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I've frequented Cracker Barrel's since I was very little. And it's a family tradition to always stop at one to eat on long road trips.

It's gone downhill, and it started happening well ahead of COVID.

• Every server used to be an old southern person. They cared about their job, and proudly wore "stars" on their apron to represent their seniority. They were engaging, sweet, and often interesting to talk to. These days, I usual just see teenagers, or people who act like they are working there as a condition of their probation. I assume this reflects poor / eroded pay.

• A long standing "benefit" at Cracker Barrel has been the unlimited biscuits and cornbread that come with every meal. They used to bring out a huge basket of them - enough for everyone to have 3-4 - often as soon as you sat down. So good. These days, I usually have to ask for them. They usually seem to stall and only bring them with the food. And there is usually only 1 (maybe 2) per person.

• Similar to above, the portion size of just about every meal has shrunk over time.

• I know people that used to work there. All the food was either cooked to order or hand prepped and cooked that morning. There was pride in making the food fresh, and not letting it get old, cold, and stale. I'm not sure what they are doing now, but it seems like the quality is way down. It more often seems old, cold, and stale. I'm guessing the cooks aren't paid very well anymore either.

So, I think this CEO has it all wrong. My guess is she's going to turn it into another Applebee's that gets some attention for a while for being new and interesting. Then, in a few years, it goes out of business.

The simplified menu now features-

Simplified menus are why Panera Bread now sucks. A hedge fund bought them, decided they could save a small percentage by dropping their turkey distributor, so they dropped the Turkey Bacon Bravo, their most popular sandwich, from the menu. The same thing happened to Dunks, which is why ham is no longer available on breakfast sandwiches. This is the stage capitalism we're at; destroying popular goods and services to squeeze a few cents of temporary profits out for shareholders.

The simplified menu now features exciting additions like green chilli cornbread and a hashbrown casserole shepherd's pie.

I don't find those the least bit exciting.

The cracker boss man done fucked up. Some new barrels for the crackers should do it. They'll even have loyal cracker programs.

"cracker" is a term used for slave owners on horseback 'cracking the whip' on the backs of slaves. Possibly analogous to a modern CEO that pays slave wages. Like half minimum wage to server staff.

I am probably the target audience for the traditional Cracker Barrel customer (50+ white male). I have not been in years. The experience was wholly unremarkable. I can't hear the name without thinking of Chef from Southpark asking the children, "How are my little crackers?" If I wanted to catch covid, Cracker Barrel seems like a good place to look. Other than that, CB seems like the restaurant most likely to have a Stars and Bars flag available for purchase.

Old white guy here, never seen the appeal. And I feel like the targeted demographic.

It's all stuff I can make at home, sometimes better. If I want some real fried chicken or BBQ, I'll drive down the road and find a black man with a grill under an umbrella. Same with Mexican. Hit a taco truck where they speak just enough English to take an order. I'm perfectly capable of making white people food with loads of sugar, butter and salt.

The gift store sometimes has odds and ends I might like, but the prices are too stupid to bother looking anymore. "Meh, that's a kinda cool coffee mug. $25 BUCKS?!"

Weirdly enough, my Pilipino wife seems to like it. Never been with her, keep voting it down. I'll have to cave one day. Bleh.

Southern country-themed restaurant chain Cracker Barrel, with over 660 locations nationwide, has seen a significant decline in customers, losing more than 16 per cent in just four years

I wonder how much COVID contributed to that.

This article is written like a fever dream. Emphasis mine:

Cracker Barrel faces a critical challenge: Attracting younger diners. Currently, their core customer base are those over 65. Masino, who joined Taco Bell nine months ago, outlined a five-point turnaround plan during a recent earnings call to address this.

Are all 5 points "resign"?

Portions went down and so has quality. Value has gone away. They even took the sampler platter off of the menu! And the beef vegetable soup as a standalone. Muffins and biscuits have shrunk to bean size.

Never saw the appeal of this place. The food was always at best bland and the coffee tasted like the paper filters they used.

fuck em. let's get some real news.