Posted on 01/02/2026 9:59:05 AM PST by Red Badger
Cracker Barrel is barreling toward yet another PR disaster, this time angering customers throughout the South for ditching a tradition on New Year’s Day.
In early September 2025, Cracker Barrel fully retreated from its proposed plans to modernize and remodel its restaurants to a more minimalist, corporate look and replace its old trademark logo, featuring “old timer” Uncle Herschel, with a boring, stripped-down version. They didn’t have much choice, as customers were enraged and their stock price had plummeted
You’ve shared your voices in recent weeks not just on our logo, but also on our restaurants. We’re continuing to listen. Today, we’re suspending our remodels. If your restaurant hasn’t been remodeled, you don’t need to worry, it won’t be. With our recent announcement that our…
— Cracker Barrel (@CrackerBarrel) September 9, 2025
The company is now facing yet another brewing PR crisis. Over the years, Cracker Barrel has quietly stopped serving black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day, a Southern dish that, according to legend, brings good fortune in the new year.
Arrogant Yankees Don’t Get That This is ‘Bad Luck’ https://t.co/f1gqQjHpqp pic.twitter.com/eIhbwqaodx
— Grace Chong, MBI (@gc22gc) January 1, 2026
Cracker Barrel apparently hasn’t received the message yet. No black eyed peas on New Year’s Day in the South? As my grandmother once told me, never forget where you came from. pic.twitter.com/OMVzlqHpDY
— Jim Crooks (@JimCrooks7) January 2, 2026
One more example, albeit a small one, of white liberal women destroying America as we know it. In this case, Sarah Moore threw the long-standing tradition of serving black-eyed peas on New Year’s out the window. Cracker Barrel hasn’t changed their spots. https://t.co/vuDWnPV2m1
— Matt Bryant (@MattBryant7295) January 1, 2026
Seems to me like you idiots haven’t learned a damned thing. Glad I decided to keep my family out of your new look and new menu. Cracker Barrel used to be a good place to go. Not so much anymore.@CrackerBarrel https://t.co/oz4uNpfZ4b
— Andy Alford (@AndyAlford19) January 1, 2026
Now I find out Cracker Barrel no longer serves Black Eyed Peas on New Year’s Day. The woman at the head of this thing needs to be fired. She’s done nothing but causes problems since she took over by the way lady if you’re reading this your insights don’t work.
— John Stoll (@babybosn) January 1, 2026
As a proud Yankee, I was never familiar with the Southern tradition of eating collards and black-eyed peas on New Year’s until I married into a Southern family. Yesterday, however, was my second New Year’s of having a nibble of collards for wealth and prosperity, and black-eyed peas for good health. It’s a great tradition.
But, of course, the empty corporate suits who now run Cracker Barrel had to ruin it for the Southern customers. How many times can you shoot the same foot? We are learning that in Cracker Barrel’s case, there are no limits.
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It’s called “Private Equity” where people with money buy up restaurant brands and chains, then simplify and cheapen the menu to make more money from people who are loyal customers. They can ride the inertia for 3 or 4 years then liquidate the company in bankruptcy and come out ahead on the investment. It’s a crappy system but it works for the people who have the money when the restaurant chain runs out.
Idiots.
That’s Catfish and collards and black-eyes. And cornbread. And iced tea.
I lived in Georgia for four years, and hadn’t heard of this, but why bother changing this when black eyed peas are so inexpensive, for one day per year?
This is a delicious and very different blackeye pea recipe, and very good for New Year’s Day:
https://saramoulton.com/2013/12/black-eyed-pea-cakes-with-salsa-mayonnaise/
There will be another. Buccees.
I don’t really care. I like to cook my own food.
This house eats beans/peas at least once a week. Even the dogs.
For me, this is a tough question. I have always like Capitalism. A Market Economy. Economic Freedom. But I look around at the world today and I see a whole lot of people (just about every business and institution) and it's all about SQUEEZING every possible cent out of everyone. Screw the public. Screw the employees. The only thing that ever matters is "making the numbers" for the current financial quarter so that the Big People can get their bonuses and the stockholders can make some money.
I get it. That's good. That's Economic Freedom.
But now the world just sucks for almost everyone.
Or pulled pork.
The only rebellion that I commit as a born Phillyite is my tea is unsweet. Since unsweet tea and sweet tea look the same, no one notices.
NOT TOO FAR FROM THE METHOD OF BUYING UP BANKRUPT COMPANIES & SELLING OFF ALL THE ASSETS—DOWN TO THE TOILET PAPER:
MITT ROMNEY
In this case their changes started with covid and the major culling of herds due to diseases and drought across several,successive years. Many other restaurants did the same. Their supply chains couldnt get what they used to, and many customers were gone awhile, so they switched to less expensive supplies and ingredients. Once covid was over, people,started coming back but then disliked how the food quality changed, and didn’t come back, so restaurants, even if they wanted to switch back to their former better normal suppliers, didn’t have money coming in from customers to do so, so they were stuck with the lesser foodstuffs and no expected large back-to-normal increase in customers.
Now this is bad enough, but then take a company experiencing this, and then have them voluntarily Bud Light themselves, and you’ve got a place that can easily take itself out of business.
Did they replace the woke female CEO with the ridiculous hipster glasses and the double-barreled surname?
Unreal..... freakin unreal.
Capitalism only works in the long run if people care about each other. This takes a Judeo-Christian attitude in the West, or Confucian societal organization in the East. Greed destroys capitalism and brings on socialism, which then destroys everything.
I whompped up a mess of blacked eyed peas with corn pone yesterday for just in case.
CEOs sits on each others’ Board of Directors, and it’s “You scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours.”
You are making my mouth water
“That’s Catfish and collards and black-eyes. And cornbread. And iced tea.”
Exactly.
Exactly.
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