Cracker Barrel has fallen

#101
#101
volsforever27 said:
The food quality has went down in recent years, but this is crazy. Someone says it looks like Long John Silvers and/or Zaxbys with a gift shop and I agree. CB was always one of those places you thought would remain the same, but hire this kind of CEO and that’s what you get.

On a different note, the one where I live used to sell gas in the 70’s I think. I guess a lot of them did.
Click to expand...
Yes, the one on Hwy-109 just off I-40 originally was a mom-and-pop gas station with a diner - between Lebanon and Mt. Juliet. We went there often when I was a kid. I went to school with the Evins family.
 
  • Like
Reactions: CPA
#102
#102
One of the relatives of the Evins family, Karlen, was on Nashville talk radio, with Teddy Bart, decades ago. I remember when a Cracker Barrell opened many years ago close to Cove Lake Park and pool in east Tn. Was really a big deal at that time.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Hoosier_Vol and MHS Rebel
#104
#104
OrangeTsar said:
Mr Juliet is a suburb of Nashville; taken over by Californian immigrants. I am not surprised that it does well there. I don’t think they will get the same reception in Kingsport
Click to expand...
The 3-4 pilot stores we outfitted were Mt. Juliet, 2 in FLA, and one somewhere else. Maybe not fully representative of the customer base at large. Could argue the survey and test markets were hand picked to contain the demographic they needed to give the results they needed. These two ladies need to go take over Sonny's BBQ around FL and try this.
 
  • Like
Reactions: OrangeTsar
#105
#105
Here is what I don’t think the CB leadership is even capable of understanding since they aren’t Southerners by birth.
Cracker Barrel is Mamaw‘s kitchen. They have basically disrespected every Southern Grandma.
They basically stepped on the third rail of Southern culture. I don’t think they meant to; it is just total cultural ignorance.
A Harvard grad running a traditional a Southern Restaurant chain isn’t going to work any more than me opening a Vegan Restaurant in Seattle. Just don’t go there
 
  • Like
Reactions: Smallvol#1, DuckInAPen, Big Al Orange and 4 others
#106
#106
CPA said:
One of the relatives of the Evins family, Karlen, was on Nashville talk radio, with Teddy Bart, decades ago. I remember when a Cracker Barrell opened many years ago close to Cove Lake Park and pool in east Tn. Was really a big deal at that time.
Click to expand...
I was invited to a birthday party for one of the Evins kids when I was about 12 at a bowling alley - I think it was in Hermitage or Donelson. Karlen followed us around like a stray puppy. The alley gave each of us an old retired bowling pin.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: tbwhhs and CPA
#107
#107
OrangeTsar said:
Here is what I don’t think the CB leadership is even capable of understanding since they aren’t Southerners by birth.
Cracker Barrel is Mamaw‘s kitchen. They have basically disrespected every Southern Grandma.
They basically stepped on the third rail of Southern culture. I don’t think they meant to; it is just total cultural ignorance.
A Harvard grad running a traditional a Southern Restaurant chain isn’t going to work any more than me opening a Vegan Restaurant in Seattle. Just don’t go there
Click to expand...
They are counting the fact that fewer old school MeeMaws are close and this new generation grew up with MeeMaws who let you take them out when you visited instead of stuffing you at their table.

I don't think it works, but that's the gamble: These young people don't know good homemade gravy nor like it. They don't know a solid meat and eggs breakfast that isn't wrapped in corporate biscuit paper. They don't know the atmosphere of a country kitchen and nostalgia.

They're trying to appeal to the ones who had "new MeeMaws" who moved from the farm, got a job, were just as busy as Mom and no longer liked to cook all that much.

They are counting on folks whose MeeMaw had to work all the time like PaPaw did to keep things together. I don't think we've reached a critical mass of those folks yet but I suspect we might at some point.

I think it fails but I kind of see who they're looking for with this shift.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Go aeiou
#108
#108
OrangeTsar said:
Here is what I don’t think the CB leadership is even capable of understanding since they aren’t Southerners by birth.
Cracker Barrel is Mamaw‘s kitchen. They have basically disrespected every Southern Grandma.
They basically stepped on the third rail of Southern culture. I don’t think they meant to; it is just total cultural ignorance.
A Harvard grad running a traditional a Southern Restaurant chain isn’t going to work any more than me opening a Vegan Restaurant in Seattle. Just don’t go there
Click to expand...
Southerners had already run CB into the ground before this re-brand. They haven't had good food in a very long time.

Think about it...you don't do a total rebrand to try to reach out to people who aren't going to your restaurant anyway because things are going well.
 
#109
#109
OrangeTsar said:
Here is what I don’t think the CB leadership is even capable of understanding since they aren’t Southerners by birth.
Cracker Barrel is Mamaw‘s kitchen. They have basically disrespected every Southern Grandma.
They basically stepped on the third rail of Southern culture. I don’t think they meant to; it is just total cultural ignorance.
A Harvard grad running a traditional a Southern Restaurant chain isn’t going to work any more than me opening a Vegan Restaurant in Seattle. Just don’t go there
Click to expand...

Good point. Over half of Sr leadership team are yankees from blue states (NY, CA, IL, RI)....
 
  • Like
Reactions: Smallvol#1, Vol since 77, tbwhhs and 1 other person
#110
#110
05_never_again said:
Southerners had already run CB into the ground before this re-brand. They haven't had good food in a very long time.

Think about it...you don't do a total rebrand to try to reach out to people who aren't going to your restaurant anyway because things are going well.
Click to expand...
Yup. If they would have put the same level of funding and effort into simple quality control that they put into all the rebranding plan; they would have been much better served.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Smallvol#1, LibertyVol, Big Al Orange and 3 others
#111
#111
OrangeTsar said:
Mr Juliet is a suburb of Nashville; taken over by Californian immigrants. I am not surprised that it does well there. I don’t think they will get the same reception in Kingsport
Click to expand...
A lot of Californians moving to every part of TN. I sold 300 acres below Kingston in 50-60 acre tracts. 2 of the tracts were sold to people leaving CA. They could sell their 1200'-1500' home for 1 million, and build a mansion here.
 
  • Like
Reactions: CPA
#112
#112
Go aeiou said:
A lot of Californians moving to every part of TN. I sold 300 acres below Kingston in 50-60 acre tracts. 2 of the tracts were sold to people leaving CA. They could sell their 1200'-1500' home for 1 million, and build a mansion here.
Click to expand...
if they don’t know the words to Rocky Top they don’t belong here 😉
 
  • Like
Reactions: LibertyVol
#113
#113
05_never_again said:
Southerners had already run CB into the ground before this re-brand. They haven't had good food in a very long time.

Think about it...you don't do a total rebrand to try to reach out to people who aren't going to your restaurant anyway because things are going well.
Click to expand...

They are having to rebrand because they turned off their existing base.

Changing seasoning to accomodate non Southern taste

Changing longstanding recipes to be Vegan friendly

Changing longstanding recipes to be Vegatarian friendly

You can get plant based meat for breakfast but not a pork chop

Rapidly increasing prices to offer cage free eggs and humanely raised meat

Supporting social causes that 90% of their customer base doesnt approve of.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 85SugarVol, Smallvol#1 and Vol since 77
#114
#114
Go aeiou said:
A lot of Californians moving to every part of TN. I sold 300 acres below Kingston in 50-60 acre tracts. 2 of the tracts were sold to people leaving CA. They could sell their 1200'-1500' home for 1 million, and build a mansion here.
Click to expand...
There's that also in the Cracker Barrel demise. Transplants from the north know neither Cracker Barrel as nostalgia nor southern food. To them, Cracker Barrel is just another corporate diner.

I'm reasonably certain this rebrand fails but I'm pretty sure Cracker Barrel was tanking already. Like everyone, I'd seen things just not measure up for a few years even though I like it as an easy meeting place for friends and family and I'll still go because the locations work for that.

I'd already grown to expect "Meh" lunches and dinners from CB.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Pennheel, Go aeiou and 05_never_again
#115
#115
GVF said:
Our company provides the new banquette seating and front of house cash wraps. They claim market studies were indicating they were too dark and needed a updating.

My opinion is the fall off in the quality of CB food even in just the last few years. We don't do CB often, but the last 3 times we have it might as well have been IHOP food. The cult classic hashbrown casserole is anemic in flavor and texture compared to the past. And doesn't even seem fresh anymore. Like they went to pre-prepped and packaged corporate dishes that just get thawed/reheated on the kitchen line. Like Red Lobster or Olive Garden.

Oddly, the Mt. Juliet location was one of maybe a half dozen pilot locations for the update and got really strong customer response and they ran with it.

Make good food fresh, and they will come. Decor is secondary at best.
Click to expand...
We won't try it again last three visits, all different states, the food was terrible.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Go aeiou
#116
#116
BigOrangeMojo said:
They are having to rebrand because they turned off their existing base.

Changing longstanding recipes to be Vegan friendly

Changing longstanding recipes to be Vegatarian friendly

You can get plant based meat for breakfast but not a pork chop

Rapidly increasing prices to offer cage free eggs and humanely raised meat

Supporting social causes that 90% of their customer base doesnt approve of.
Click to expand...
CB's initial issues were twofold:
1 - the food simply isn't that good
2 - their customer base (old people) is shrinking

The vegan stuff, offering alcohol, the rebrand, social causes, etc., are all failed attempts to address those 2 issues. It isn't like things were going great there, then they started offering vegan stuff and changed the logo, and now everything is terrible. Their brand hasn't been in a good state and has been declining for years, before all of this woke stuff came around. Bud Light and ESPN are the same story.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Pennheel and K-town Vol Fan
#117
#117
05_never_again said:
CB's initial issues were twofold:
1 - the food simply isn't that good
2 - their customer base (old people) is shrinking

The vegan stuff, offering alcohol, the rebrand, social causes, etc., are all failed attempts to address those 2 issues. It isn't like things were going great there, then they started offering vegan stuff and changed the logo, and now everything is terrible. Their brand hasn't been in a good state and has been declining for years, before all of this woke stuff came around. Bud Light and ESPN are the same story.
Click to expand...

Their food was still decent to about 2018-2019 or so. They were doing well stock price until then. At that point is when they began to pivot heavily to changing recipes, plant based meat, alcohol, social stuff.

Covid happened and they should have killed it. But they couldnt figure out online and to go ordering. They were worried about frivilous crap that their core didnt care about and couldnt give their customers food if they ordered it online
 
  • Like
Reactions: Vol since 77, DuckInAPen, swampfoxfan and 1 other person
#118
#118
CB is comfort food for me. Anytime I travel anywhere, the first place I go is CB when I get back. Same for my kids. I don't care what it looks like as long as they still have my beans and greens.
 
  • Like
Reactions: mr.checkerboards
#119
#119
BigOrangeMojo said:
Their food was still decent to about 2018-2019 or so. They were doing well stock price until then. At that point is when they began to pivot heavily to changing recipes, plant based meat, alcohol, social stuff.

Covid happened and they should have killed it. But they couldnt figure out online and to go ordering. They were worried about frivilous crap that their core didnt care about and couldnt give their customers food if they ordered it online
Click to expand...
90 of keeping an established business running successfully is simply remaining laser focused on the quality of your product or service
 
  • Like
Reactions: Smallvol#1, LibertyVol, Big Al Orange and 1 other person
#120
#120
BigOrangeMojo said:
Their food was still decent to about 2018-2019 or so. They were doing well stock price until then. At that point is when they began to pivot heavily to changing recipes, plant based meat, alcohol, social stuff.

Covid happened and they should have killed it. But they couldnt figure out online and to go ordering. They were worried about frivilous crap that their core didnt care about and couldnt give their customers food if they ordered it online
Click to expand...
The stock has been a really poor relative performer for a long time. It's badly underperformed the broader market and its sector for over a decade now.

It wasn't like things were going great, then they started changing stuff, and now they're struggling. Things have been in disarray for a while, then they started changing stuff, which has made it worse.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Go aeiou
New posts
You must log in or register to reply here.
Advertisement

Back
Top