By Heather Haddon

Cracker Barrel's new logo kicked off a firestorm after it made its debut on billboards and signs this summer.

Some customers say the chain's real challenge is in the kitchen.

Longtime Cracker Barrel patrons grumble that the chain's food has gone downhill over the years, while some long-running menu items have been scrapped.

More recent changes aimed at streamlining kitchen operations and cutting costs haven't sat well, either. Cracker Barrel shifted to making its signature biscuits in big batches and chilling them, rather than rolling out the dough on demand. Green beans and other sides were prepared in ovens instead of traditional stovetop kettles, and food was reheated when needed.

Regulars such as Craig Watkins, 73 years old, a retired race-car engineer from Northern California, pine for the chain's old standards. He said Cracker Barrel's quality has slipped, and that the chain ought to bring back old favorites and fix its maple syrup.

"I want pure syrup on pancakes, not that watered down junk," said Watkins, who said he brings his own maple syrup to Cracker Barrel.

The chain has said it is listening to customers and stepping up food quality. Cracker Barrel has switched back to some of its previous cooking procedures and restored menu items such as Campfire Meals and Uncle Herschel's Favorite Breakfast that diners had requested.

Cracker Barrel has been working to restore its standing with customers as the holidays loom -- traditionally a busy time at the Southern-style chain.

The company calls Thanksgiving its Super Bowl, when its cooks crank out to-go meals of ham, turkey and pecan pie. The weeks before Christmas are typically some of the biggest for sales in the restaurant chain's retail stores.

Logo uproar

On Tuesday, Cracker Barrel is slated to report its financial performance for the quarter ended in October, providing the first detailed look at how the logo controversy dented its business. Analysts polled by FactSet expect the company's profit and sales to plunge in the latest quarter from the same time last year.

The sit-down restaurant chain has scrapped its new logo, store remodels and cooking changes, but executives said the controversy took a toll on sales. Investors last month delivered a rebuke to Chief Executive Julie Felss Masino, voting around 25% of shares against her at the company's annual meeting.

Cracker Barrel shares had declined nearly 50% this year through Monday's close.

Traffic to the Lebanon, Tenn.-based chain's 660 locations was down more than 9% in the first weeks of November compared with last year's period, according to Placer.ai, which aggregates location data from mobile devices.

Mark Cover, a retired executive in Houston who said his children grew up going to Cracker Barrel on road trips, visits the chain less frequently.

"We won't be there at all this holiday season," said Cover, who thinks the chain's gravy, pot pies and chicken have all suffered. "Ingredients and recipes changed. Same names but different experience."

Seasonal sales

In the past, Thanksgiving has been lucrative for Cracker Barrel. During Thanksgiving week in 2023, the company rang up more than $110 million in sales and served around six million customers, a record. The chain's five busiest stores that year served more people than attend most NFL games, Masino said during an investor call.

Thanksgiving sales in 2024 also reached weekly records, though Masino told investors in March that the company needed to improve its profitability and customer experience. She said the company would streamline its holiday offerings to reduce complexity, and increase some prices.

"This was one of the first areas that we tackled as part of our transformation," she said.

As it seeks to lure back customers, Cracker Barrel has ramped up marketing, staging a tailgate during the late-November Iron Bowl college football game, and tapping family-focused lifestyle influencer Samantha Bauchmann to bring home Cracker Barrel turkey for Thanksgiving.

Leslie Westbrook, 79, a retired marketing strategist in Chattanooga, Tenn., said the company never should have tried to update its brand, as she loves their restaurants' feeling of being at grandma's house. She said she still plans to patronize Cracker Barrel, including during the holidays.

"I cannot make these dishes better even after a lot of effort, and I am an excellent Southern cook," Westbrook said.

Write to Heather Haddon at heather.haddon@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

December 09, 2025 05:30 ET (10:30 GMT)

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