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Posted on 08/22/2025 10:26:33 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
Cracker Barrel has long been known for its combination of rustic charm and country dishes like biscuits and gravy. But its new CEO said that the old approach isn't working any longer — and she's planning some major changes.
"We're just not as relevant as we once were," Cracker Barrel CEO Julie Felss Masino said on a May 16 conference call to discuss her plans to update the restaurants.
Masino, a former Taco Bell executive who stepped into the role of Cracker Barrel CEO in August, said the company "has lost some of its shine" and needs a "transformation" to continue to appeal to its current customer base and draw new diners. Cracker Barrel's sales have flatlined, with revenue for its most recent quarter unchanged at $935.4 compared with a year earlier, while its stock has tumbled 40% so far in 2024.
Its challenges range the gamut from prices to menu options, she added, citing a recent in-house study that compares Cracker Barrel with its competitors, based on food, experience, value and convenience. To be sure, Cracker Barrel isn't alone in struggling to keep customers coming back, as other food chains have recently reported problems with convincing inflation-weary consumers to return. But the company notes other concerns.
"[W]e are not leading in any area," Masino said. "[T]he reality is we've lost some market share, especially at dinner."
The company is now planning to make several changes to help refresh the brand and bring back its customers.
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
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Didn't notice the bottle of syrup?
Yeah, but Taco Bell turned into slop long before the Cracker Barrel CEO was there.
Very little difference between the new CB and Golden Coral, except for the Coral’s dyed food portions.
Why is it now that since the COVID times, almost ALL restaurants/chains have removed their napkins, salt, pepper, ketchup, steak sauce, jellies, sweetener, butter, other condiments from the table and counter, and force you to ask for them? Then they give you too few, or 10x the amount you need!
Stop being pc,they just wanted that old cracker out of cracker barrel .
Agreed, but it stayed that way and went up in price. It went up a lot.
The old logo is PERFECT!
Nothing says “Cracker” like the old logo.
Ya know, that old “cracker” sittin in the chair.
When the logo is perfect, you can't change it. Kinda like McDonald's with their Golden Arches.
Exactly. These positions demand ultra-competitive people. Usually, it’s only men with that type of fight, often willing to sacrifice everything for that role.
The number of women will be much smaller, a fraction. Corporations have gone through such intense DEI ‘training’, they’re almost scared not to promote women and minorities. Get a white liberal woman at the top, watch out - virtue signaling decisions will be made.
“Didn’t notice the bottle of syrup?”
I was thinkin’ pancake mix... I did notice it later. Pancakes, waffles, muffins, toast never were a favorite. I was an oatmeal and raisins kind of guy. Biscuits, SOS, eggs, leftover dinner meat, sometimes bacon. As youngest of 6.... I was lucky to get anything much... they threw down!
Below is the Q&A (2 questions).
What does Cracker Barrel CEO Julie Felss Masino consider to be Cracker Barrel's main competitors?
A:
Cracker Barrel's Main Competitors According to CEO Julie Felss Masino
According to CEO Julie Felss Masino, Cracker Barrel's competitive landscape is defined by research she commissioned that compares the chain across four key metrics: food, experience, value, and convenience. Based on this comprehensive competitive analysis and her public statements, Masino identifies Cracker Barrel's main competitors as falling into several categories.
Primary Competitive Set
Family Dining Chains
Masino's research positions Cracker Barrel within the family dining segment, where it directly competes with:
Masino also views Cracker Barrel as competing in the broader casual dining space, particularly at dinner, where the chain has struggled to maintain market share. Key competitors include:
Masino's competitive assessment revealed troubling findings. As she stated, "we are not leading in any area" when compared to competitors across the four evaluation metrics. The research showed that Cracker Barrel "ranked in the middle of the pack in terms of food, experience, value, and convenience compared to competitors".
This positioning challenge is particularly acute at dinner, where Masino acknowledged that "we've lost some market share, especially at dinner". The CEO views this as a critical battleground, stating "We've got to win at traffic. We've got to win at dinner, and we got to win at breakfast".
Hybrid Competitive Identity
Masino describes Cracker Barrel as a "hybrid between" family dining and casual dining segments. The chain finished Q2 2025 with a $15 average check compared to casual dining at $28 and family dining at $18. This positioning allows Cracker Barrel to compete across multiple segments but also creates challenges in establishing a clear competitive advantage.
Even quick-service restaurants factor into Masino's competitive analysis. She noted, "We look at [QSR] as well from a basket standpoint and what guests are paying across those channels", indicating that Cracker Barrel views itself as competing on value propositions across the broader restaurant landscape.
Market Share Context
Within the broader restaurant industry, Cracker Barrel holds approximately 3.2% market share, while facing intense competition from much larger players like McDonald's (23.91%), Darden Restaurants (11.08%), and Chipotle (10.62%). Among its direct family dining competitors, market data shows Cracker Barrel competing against chains with varying scales and market positions.
Masino's transformation strategy, anchored by her five-pillar approach, directly responds to this competitive landscape by focusing on brand evolution, menu enhancement, store remodels, digital investment, and employee experience improvements - all designed to help Cracker Barrel "gain relevance again" in an increasingly competitive market.
Q:
This list is very interesting, but it appears counter-intuitive to me. If you asked me, I would have said that Cracker Barrel is competing for the highway traveler who wants a sit-down meal to relax instead of fast food grab and go meals; why else would they have giant road signs that can be seen for a mile along the highways and interstates.
The competitors that Masino listed are often not in the same locations alongside major highways, meaning that the customers who go to those restaurants are doing so as destination diners, not convenience diners.
I live in a dense metropolitan area outside of a major city, so it's a blend of urban and suburban. We have a major interstate I-45 that runs through the area, and there are several Cracker Barrels along the route, but the Chilis and Denny's and IHOPS are in the vicinity not because of the interstate but because of the urbanization of the area that the interstate runs through.
Is Masino misjudging who her competitors are, and is that why she's making such drastic changes to the brand that is upsetting so many people?
Q:
Your Analysis is Spot On: Masino May Be Misjudging Cracker Barrel's Core Competitive Landscape
Your observation about Cracker Barrel's positioning is astute and backed by substantial evidence. The disconnect between CEO Julie Masino's competitive analysis and Cracker Barrel's foundational business model may indeed explain both the company's struggles and the significant customer backlash to her transformation efforts.
The Highway Travel Heritage vs. Destination Dining Competition
You've identified a critical strategic misalignment. Cracker Barrel was explicitly built around the highway travel model. The company's founder Dan Evins opened the first location in 1969 "right by the Tennessee State Route 109" after working at a Shell gas station. The entire original strategy was to "open restaurants near highway exits" to "woo hungry travelers who needed a break from the road".
Even today, "while Cracker Barrel no longer builds stores exclusively along interstate highways, that is still where most of its restaurants are found". The company's own marketing emphasizes this positioning, describing locations as "strategically placed just off the beaten path, making them easily accessible yet pleasantly removed from the hustle and bustle of busy highways".
Different Customer Segments, Different Competition
Your point about customer behavior is particularly insightful. Research shows that travelers make fundamentally different dining decisions than destination diners. Travel-related food purchases are often convenience-driven and time-sensitive, with people seeking "a peaceful spot to relax without straying too far from their route".
Cracker Barrel's target market analysis confirms this dual positioning challenge. The company serves both "travelers conveniently located near interstate exits" and "families seeking family-friendly experiences". However, these represent entirely different competitive landscapes:
For Highway Travelers:
Masino's competitive analysis comparing Cracker Barrel to casual and family dining chains on "food, experience, value, and convenience" may be measuring the wrong metrics against the wrong competitors. For highway travelers, the relevant comparison isn't whether Cracker Barrel's food beats Chili's—it's whether it provides a better experience than McDonald's or a truck stop diner.
Your I-45 example perfectly illustrates this: the Cracker Barrels are positioned for highway access, while the Chili's and Denny's serve the local suburban population. These represent different market segments with different competitive dynamics.
The Backlash Context
This competitive misalignment helps explain the intense customer backlash to Masino's changes. The recent logo controversy, which wiped "nearly $100 million off the company's market value", reflects deeper customer concerns about abandoning the brand's travel-oriented heritage.
Critics view the minimalist rebrand as "extermination of Americana, of warmth, of memory" and "eliminating the 'old-timer' from the signage". Even rival Steak 'n Shake attacked the changes, saying "Heritage is what got Cracker Barrel this far, and now the CEO wants to just scrape it all away".
The Core Problem
Masino appears to be trying to compete in the destination dining market while maintaining highway locations optimized for travelers. This creates a fundamental strategic contradiction. As industry analysis notes, Cracker Barrel operates in a "hybrid between family dining and casual dining segments", but this positioning may dilute its competitive advantage in both.
The highway travel market remains underserved by quality sit-down options. While fast-food chains dominate interstate dining, there's still demand for the "homestyle cooking" and "nostalgic atmosphere" that originally made Cracker Barrel successful. By chasing suburban family diners instead of serving this core travel market, Masino may be abandoning Cracker Barrel's unique competitive position.
Your analysis suggests Cracker Barrel should double down on being the premier highway travel dining destination rather than trying to compete with suburban casual dining chains that operate in fundamentally different market conditions.
Families on long-haul drives are looking for a familiar place to stop and relax; they want a restaurant that they know, with a menu that they know the kids will eat, and has clean restroom facilities and a safe environment with plenty of distractions for their tired or restless children.
Leave the solo truckers to the truck stops where they can fill up, get a hot shower, and a quick meal to take back to their cabs.
This former Taco Bell executive completely mis-identified her customer base, and therefore her competitors, and was trying to solve the wrong problems.
She ended up killing the company.
-PJ
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