 77°25'58.04"W.

Who is this “younger crowd” better food will attract?

There’s overlap, but:
15-25 have no money
20-35 new families again no money
30-50 established families with college kids, no money
65 and up, no money
That sums up the people that eat at all of lower end restaurants myself included. My 17yo daughter has eaten at Tavern on the Green and her favorite restaurant is Olive Garden because she and her friends from school can afford to go there on what they make at their part time jobs.

Nobody goes to Cracker Barrel expecting fine dining. We’ve gone to Cracker Barrel because it’s right off the interstate, it’s a known quantity, and it’s what we could afford with three kids that wasn’t McDonalds. Hooray for you if the food sucks and you can afford better. The people working at the ones we’ve been to strike me as regular folks working hard to put food on their own tables. They’ve been mostly friendly.

First time in, Cracker Barrel was a novelty, the kids and wife browsed before being seated. After awhile, it becomes familiar or a known entity, kids want to go for the browsing and puzzles, everyone agrees for a change. Heck, I think we’ve bought a rocking chair or two.

If we were still RVing, we’d still be eating at Cracker Barrel and wouldn’t oppose a refresh of the interior.

The woke stuff doesn’t play with the Cracker Barrel crowd. The woke stuff needs to die. Companies just simply cannot afford to piss off 80% of their customers and expect to do well. Any CEO that’s been brainwashed into believing this should be fired. Their focus is in the wrong place.

A black commedian stated that Cracker Barrel was a good place to observe white people in their environment.

quote:

wouldn’t oppose a refresh of the interior.

I wouldn't either but this was far beyond that. It looked designed by Joanna Gaines and some random new age factory guru.

quote:

Originally posted by Sig2340:
This has little impact on my life.

The nearest one to me is closing to be replaced with yet another “data center” (aka big, fugly, ugly, building with zero aesthetic value).

I think they are beautiful, they pay my mortgage, I like the sirloin tips and eggs, but I love having money more.

They’ve been plotting a course for ~15 years to hit the iceberg and sink according to the Robby Starbuck video posted on the previous page, and simply changing the logo back at this point is probably not going to save them (right away).

I like their decor and atmosphere. Bfast is best, I could leave the rest. When my kids were little, we went there, and we all had a good time. To me it's a very comfortable place to really relax and eat. If they make it look like something completely different, and the food is still the same, I would probably be less likely to patronize them, since they would have lost the old timey charm and relaxed atmosphere. And if they put up a bunch of left wingnut decorations and try to mess with my head about woke shit, they will lose a loyal and happy customer.

We stopped in a few, mostly because they had large enough parking lots for my RV rig and we were hungry. In the car, we used to stop at the one between Tucson and Phoenix, Casa (not so) Grande I think.

They have served nothing but dog food since they started. Let that ship sink.

Yeah, overpriced slop.

https://x.com/robbystarbuck/st...nd-dei-page-n2662456



Like Tractor Supply, I had not thought it this bad.

quote:

Originally posted by egregore:

Like Tractor Supply, I had not thought it this bad.

Doosan/Bobcat is another one.

Quote:
Doosan Bobcat’s People First culture considers values such as diversity, equity and inclusivity as a corner- stone of workforce management, aiming to embrace employees’ diverse thoughts and experiences, encour- age innovative thinking, and cultivate a work environ- ment characterized by trust and respect.
The CEO & Vice Chairman and the CHRO bear the pri- mary responsibility for People First initiatives and as- sess the progress of People First efforts on a semi-an- nual basis. In each region, the regional president and HR vice presidents periodically review and manage the data that promotes People First culture, ensuring alignment and progress across all areas.


This link is a very long read, you can search Doosan Bobcat DEI for shorter versions. They are going down the wrong path, just a matter of time.

https://www.doosanbobcat.com/d...Report_ENG_final.pdf

While getting the old signage put back up may be a win they drew attention to themselves that had they not done my wife and I would still be eating there once or twice a year but no more for us now.

I suspect that we aren’t the only ones that will no longer spend any of our money at the barrel. They need to go completely under so that the many people that are tired of woke wins.

My wife had a career in HR and was very good at what she did but the major companies she worked for went woke and it was against everything she stood for as a person and as an HR specialist. She decided enough was enough and she retired.