Cracker Barrel soon to see some changes.

[roadman65]

https://www.facebook.com/100064906143437/posts/pfbid0cX53Sj15h7tSiJQT3U4KoMeAop9jWWLpin1ep4mZAp6iyLK6ouyZAMXjjE5YYogel/?
Soon a new look and menu for this iconic roadside business.
https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/exclusive-mt-juliet-cracker-barrel-gets-new-look-and-menu/ For those not on FB.

[hbelkins]

Paging @jpi

[SectorZ]

The Facebook comments echo why I stopped going, the food just sucks now. A new menu is pointless if they cook that like ass like the old stuff.

[ZLoth]

I think the last time I was at a Cracker Barrel was in Idaho in 2016, and the one location in Sacramento opened shortly after I moved to Texas. I have not been in a Cracker Barrel in Texas though. The food is kinda rich.

[1995hoo]

We occasionally get breakfast at a Cracker Barrel in Broward County because it's next door to the hotel where we stay and the breakfast food is decent. I have no interest in getting lunch or dinner there.

[roadman65]

Their Country Fried Steak Dinner ain't bad. Love their breakfast though. Always a line at the one in Hunters Creek where I used to live.

[SEWIGuy]

I think a lot of these casual dining places that came into prominence in the 90s (Cracker Barrell, Applebees, Olive Garden, Outback) are all running into the same problem. They need to keep prices low to bring people in the door, and they are cutting on food quality.

[epzik8]

I've been to two Cracker Barrels in my life, so I probably can't relate to the sentiment of those who are upset about this.

[Rothman]

I've been to two Cracker Barrels in my life, so I probably can't relate to the sentiment of those who are upset about this.

I've been to a few.  The recent TikTok about how many chains are just various flavors of Applebee's is more true than fiction.

[CtrlAltDel]

I've been to Cracker Barrel quite a few times, mostly on road trips when I was a child, but also every now and again since then. They're almost always, as many of us know, located near an Interstate exit, so it's a convenient place to go while on the road.

I have to admit that I liked the folksy and kitschy charm of the place appealing, and for that reason, I will probably dislike the changes although, at this point, I'm not sure what the changes are actually going will be. The links, as well as what I've been able to find online, are sparse on the details.

[Jim]

I've been happy with the several Cracker Barrels I've been to in my travels, but I guess since I probably haven't been to one in 7 or 8 years I was not happy enough to make an effort to go back.  The real problem with them for me is that when traveling, I am generally looking for something faster.  And if I have time for a longer meal I'm probably going to try to track down something local.

[roadman65]

How different is Cracker Barrel from Bob Evans?

I've been to both, but only a couple times to Bob Evans. Once in 2008 in Indiana for Breakfast and another to meet a friend in Fort Myers for lunch. From what I recall Bob Evans menu seemed the same as Cracker Barrel.

[Road Hog]

I'm sure a new logo is coming. I was OK with their basic layout, which was restaurant inside and knick-knack emporium outside. If Southern charm is your jam, they got it. But if their food quality goes the way of Applebee's, I'm straight out.

[GaryV]

We've eaten at Cracker Barrel several times on road trips. It provided a different experience to us because there aren't any around our home. It was a place where you generally knew what you were getting into before you stepped into the door. Unlike some hotel chains where quality varied greatly from one location to another.

They need to learn from JCPenney from years ago. They went "modern" and changed their product offerings. They managed to lose their loyal customer base and not pick up the new demographic they were seeking.

[SEWIGuy]

How different is Cracker Barrel from Bob Evans?

I've been to both, but only a couple times to Bob Evans. Once in 2008 in Indiana for Breakfast and another to meet a friend in Fort Myers for lunch. From what I recall Bob Evans menu seemed the same as Cracker Barrel.

I'll eat at a Bob Evans long before a Cracker Barrell.

[hotdogPi]

I wouldn't have even known Bob Evans existed outside grocery stores if it wasn't for this forum.

I've eaten at exactly two Cracker Barrels: one (Tewksbury MA) regularly, the other (Londonderry NH) probably three times.

[Plutonic Panda]

Contact them here and let them know: https://guestrelations.crackerbarrel.com/s/article/Contact-Us

I told them their food sucked. It's a shame because it used to be good. To me they suffer the same issue Rainforest Cafe does. Cool atmosphere. Awesome gift shop. But shitty food. This could fixed. Just takes someone giving a shit. Of course I left out the profanity but I explained to them I used to love their restaurants and though I never expected a Michelin star
Quality experience their food used to be decent and that was good enough. They need a new executive chef. I'm not sure how that works.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Cracker Barrel is toward the top of the list of places I'll stop at on the road. I can be in and out in 35-40 minutes, the food is usually tolerable and relatively cheap, and Southern food isn't the easiest to find in MSP. As mentioned they are geared toward an older demographic that is rapidly shrinking and not replacing that customer base, struggling to balance value with quality, and just that I think chains have become memes/punchlines as people would rather spend their money at better local places.

[webny99]

Bob Evans is kind of like a more modern version of Cracker Barrel with better market diversification. I agree that the target demographic of both chains is shrinking, but Bob Evans has the frozen grocery products to fall back on if their restaurants aren't doing well.

I've only been to Cracker Barrel once, about 10 years ago, and while the food was very good, I recall the inside of the restaurant feeling rather cluttered and the service was slow.

[Hunty2022]

I've only been to 4 locations, and I eat there almost every time I take a trip to Waynesboro. A minor "secret" of mine is that the only thing I did in Fayetteville, NC on 5/18/23 was eat at the Cracker Barrel off NC-53/210.

Their biscuts are pretty good, so is their Meatloaf. Once I tried a Pancake Taco Meal and that was good for my taste-buds, but not for my heart. I also bought a North Carolina shirt from the store in Fayetteville.

[hbelkins]

What I don't understand is why Cracker Barrel added alcohol to their menu. They built their brand and reputation on a family atmosphere with good home/country cooking. I fail to see what selling beer and cocktails adds to their appeal. Did they really think they would attract a new demographic by adding booze?

After a long period of not eating at any Cracker Barrel, I've eaten at three of them in the past six months. Other than the portions being smaller, the prices being higher, and some tweaks to the menu, not much had changed from when I regularly ate my evening meal at Cracker Barrel while on a road trip.

[Molandfreak]

They just need to hire Brad's wife back.

[Scott5114]

What I don't understand is why Cracker Barrel added alcohol to their menu. They built their brand and reputation on a family atmosphere with good home/country cooking. I fail to see what selling beer and cocktails adds to their appeal. Did they really think they would attract a new demographic by adding booze?

Some families have alcohol as part of their atmosphere.

I'm guessing they added it because market research showed that there were customers that were ruling them out as an option because the customer wanted an alcoholic beverage as part of a dining-out experience. (My mom is one of those; she doesn't drink at home very often but when we eat out she likes to have a beer as a special treat.) Given that you can get alcohol at places like Red Lobster and Applebees, and nobody thinks of them as places to go wild and crazy partying, they probably didn't have any good reason to not have alcohol.

[SEWIGuy]

Maybe it's the Wisconsinite in me, but serving alcohol and a family environment are certainly not mutually exclusive.

[Rothman]

Maybe it's the Wisconsinite in me, but serving alcohol and a family environment are certainly not mutually exclusive.

Yep, the stories I heard when I lived in Superior of kids just loving it when Mommy and Daddy got drunk at whatever picnic were so heartwarming.