:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/GettyImages-2217655525-309e47fb33fb4aa3ae03846794204648.jpg "Cracker Barrel Needs to Get People Coming Back. Here’s How It’s Trying to Do That.")
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Key Takeaways
- Cracker Barrel is taking steps to reverse a decline in traffic it has seen since unveiling a controversial new logo in August.
- The restaurant recently offered breakfast specials and will poll loyalty members on how their experience was, CEO Julie Masino said.
- Bank of America analysts cautioned that the recovery may be “protracted.”
A hotly debated rebrand has depressed sales at Cracker Barrel since mid-August. The restaurant chain is trying to move on.
Its efforts include new breakfast specials and soliciting feedback from regulars. And there’s good reason to try: Cracker Barrel Old Country Store (CBRL) traffic has declined 8% since Aug. 19, when the Tennessee-based chain unveiled a streamlined logo that no longer featured a male character, company executives said on a conference call Wednesday.
The updated logo upset some consumers—and caught the eye of President Donald Trump—and fueled debate about whether remodeled stores had an overly modern vibe. Within a week, the company said it would bring back the prior logo. It will also restore the old aesthetic at renovated locations and pause further remodels, CEO Julie Masino said on a Wednesday conference call about the company’s quarterly results.
A number of regulars are sticking by the restaurant, CEO Julie Masino said, and Cracker Barrel is taking steps to include them in the comeback plan. Cracker Barrel will launch an initiative called “Front Porch Feedback” to gauge how rewards members feel after each visit, said Masino, who stepped into the CEO role in 2023. “We will be listening to and actioning initiatives based on their valuable input,” she said, according to a transcript made available by AlphaSense.
The brand has successfully beckoned people back with recent “buy one, get one free” breakfast specials, Masino said. It’s also working to improve its biscuits and update its meatloaf and green beans, part of an ongoing effort to enhance the menu.
Cracker Barrel’s marketing spending will pick up some, with forthcoming messages that “center around college football,” Masino said. These advertising plans were made before the rebrand upheaval, but are pertinent given the need to drive traffic, she said.
A recovery may be “protracted,” Bank of America wrote in a research note Thursday. “With younger consumers reacting more strongly than older consumers (65+), we see risk that efforts to evolve the brand have been stymied, at least temporarily,” the analysts said.
Company shares were recently down 4%. They’re off by some 10% so far this year.
