Cracker Barrel loses almost $100 million.

ozso · Sunday at 6:37 AM

The issue is Cracker Barrel's appeal was an old fashioned down home country feel with affordable homemade tasting comfort food.

First the food became pricey, the portions got smaller, some favorites were eliminated and they also changed recipes.

So all that was left as an attraction was the old fashioned down home country feel, and then they took that away.

Nithavela · Sunday at 7:09 AM

ozso said:
The issue is Cracker Barrel's appeal was an old fashioned down home country feel with affordable homemade tasting comfort food.

First the food became pricey, the portions got smaller, some favorites were eliminated and they also changed recipes.

So all that was left as an attraction was the old fashioned down home country feel, and then they took that away.

Sounds like the things that had actual value were already lost, then.

I wouldn't know. That restaurant chain never expanded into germany, afaik.

Michie · Sunday at 7:35 AM

Tuur said:
Price changed are due to inflation and affect other restaurants, from single owner to corporate megachains. For a sit-in restaurant, volume is likely seating room and how fast customers move in and out, which pretty much leaves building more restaurants. Cracker Barrel used to be packed at meal-times, so that implies as much volume as it could handle. Since Cracker Barrel is supposedly blaming their decline on the pandemic restrictions and failure to attract younger customers, that implies they're not filling their existing restaurants. So if they were having to raise prices before people started going elsewhere, cutting them isn't going to help a great deal and raises the question of where they'd make up the difference due to inflation.

Décor is a draw, and always has been for Cracker Barrel. The expensive store items reminds me of the stuff that Stuckey's use to carry back when it was as ubiquitous as Cracker Barrel. The last Stuckey's I saw was a lonesome store between Chattanooga and Manchester, and we stopped there on a business trip just to get a receipt to prove that yes, one still existed. That was over ten years ago, and even that store might be gone.

Stuckey's used to be everywhere. Haven't seen a Steak & Ale in years. Chains go out of business. No one has to eat at Cracker Barrel, not even the ones who've gone there for years.

Stuckeys are still around. I saw one just the other day going out of town. They still sell their pecan logs and such in other stores as well. The Cracker Barrel the next town over is always packed from my observation. What’s happening across the board, I have no idea. As I said, I’m not one of their customers. Never heard of a Sreak and Ale.

BeckyJ · Sunday at 7:35 AM

Pommer said:
Yeah, but we’re all friends here, you see.

In the couple of weeks I've been in the group, that isn't the impression I get from some in seeing their replies to each other.
Which isn't surprising, but it's ok. Each of us have our opinions.
Also, "friends" doesn't mean eternal ones.
Friendly?...sure, but friends is stretching it overall.

Nithavela · Sunday at 7:38 AM

BeckyJ said:
In the couple of weeks I've been in the group, that isn't the impression I get from some in seeing their replies to each other.
Which isn't surprising, but it's ok. Each of us have our opinions.
Also, "friends" doesn't mean eternal ones.
Friendly?...sure, but friends is stretching it overall.

Our friendship is enforced by strict moderation protocols.

JustaPewFiller · Sunday at 8:09 AM

Michie said:
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.

Yup - that is very true. I seldom eat out anymore. Even more seldom a breakfast out. But the other morning I decided to treat myself. I had coffee. An Einstein Bagels had opened. I'd never been so I ordered an egg, sausage cheese bagel. Nothing fancy. Not one of their featured items. No drink. It was almost $9. It was pretty good. But it wasn't $9 worth of good. I did not get $9 worth of enjoyment out of it. I felt cheated to be honest. I would have probably been happy if it was $4 or $5. But even then I could have done that at home for a fraction of that cost. Stuff like that is killing restaurants all over.

Michie · Sunday at 8:16 AM

JustaPewFiller said:
Yup - that is very true. I seldom eat out anymore. Even more seldom a breakfast out. But the other morning I decided to treat myself. I had coffee. An Einstein Bagels had opened. I'd never been so I ordered an egg, sausage cheese bagel. Nothing fancy. Not one of their featured items. No drink. It was almost $9. It was pretty good. But it wasn't $9 worth of good. I did not get $9 worth of enjoyment out of it. I felt cheated to be honest. I would have probably been happy if it was $4 or $5. But even then I could have done that at home for a fraction of that cost. Stuff like that is killing restaurants all over.

And that’s the problem. Not just at Cracker Barrel but everywhere. I don’t eat fast food but I had a friend tell me just recently that it was close to 30.00 for two people to eat an McDonald’s. That’s crazy.

Yarddog · Sunday at 8:56 AM

ozso said:
That's what woke used to mean.

No, that what woke still means, but the Right wingers hijacked the word and started piling on whatever they decided to falsely claim.

ozso said:
Just like gay used to only mean happy or festive.

Gay still means that but people have used it to describe other things as well.

ozso said:
The meaning of words change. Woke became a problem when it started being too widely applied.

Yes, by right wingers who wanted to disparage a word used by minorities to bring awareness to their struggle to find equality.

ozso said:
When they kept coming up with new things to call racist, prejudiced, exclusionary etc.

We should all have a problem with racism, prejudicial treatment, exclusion, etc .. We are Christians who are to accept all as brothers. One race is no better than another. A rich man is no better than the homeless.

wing2000 · Sunday at 9:23 AM

ozso said:
The issue is Cracker Barrel's appeal was an old fashioned down home country feel with affordable homemade tasting comfort food.

First the food became pricey, the portions got smaller, some favorites were eliminated and they also changed recipes.

So all that was left as an attraction was the old fashioned down home country feel, and then they took that away.

....with replicas of Americana made in China.

It's been over 15 years since I was in a Cracker Barrel....but even then, it didn't feel genuine and the food was unmemorable. I won't be sad to see this national chain....and frankly, all chains, go out of business. Alas, that's my bias showing as I would prefer to spend my dollars at family owned restaurants.

ozso · Sunday at 9:23 AM

Yarddog said:
No, that what woke still means, but the Right wingers hijacked the word and started piling on whatever they decided to falsely claim.

Gay still means that but people have used it to describe other things as well.

Yes, by right wingers who wanted to disparage a word used by minorities to bring awareness to their struggle to find equality.

We should all have a problem with racism, prejudicial treatment, exclusion, etc .. We are Christians who are to accept all as brothers. One race is no better than another. A rich man is no better than the homeless.

Like I said, the word lost it's original meaning when it was too widely applied by the left. Just like the left over-uses other words like racist.

durangodawood · Sunday at 9:36 AM

ozso said:
The issue is Cracker Barrel's appeal was an old fashioned down home country feel with affordable homemade tasting comfort food.....

Fake fake fake. Its another giant just off the interstate chain with a mildly evocative facade thrown up.

Aryeh Jay · Sunday at 9:46 AM

durangodawood said:
Fake fake fake. Its another giant just off the interstate chain with a mildly evocative facade thrown up.

Another mom and pop that appealed to real rural people that the left has successfully destroyed with their agenda.

durangodawood · Sunday at 9:53 AM

Aryeh Jay said:
Another mom and pop that appealed to real rural people that the left has successfully destroyed with their agenda.

How stale would crackers be if they were actually stored in a barrel?

ozso · Sunday at 10:27 AM

durangodawood said:
Fake fake fake. Its another giant just off the interstate chain with a mildly evocative facade thrown up.

What I posted is according to customer commentary. Obviously if they had the attitude displayed above, the place would've gone out of business a long time ago.

ozso · Sunday at 10:31 AM

durangodawood said:
How stale would crackers be if they were actually stored in a barrel?

✦ AI Overview

Crackers stayed relatively fresh in a wooden barrel because the barrel protected them from breaking during transport, and they weren't exposed to excessive moisture or air like they might be if loose in a box or bag. The wooden barrels also helped maintain a consistent environment, keeping the crackers dry from the elements, which was crucial for extending their shelf life in a time before modern packaging.

durangodawood · Sunday at 10:32 AM

ozso said:
What I posted is according to customer commentary. Obviously if they had the attitude displayed above, the place would've gone out of business a long time ago.

Nooo they do have the attitude I noted. But they succeed(ed) because Americans fall for that kind of fakery.

durangodawood · Sunday at 10:33 AM

ozso said:
✦ AI Overview

Crackers stayed relatively fresh in a wooden barrel because the barrel protected them from breaking during transport, and they weren't exposed to excessive moisture or air like they might be if loose in a box or bag. The wooden barrels also helped maintain a consistent environment, keeping the crackers dry from the elements, which was crucial for extending their shelf life in a time before modern packaging.

That is actually pretty interesting. I will desist from barrel disparagement going forward.

ozso · Sunday at 10:34 AM

durangodawood said:
Nooo they do have the attitude I noted. But they succeed(ed) because Americans fall for that kind of fakery.

Why so cynical and condescending?

ozso · Sunday at 10:37 AM

durangodawood said:
That is actually pretty interesting. I will desist from barrel disparagement going forward.

Why be disparaging at all?

durangodawood · Sunday at 10:43 AM

ozso said:
Why so cynical and condescending?

Theres a lot of things I love about the USA and American culture. But our tendency to accept corporate garbage if its dressed up in enough mythic sentiment or nostalgia really bothers me.

(This applies similarly to political motivations. But we talk about that plenty in other threads. In this thread its about commerce, culture, and aesthetics).

Cracker Barrel loses almost $100 million.

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