Cracker Barrel recorded higher quarterly profit and guided for sales to grow in the year ahead, pointing to continued improvements in underlying traffic trends and some guest metrics.

Shares were up 8.3% to $49.25 in premarket trading.

The results and forecast come after the chief executive who oversaw a controversial rebranding campaign at the restaurant chain stepped down last month, succeeded by an industry veteran.

Cracker Barrel on Wednesday posted a fiscal fourth-quarter profit of $12.2 million, or 54 cents a share, compared with $6.75 million, or 30 cents a share, a year earlier.

Adjusted earnings per share were 99 cents, compared with analyst estimates of 17 cents, according to FactSet.

Revenue fell 2.2% year over year to $849.3 million, compared with analyst estimates of $834.6 million.

Comparable-store restaurant sales decreased 2.1%. Comparable store retail sales ticked up 0.7%.

Cracker Barrel's underlying traffic trends and key guest metrics have continued to improve, CEO David Deno said.

"The company is focused on the right areas and has a strong plan," Deno said.

Deno, the former CEO of Outback Steakhouse owner Bloomin' Brands, joined Cracker Barrel on Aug. 10, succeeding Julie Masino.

Masino had sought to update Cracker Barrel for a younger generation of consumers, including remaking its folksy logo and changing its menu. The changes sparked widespread backlash, with everyone from die-hard customers to President Trump weighing in, and sales and profit plummeted. Masino walked back many elements of her strategy due to the controversy, and the business started showing signs of improvement before her exit.

For the full year ahead, Cracker Barrel said it expects revenue of about $3.33 billion to $3.4 billion, up from $3.32 billion for the year that ended July 31. Analysts forecast $3.39 billion.

The company also expects comparable-store restaurant sales growth of 3% to 5% and no new store openings.