Cracker Barrel - Destroying The Brand

[OldFeller]

As long as the food and service are not compromised, progress marches on.

It was always about the food. The crap on the wall were there just to make your wait a little less boring. It really is time that the place updated it's look.

 

[CallMeKate]

Their stock lost $100M yesterday because of the *logo* change... not the look of exterior or interior.

 

[OldFeller]

Their stock lost $100M yesterday because of the *logo* change... not the look of exterior or interior.

Stock is just an indicator of investor confidence and not necessarily an indication of consumer confidence.
If people stop going there it will be because of higher prices versus the quality of the food.
CB started out as a place to feed a family for a reasonable price. Often their entrees included 3 sides for the price.
When the kids were little, we ate there many times.

 

[spedini]

In an odd way,
there is some good in what they've done.

It's been said that there is no such thing as bad publicity.
While I don't totally agree with that,
they are dominating the media.

You can't tune anything on without seeing either logo.

 

[CallMeKate]

Here are the logos.... and I personally don't understand this decision. It had character... now it's just.... well, plain.

 

[MACKTEXAS]

I'm sorry to see any business going through difficulties, but the one eating establishment I miss the most is Luby's Cafeterias where we could go through a line and pick out exactly what we wanted - no waiting for a table, no waiter who disappeared when most needed. Cafeterias fell out of favor with the public, at least in Texas. Could be that home style cooking like Cracker Barrel offers is also losing favor. I don't know that; it's just a guess.

 

[Nathan]

Never heard of Cracker Barrel until about 15 years ago, when they opened one in the nearby city. Met a couple former co-workers there for lunch. Food was OK, kind of old fashioned country cooking. I'm surprised a chain restaurant could compete, there's a local 3 store country cafe chain called Molly Brown's that draws the local folks, very good country cooking.

 

[CallMeKate]

I'm sorry to see any business going through difficulties, but the one eating establishment I miss the most is Luby's Cafeterias where we could go through a line and pick out exactly what we wanted - no waiting for a table, no waiter who disappeared when most needed.

I miss cafeterias, too. Last one I had was at NASA and it was so enjoyable.

 

[Della]

I miss cafeterias, too. Last one I has was at NASA and it was so enjoyable.

Me, three, on the cafeterias. There was one in Georgia (maybe still is) called Morrison's where you could get a delicious tray of food in minutes and have the joy of picking out your own slice of pie.

 

[Lilac]

It seems to be another way that people like the CEO has decided to strip away a well-known identity that has worked successfully for many years in business only to turn it into a bland character which allows it to be forgettable. What made it stand out is gone now.

 

[squatting dog]

I still miss the automat

A chapter of American history quietly drew to a close in New York City on April 9, 1991, when the country’s last Horn & Hardart Automat shut down. During the Depression, there were hundreds of these Automats, mostly in New York City, dispensing macaroni and cheese, baked beans, and coconut cream pies from their famous windowed, coin-operated compartments. David Isay visited the last of them, on 200 East 42nd Street, on the day it closed.

 

[Dr. Jekyll]

As long as the food and service are not compromised, progress marches on.

Sadly, at least around here, the food and service have been in decline for a while. Much of it seems institutional and out of a can instead of tasting like it was home cooked (whether it was or not).

 

[Lawrence00]

Before crackers were packaged in boxes like we see today, they were delivered in barrels to the stores ... thus the cracker barrel. An iconic picture of an old style store where the old-timer would hang around & talk any where in America.

Yeah, I asked ai about the name. Crackers were kept in barrels, even at sea. Using the word in a racist sense is what morons do. Crackers come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and flavors.

 

[Lilac]

I like the History channel series about "_______ that Made America" (fill in the blank). The Food series was pretty good about where & how are food came about. I remember the cracker story from that.

 

[Lawrence00]

Here are the logos.... and I personally don't understand this decision. It had character... now it's just.... well, plain.

View attachment 444607

They destroyed art and creativity.

 

[Della]

I still miss the automat

A chapter of American history quietly drew to a close in New York City on April 9, 1991, when the country’s last Horn & Hardart Automat shut down. During the Depression, there were hundreds of these Automats, mostly in New York City, dispensing macaroni and cheese, baked beans, and coconut cream pies from their famous windowed, coin-operated compartments. David Isay visited the last of them, on 200 East 42nd Street, on the day it closed.

TCM had the best documentary about them!

 

[ChiroDoc]

I can kind of understand the problem of the logo in the South of the US. A "cracker' is a racial slur meaning "dumb, poor, uneducated white person". In the North, the restaurant was deemed a place where "crackers" ate, meaning blacks weren't exactly welcomed.

That's a bit of a stretch. They're still using "Cracker" in their logo. It's still Cracker Barrel. Their foolish changes will continue to hurt the corporation. It'll be their "Bud Lite" moment.

 

[Babs2u]

Well no one forces anyone to go to these fast food joints by the way. And really yes people would be better off cooking at home instead.

I thought it was a place to stop when you are on the road. Not my choice though. Once was enough.

 

[Babs2u]

I'm sorry to see any business going through difficulties, but the one eating establishment I miss the most is Luby's Cafeterias where we could go through a line and pick out exactly what we wanted - no waiting for a table, no waiter who disappeared when most needed. Cafeterias fell out of favor with the public, at least in Texas. Could be that home style cooking like Cracker Barrel offers is also losing favor. I don't know that; it's just a guess.

Cafeterias were declining. Then came Covid and buffets shut down.

 

[Harry Le Hermit]

We will continue to visit our local Cracker Barrel and I do not understand the current hoopla. Let's face it, the demographic that drove Cracker Barrel is literally dying off. Hence the closures of several stores the past few years, with minimal new ones opening. Even then the size of new restaurants is smaller.

They are simply trying to appeal to a younger generation and prolong the brands existence. Can they survive another 10~15 years? I doubt it.