Cracker Barrel is undergoing the biggest overhaul in the chain’s history.
Fans of the restaurant are going to see some major differences in the future.
And Cracker Barrel gave a scary update to fans about this historic shakeup.
Cracker Barrel struggles coming out of the pandemic
Southern comfort food chain Cracker Barrel used a consistent formula of down-home cooking with a gift shop at the entrance.
The chain, which is often located along highways, became a favorite for grabbing a bite to eat on long road trips.
But the pandemic changed the trajectory of Cracker Barrel and the rest of the restaurant industry.
The foot traffic from customers sitting down to eat began to shift to take out and delivery through third-party apps like DoorDash.
Cracker Barrel never recovered the traffic it lost during the pandemic.
That’s forcing the chain to make some major changes.
New Cracker Barrel CEO Julie Felss Masino admitted that things aren’t going well for the beloved chain.
“The way we communicate, the things on the menu, the way the stores look and feel . . . all of these things came up time and time again in our research as opportunities for us to really regain relevancy,” Masino said.
Now she’s leading a major overhaul of Cracker Barrel to try to get things back on track.
Cracker Barrel undergoing the biggest overhaul of its menu in history
Cracker Barrel’s menu has mostly been unchanged for decades with a few seasonal specials rotating in and out.
Now the new CEO is leading a dramatic overhaul of the chain’s menu.
Cracker Barrel is making its biggest changes to its menu in 55 years as part of the chain’s rebrand.
The revamped menu is being tested this August at 20 locations in Texas before a potential national rollout.
“This Texas-sized test includes approximately 20 new items, a new menu design that’s easier for guests to navigate and reduces recipe complexities for employees,” Cracker Barrel said in a press release.
Cracker Barrel didn’t release details on all of the new menu items but it pointed to five that the chain thinks will be standouts.
Hashbrown Casserole Shepherd’s Pie, Green Chile Cornbread, Chicken n’ Dumplin Soup, Cinnamon Bread French Toast, and Banana Pudding are the highlights according to Cracker Barrel.
The daily specials will be revamped with a rotation of classic favorites like lemon pepper trout served with turnip greens and chicken and rice.
Southern BBQ ribs were highlighted as a new addition to the daily specials rotation.
The menu isn’t the only change that fans will see in the future.
Restaurant interiors are going to be redone to give them a modern feel and the chain will use more technology like a mobile app for take-out orders.
“For nearly 55 years, guests have known and loved us for our authentic, homestyle cooking, and that’s not going away, we’ve only added more flavor and crave to the menu and made it easier to navigate,” Cracker Barrel Senior Vice President of Operations Cammie Spillyards-Schaefer said. “We look forward to gaining valuable feedback from both our guests and employees on the test.”
Big changes are on the way for Cracker Barrel as the chain’s new management tries to turn things around.
