Cracker Barrel loses almost $100 million.

public hermit · Saturday at 6:59 PM

Tuur said:
And that's good. But if a restaurant starts to make radical changes, customers are going to think the food is next. Seeing the new sign at an Interstate exit is going to convey that sense.

I guess some conservative who think these changes are just another sign of moral collapse will do that. I think folks will go there regardless. Tempest in a teacup, as they say.

Tuur · Saturday at 6:59 PM

wing2000 said:
....less clutter?

<shrug>

Image from WSJ:
An updated Cracker Barrel restaurant in Mt. Juliet, Tenn. The revamp gives the outlets a brighter, more contemporary look.

View attachment 368968

Uh...why post a picture of Zaxby's.

Wait...that isn't Zaxby's, is it?

Tuur · Saturday at 7:12 PM

ozso said:
Apparently people went there to experience a certain type of atmosphere. The interiors have been changed too, to give "a more clean appearance".

Yes. Like someone I was with on a business trip who insisted on eating at a Texas Roadhouse (tm) because it had a sawdust floor, parched peanuts on the table, and you could throw the hulls on the floor. The steak was descent, best I recall.

You could sometimes find interesting things in Cracker Barrel decorations. In a Cracker Barrel between Chattanooga and Atlanta, there were huge wooden shapes mounted to the walls. They turned out to be the wooden forms used to make sand casting molds for cast iron stoves once made in a nearby town.

Tuur · Saturday at 7:15 PM

public hermit said:
I guess some conservative who think these changes are just another sign of moral collapse will do that. I think folks will go there regardless. Tempest in a teacup, as they say.

That logo change will one day be ranked in the same category as NBC's "N." Remember that one?

public hermit · Saturday at 7:27 PM

Tuur said:
That logo change will one day be ranked in the same category as NBC's "N." Remember that one?

Yeah, like people still don't eat Kentucky Fried Chicken because it became KFC? Look, even if some folks stop going because of some vacuous "principle," it makes no difference. It's just one more sign that Americans have a tendency to major in the minors. Don't worry, though, it's just an existential affectation that helps us avoid real issues and still look virtuous. And happily, some people think KFC is as finger licking good as it ever was. Cracker Barrel will be fine, and some investors will have gained while others lost because they feared conservative backlash. The world moves on.

Tuur · Saturday at 7:45 PM

public hermit said:
Yeah, like people still don't eat Kentucky Fried Chicken because it became KFC? Look, even if some folks stop going because of some vacuous "principle," it makes no difference. It's just one more sign that Americans have a tendency to major in the minors. Don't worry, though, it's just an existential affectation that helps us avoid real issues and still look virtuous. And happily, some people think KFC is as finger licking good as it ever was. Cracker Barrel will be fine, and some investors will have gained while others lost because they feared conservative backlash. The world moves on.

I don't know anyone who goes to the Colonel's for the décor.

public hermit · Saturday at 7:49 PM

Tuur said:
I don't know anyone who goes to the Colonel's for the décor.

Well, feel free to keep track of these important changes with Cracker Barrel, and get back to us with the results of your study.

ozso · Saturday at 8:48 PM

Yarddog said:
Modernization: The rebranding is part of Cracker Barrel's "All the More" campaign, which aims to refresh the restaurant's aesthetic and improve the overall dining experience. This includes not only the logo but also renovations to restaurant interiors, enhancing lighting, and decluttering walls.

Customer Feedback: The decision to change the logo comes after receiving mixed feedback on previous redesigns, which had adopted a darker, more rustic aesthetic. The new logo is intended to resonate better with contemporary customers while still reflecting the brand's heritage.

2

Customer Feedback: The decision to change the logo comes after receiving mixed feedback on previous redesigns, which had adopted a darker, more rustic aesthetic. The new logo is intended to resonate better with contemporary customers while still reflecting the brand's heritage.

3.Sales Revival: Cracker Barrel has been facing challenges with sales and customer engagement. The rebranding, including the new logo, is part of a broader strategy to revitalize the brand and attract a new generation of diners.

Try asking it what I asked: Why do customers feel that the changes to cracker barrel are woke?

Yarddog said:
When you falsely claimed it was a "woke" agenda.

The press and social media are reporting that customers are calling it a woke agenda.

Michie · Saturday at 8:57 PM

public hermit said:
Oh, there's room to complain when antique decor is in question, clearly.

Reproduction decor.

Michie · Saturday at 9:09 PM

Tuur said:
Have you seen the new logo? When I first saw it, I wondered if they'd been bought out by Denny's.

Frankly, the new logo stinks. That's not a conservative thing; that's not a liberal thing. It just stinks. They altered the font just enough to look like it could have come with Windows and chose a design that leaves a lot of blank space. What are they saying with that? "Come to Cracker Barrel. There's plenty of room now that we've driven our customers away?"

What's worse, they had a better logo staring them right in the face. Take the original, logo, remove the man in the rocking chair and the barrel, and presto! It's distinctive, makes a better use of space, and conveys the message "We're still Cracker Barrel."

Well, it's them and their business. What's left of

The old logo had to do with the rocking chairs they sold on the porch. Old guys back in the day hanging out there all day to play checkers and talk about the latest goings on. People now, could go outside while waiting for a table etc. The new logo does look like a Denny’s knock off. Cracker Barrel was always a theme restaurant based off an old country store. If they want to keep that theme, they need to figure out a new logo. I don’t see it as a liberal/conservative thing. I see it as a bad business move. I’m not a customer because I don’t care for the food or how loud the place is. But for those that are attached to the place, of course they do not want to see it change. It was filled with reproductions of antiques and an overpriced gift shop. If they are smart. They’ll revamp the place with better decorating with the same knock offs, etc. As far as the logo, they want to change it, they need to go back to the drawing board. It’s a silly topic but it’s obviously a topic that matters to their customers and people seem to be enjoying hashing it over here. It’s funny how these silly things to get upset about are fun to discuss for those that see it as a funny thing to get upset about.

Yarddog · Saturday at 9:13 PM

ozso said:
Try asking it what I asked: Why do customers feel that the changes to cracker barrel are woke?

You're just baiting to get a response that you want. Customers don't think it has to do with wokeness. Right wing talking heads don't like change and accuse wokeness for the change regardless of why the change occurred.

ozso said:
The press and social media are reporting that customers are calling it a woke agenda.

Right wing news is saying this and their audience follows like puppets.

ozso · Saturday at 9:41 PM

Yarddog said:
Customers don't think it has to do with wokeness. Right wing talking heads don't like change and accuse wokeness for the change regardless of why the change occurred.

Right wing news is saying this and their audience follows like puppets.

Wokeness is all about unwanted change.

JustaPewFiller · Saturday at 9:54 PM

eh - their sales were declining before the rework.

They needed to do *something* to boost sales and customer traffic.

Time will tell..

My 2 cents. I don't think it had anything do with "woke". It had more to do with desperation to shore up a flagging brand.

Before anyone gets all jumpy... I liked the old Cracker Barrel. I liked the food, I liked the decor. It was comfortable, familiar.

But, I've yet to see dancing drag queens in the new Cracker Barrel or anything else that screams "woke" at me.

I don't think it was woke as much as it was an attempt to get more customers in the door. If enough folks loved the old Cracker Barrel enough to go there more often things would be different. Like sales and customers wouldn't have dropped had been doing before the revamp and they never would have revamped in the 1st place.

But, now they are in a pickle. In a response to falling sales they have changed things to attract new customers. But, they have [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse]ed off their existing customers without attracting new ones.

Not every poorly thought out change is woke. Some are, but not all of them.

Michie · Saturday at 10:20 PM

JustaPewFiller said:
eh - their sales were declining before the rework.

They needed to do *something* to boost sales and customer traffic.

Time will tell..

My 2 cents. I don't think it had anything do with "woke". It had more to do with desperation to shore up a flagging brand.

Before anyone gets all jumpy... I liked the old Cracker Barrel. I liked the food, I liked the decor. It was comfortable, familiar.

But, I've yet to see dancing drag queens in the new Cracker Barrel or anything else that screams "woke" at me.

I don't think it was woke as much as it was an attempt to get more customers in the door. If enough folks loved the old Cracker Barrel enough to go there more often things would be different. Like sales and customers wouldn't have dropped had been doing before the revamp and they never would have revamped in the 1st place.

But, now they are in a pickle. In a response to falling sales they have changed things to attract new customers. But, they have [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse]ed off their existing customers without attracting new ones.

Not every poorly thought out change is woke. Some are, but not all of them.

They need to lower the noise, reduce prices, take a serious look at their menu. Hard to lower prices when they already feel they are not making enough profit but bringing in more customers would soon resolve that. They need to dig a bit deeper and get more creative other than changing a logo and redoing the decor. Find a way to keep their loyal customers happy while drawing in new customers. Although a poor representation of an old country store, they could easily revamp the place while keeping the nostalgia for the regulars. A lot of restaurants are losing profit given the high prices of things needed to run a restaurant. They are not the only ones. They are a chain. Imagine the local restaurants now. They are really struggling and I doubt it has much to do with the logo or decor no matter how good or bad it is. People are just not eating out as much. It’s not as affordable anymore.

ViaCrucis · Saturday at 10:20 PM

Apparently "woke" just means "something I don't like".

In which case, celery is super woke.

-CryptoLutheran

wing2000 · Saturday at 10:21 PM

Tuur said:
Uh...why post a picture of Zaxby's.

Wait...that isn't Zaxby's, is it?

I would not know....guess you'll have to ask the WSJ photographer.

wing2000 · Saturday at 10:22 PM

ozso · Saturday at 10:33 PM

ViaCrucis said:
Apparently "woke" just means "something I don't like".

In which case, celery is super woke.

-CryptoLutheran

Woke would be changing celery to a more neutral color.

Yarddog · Saturday at 10:44 PM

ozso said:
Wokeness is all about unwanted change.

No it's not. Woke is about being aware of social injustice and discrimination. Right wingers decided to battle this by lying about and expanding the definition to apply to whatever they didn't like.

ViaCrucis · Saturday at 10:59 PM

ozso said:
Woke would be changing celery to a more neutral color.

I'm legitimately confused how the logo change is "woke".

So it genuinely comes across to me as "woke" is literally nothing more than a meaningless pejorative.

And your statement here would seem to indicate that I'm on the nose here.

In which case, I guess dying Easter Eggs is also woke? Changing clothes is woke? Eating a hamburger is woke?

What's an example of something that isn't woke?

-CryptoLutheran

Cracker Barrel loses almost $100 million.

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