Outrage Over Cracker Barrel Rebrand, Stock Plunges 20%+

[LevelUP]

After avoiding nearly all political news stories since April, I finally gave in and clicked on the Cracker Barrel rebrand controversy.

Was it just Republicans crying again over some minor nonsense? Yes. But was there more to it? Maybe.

Interestingly, this ended up becoming a rare issue that seemed to unite people on both sides of the political spectrum.

https://x.com/TheDemocrats/status/1958659652708716776






The décor in the new restaurant design feels pretty bland and lacking in character. Do we really need ten or more rolling pins on the wall? Art should convey some kind of emotion. This conveys nothing to me.



Personally, I’ve eaten at Cracker Barrel before and it’s fine, but Waffle House is still my favorite.

Thoughts?

[ss20ts]

The new logo and interior redesign looks about as generic as one can make it. There's no color. No pizazz. How's the food? How's the service? Those are the 2 things that matter most. I'll eat in a hole in a wall restaurant in a bad neighborhood with no parking if it has awesome food. I won't waste my time or money on a mediocre meal at a restaurant with fresh paint and plenty of parking in the burbs. They should spend their money on improving the food and service not new bland tables and pale grey Joanna Gaines walls with lame art that no one cares about. They should also clean their restaurants. Most of the ones I've been to over the years (decades really) are freaking dusty. Like take some pride in your restaurants. If you decorate with 953,524 chachkies then you need to budget and staff the cleaning of them from time to time not once a decade.

[NotJoeBiden]

The term is “blanding”.

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The new logo and interior redesign looks about as generic as one can make it. There's no color. No pizazz. How's the food? How's the service? Those are the 2 things that matter most. I'll eat in a hole in a wall restaurant in a bad neighborhood with no parking if it has awesome food. I won't waste my time or money on a mediocre meal at a restaurant with fresh paint and plenty of parking in the burbs. They should spend their money on improving the food and service not new bland tables and pale grey Joanna Gaines walls with lame art that no one care about. They should also clean their restaurants. Most of the ones I've been to over the years (decades really) are freaking dusty. Like take some pride in your restaurants. If you decorate with 953,524 chachkies then you need to budget and staff the cleaning of them from time to time not once a decade. Have some pride in your restaurants.

They were a mediocre restaurant with a cool classic southern vibe. Now they are just the former.

[SteveFoerster]

[Charles Fout]

Are there changes on the menu? Are they keeping the silly little store?

[LevelUP]

Are there changes on the menu? Are they keeping the silly little store?

Yeah, the store doesn’t seem to add much value to the restaurant. It feels like that space could be better utilized.

[ss20ts]

Are there changes on the menu? Are they keeping the silly little store?

Yeah, the store doesn’t seem to add much value to the restaurant. It feels like that space could be better utilized.

They make a fortune on that store! So many people buy things in it while waiting for a table. It's absolutely insane during the holidays.

[MichaelGates]

Are there changes on the menu? Are they keeping the silly little store?

Yeah, the store doesn’t seem to add much value to the restaurant. It feels like that space could be better utilized.

Cracker Barrel’s SEC filings, particularly its Form 10-K annual reports, break down the revenue into restaurant and retail segments.

For example, in Cracker Barrel’s Fiscal Year 2023 Annual Report:

• Total revenue: $3.43 billion
  
• Retail revenue: $752.3 million
  
• That’s approximately 21.9% of total revenue coming from the retail side.
  

So the store is usually at least a fifth of the profits.

[LevelUP]

Are there changes on the menu? Are they keeping the silly little store?

Yeah, the store doesn’t seem to add much value to the restaurant. It feels like that space could be better utilized.

Cracker Barrel’s SEC filings, particularly its Form 10-K annual reports, break down the revenue into restaurant and retail segments.

For example, in Cracker Barrel’s Fiscal Year 2023 Annual Report:

• Total revenue: $3.43 billion
  
• Retail revenue: $752.3 million
  
• That’s approximately 21.9% of total revenue coming from the retail side.
  

So the store is usually at least a fifth of the profits.

Ya, but this would be cool