Cracker Barrel's Modern New Look Has Fans Divided
Fans are split, with some missing the cozy nostalgia and others embracing the fresh look.
The company says changes aim to keep the Cracker Barrel spirit while moving the brand forward.Cracker Barrel has begun phasing out its iconic old-timey decor, and diners and employees are torn.
The Tennessee-based restaurant chain beloved for its Southern-style cooking and charmingly cluttered interiors started implementing a rebrand last year. Cracker Barrel executives told The Wall Street Journal in May that they believe giving a physical makeover to certain locations will help boost sales, attract new customers, and hopefully keep the 56-year-old business afloat through economic fluctuations.
According to a new report from WSJ, so far about 40 of the chain's roughly 660 locations have been revamped in some way. Changes are said to range from a fresh coat of paint to full, modern makeovers.
Cracker Barrel CEO Julie Felss Masino told CBS News that the remodels will involve using "a different color palette, updating lighting, offering more comfortable seating, and simplifying decor and fixtures."
"The goal, simply put, was to freshen things in such a way as to be noticeable and attractive but still feel like Cracker Barrel," she said.
As Cracker Barrel locations across the country begin unveiling their simpler aesthetics, diners have been sharing their new looks on social media. The response has been mixed, with fans of the kitschy, old-fashioned decor mourning the loss of Cracker Barrel's charming sense of nostalgia.
Rachel Love posted a look at the inside of her local Tennessee Cracker Barrel on TikTok in April. 'When Cracker Barrel took away the last piece of nostalgia you had left,' she captioned a video of the restaurant's updated interior.
While other TikTok users have shared similar videos and similar sentiments, some diners have expressed their appreciation for the new look.
'I'm secretly wishing that maybe the changes don't come to our restaurant,' longtime Cracker Barrel diner and Florida resident Sharon Triana told WSJ. 'It has always felt like being in someone's home. But opening the walls, lighter colors and atmosphere, it feels like something colder.'
Felss Masino says the backlash is a positive sign.
'It's because people have an emotional connection with the brand,' she recently told The Wall Street Journal Global Food Forum, adding that the chain is working to honor that fandom even as it makes changes.
'People's immediate reaction to things is like, 'Oh this isn't the way it was,'' but they tend to come around, Felss Masino said.
A Cracker Barrel employee in central North Carolina told WSJ that she's excited for her restaurant to get a face lift, and that she expects the blowback to pass.
"Any restaurant that likes to base itself on a specific time period, it's going to have to go through that sort of identity crisis,' she said. 'But I think it might be overblown. It's not like Cracker Barrel is trying to roll in with TVs.'
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