Is it as good as you remember? Maybe not. When Don Obanon sold it a few years back the quality of the food changed. You could tell it was all little more generic/Sysco-esque than what they had previously used. That said, I was there last week and it was fine.
Cracker Barrel
- Thread starter AttalaDawg72
- Start date
Honestly, I thought their move to change the logo was stupid, but the more I have read about it, the more it blows my mind that the right has become the woke right. CB is struggling, and this was a move to attract new business. The dumb part of the move was not making food quality and service better. That is the major issue, not the sign. How many people who were pissed, or on this board, have been to a CB in the last year? I have not and I would bet 70% of those online also haven't been and that is why they are making crazy changes to get people in the door.
I am an independent who leans libertarian. Honestly, I couldn't care less what a company does with their sign. What bothers me why everyone is mad about this; they are missing our Trump forced Intel to take a 10% US government investment.
I am an independent who leans libertarian. Honestly, I couldn't care less what a company does with their sign. What bothers me why everyone is mad about this; they are missing our Trump forced Intel to take a 10% US government investment.
Over/under on when CB sells the real estate (or a very large chunk of it)? I give it max 5 years. They are "modernizing" stores to make it more appealing to buyers - same as when you declutter your house if you want to sell. Nobody wants to look at a hoarder's den. But they have a foot print of built out restaurants on good real estate. Give buyers less work to convert to their own brand and you'll have a bigger pool of buyers.
It's a nostalgia brand with a dying customer base. No logo or renovation is going to save them. It's time to sell the real estate before they start bleeding money - which is the direction they are headed. Nostalgia can work, but when your demographic that enjoys it is shrinking, it makes no sense to roll it out to 700 stores over most of the country. Lean it up. Sell off the the fat. Focus on a smaller footprint and run those locations well.
ETA: the logo change was stupid and unnecessary. That said, I bet they get a temporary revenue bump bc of the free marketing they got last week.
It's a nostalgia brand with a dying customer base. No logo or renovation is going to save them. It's time to sell the real estate before they start bleeding money - which is the direction they are headed. Nostalgia can work, but when your demographic that enjoys it is shrinking, it makes no sense to roll it out to 700 stores over most of the country. Lean it up. Sell off the the fat. Focus on a smaller footprint and run those locations well.
ETA: the logo change was stupid and unnecessary. That said, I bet they get a temporary revenue bump bc of the free marketing they got last week.
Wait a second. I posted something you disagreed with and that automatically means I'm irrational and over the top angry?
Maybe the problem is you are over sensitive and a dork.
Branding gurus are so FOS it's not even funny.
Some years ago, around the internet boom, it was in vogue to shorten law firm names. So we hired a branding guru to help us do so and develop marketing collateral around it. Our firm had been A, B, C & D for about a hundred years. So we're at our annual meeting in Bermuda, and the branding guru is making her presentation. She suggests we go with A B (SHEER GENIUS!!!!). She also says we simply must have a tag line, and that they've market tested a number of them for consideration. So I'm sitting next to this very senior guy, and she says, "First, I want to show you the candidate that came in second place, which we love and is very crunchy." (Yes, she said "crunchy"). She changes the slide, to reveal: "A B - big fish new pond". I thought the guy next to me was going to have an aneurism. So then she shows us the banal first place winner, which we ultimately went with, and then once we'd ordered all new stationery, etc., had to stop using because it was infringing someone's copyright.
Also, re: the new coke reference, I will always fondly recall when they did that and a young Jay Leno was on the Letterman show. He says, "Dave, I think we need to apply these corporate solutions to world problems. We could have "New South Africa" and "South Africa Classic"."
Some years ago, around the internet boom, it was in vogue to shorten law firm names. So we hired a branding guru to help us do so and develop marketing collateral around it. Our firm had been A, B, C & D for about a hundred years. So we're at our annual meeting in Bermuda, and the branding guru is making her presentation. She suggests we go with A B (SHEER GENIUS!!!!). She also says we simply must have a tag line, and that they've market tested a number of them for consideration. So I'm sitting next to this very senior guy, and she says, "First, I want to show you the candidate that came in second place, which we love and is very crunchy." (Yes, she said "crunchy"). She changes the slide, to reveal: "A B - big fish new pond". I thought the guy next to me was going to have an aneurism. So then she shows us the banal first place winner, which we ultimately went with, and then once we'd ordered all new stationery, etc., had to stop using because it was infringing someone's copyright.
Also, re: the new coke reference, I will always fondly recall when they did that and a young Jay Leno was on the Letterman show. He says, "Dave, I think we need to apply these corporate solutions to world problems. We could have "New South Africa" and "South Africa Classic"."
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Never underestimate corporate stupidity, groupthink and gullibility. Dilbert cartoonist Scott Adams once posed as a corporate consultant and led a seminar at a Logitech. His goal was to be as ridiculously bad as possible until they finally figured out it was a joke (the CEO was in on the joke). They never figured out it was a joke. The corporate mission statement they agreed to adopt was:
The business model always sucked to me. A bunch of stuff from cans will never be able to rival fresh veggies out of a garden. Plus, it's a tourist trap and gift shop for people in cars and campers. It's a terrible version of Disney with no rides, only mediocre food. They get you off the freeway and keep you until you buy something.
You stand in line for 10-15 minutes to get seated even when the place is empty and even longer if it's half full and forever when busy. The food is bland and not close to home grown veggies. Their fried Catfish is decent but my local quick stop does it just as good at a fraction of the cost. Their breakfast is pretty good but service is so bad, I don't want to spend 1 1/2 hours trying to start my day or in the middle of a trip.
They decided to change the logo? I don't get the uproar. The last time I was in one, there weren't any Crackers in there anyway, maybe one or two of the other workers and me.
You stand in line for 10-15 minutes to get seated even when the place is empty and even longer if it's half full and forever when busy. The food is bland and not close to home grown veggies. Their fried Catfish is decent but my local quick stop does it just as good at a fraction of the cost. Their breakfast is pretty good but service is so bad, I don't want to spend 1 1/2 hours trying to start my day or in the middle of a trip.
They decided to change the logo? I don't get the uproar. The last time I was in one, there weren't any Crackers in there anyway, maybe one or two of the other workers and me.
This has been my take all the way. I figured it was just me feeling morally superior to other folks because I didn't want to squabble about it on FB. My FB feed is still full of aftershock about it, but you've nailed it.
CB has been on a decline for a long time, and this was a move to address that. All the righteously-indignant mamaws on FB who haven't been to a CB in years either notwithstanding.
You said that you want a publicly traded company to have to 'live with the results' of what management changed. And you are firmly against the change and think it is bad.
I would say that is very irrational. I think that is textbook irrational behavior. You have no ties to the business yet you were hoping for a publicly traded company to fail and workers suffer just because you dislike a logo change and refresh of the interior of restaurants.
There is nothing rational about your initial comment. It it purely vindictive.
I worked in the Atlanta office of a large, national Intellectual Property law firm in the early 2000s. The dot com boom was fading, and our law firm hired a marketing firm to try to keep the gravy train rolling. We had this huge, firm wide meeting to roll out the new campaign, with video links to every office (no small feat in 2003) Their new slogan:
IP Only
Yep, they suggested we advertise constipation.
The slogan never made it out of that meeting. I kept the coffee mug, but my then wife disposed of it without my knowledge.
This is a perfect example of the type of conversation that every soon-to-be-father simply must have with his wife before their son is born. Invariably, the wife will suggest some sort of name without any regard whatsoever for how the boy's mates will turn it into a bawdy or otherwise uncomfortable nickname beginning at around age 10, whether by rhyme, pun, or otherwise. I rejected at least four proposals from my wife, and my son has thanked me for it.
Not so fast my friend...
Taylor Swift Engagement Overturned As Referee Determines Travis Kelce's Knee Didn't Touch The Ground
U.S. — Taylor Swift's love story came to an abrupt end after a referee jumped out of the bushes following her engagement to football player Travis Kelce and overturned the proposal.
babylonbee.com
It blows my mind that people invest money in marketing firms for the company. I receive calls all the time from people who claim to have spent time on our site and want to help us refresh our brand at the low fee of $10,000 starting out. I told one about a month ago, why waste money on you when I could get someone on my team to come up with the same idea and give them a $5,000 bonus.
Scott Adams was a God send for us career corporate types to keep our sanity. For as seemingly ridiculous (and thus funny) his strips were they were closer to reality than hyperbole. Got a Dilbert calendar for Christmas every year and had a laugh a day.
My sister also worked for a different "Dow, corporate as corporate can be" company and we would argue over which Adams had to have been a former employee of. (as did everyone at every other company). We'd also trade tales of "programs or reorgs of the month" and often they'd be exactly the same. Covey and the like had it going on for sure back when.
That "mission statement" you shared isn't too far off from many I'd been through over the years. Now let's talk "vision", gotta have one of those too. The hours we spent parsing and word smithing those things, never to be seen again, was incredible.
At Entergy we were all convinced he was one of us. Turned out he did work for Pacific Gas & Electric, so at least same industry. But yeah, you just can't make up all the corporate bullsh*t I saw in my short 5 years there.
They still serve beer, just not in those great old frozen goblets they did way back in their heyday. I don't remember a hassle to get one, you ordered it when you ordered your food and they gave it to you at the end of the counter before you ever even sat down. Getting another may have been an issue but I don't recall
I think everyone can agree (except Glfr), that superior meals can be had in many MS gas stations and real old country stores then you would ever get in a Cracker Barrel. I'm just looking forward to our first series of multiple three and outs this Saturday to set the tone for the season, after all our football has been as bland as Cracker Barrel for a couple of years and our logo decisions just as half assed.
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You're right -- getting a second or third is the hassle I meant, and that's not especially hassle-ful - you'd to go the register and pay for another one and they'd pull it for you. They'd pull it and hand it to you before you left the counter - I didn't mean to imply this was a big problem.
But I like subsequent beer to flow more handily than that. Because I don't want just one beer. I'm perfectly fine with NO beer, or I'm fine with a few beers. I don't want ONE beer. That's more of a personal problem than an Oby's old v. new problem. They have meetings for that, I hear.
This becoming more evident almost daily. Part of being 'right' is not giving a **** about things like this. Be silent, vote with your pocketbook.
Karen is changing sides.
To be clear, my meal at Harvey's was great. I have only ever had good experiences there. My comment was bemoaning me not getting to try new things that exist in Starkville, certainly not a regret for eating at Harvey's. I don't HAVE to eat at Harvey's, I GET to eat there. But I do like trying new restaurants.
It seems like a backlash from one part of the right. I personally prefer to live in the world as you described - don't bittch and cry about it, just stop going there if you don't like it, and I think most of the silent majority is still the same way.
But some of the formerly silent have a lot of pent up anger from the bs they feel they've had to endure, and they are lashing out.
I don't like it either, it's not cool and makes them act exactly like the douchebag leftists that they say they hate.
Working yourself into a tizzy about a logo (in this example) is sort of a d-bag thing to do, whichever side you're on. As you point out, that used to be only from dipshitts on the left, but now there are crazies doing it on both ends of the political spectrum.
I for one and people I associate with simply look at those things and point out how stupid they are and move on. In this case they changed everything that made Cracker Barrel..Cracker Barrel. Haven't eaten at one in over 20 years anyway. In my old age, I prefer local restaurants and cafes.
Ad agencies are like lawyers. You have some real low class, low cost scumbags and high cost scumbags. But the high dollar ones are usually worth it.
My wife has enjoyed a 20 year career in advertising and corporate marketing. (Currently on contract rolling out a new campaign for one of the 25 largest companies in the US.) The last agency she worked for created the logo for The Home Depot, The Motel 6 "We'll Leave the Light on for You" campaign with Tom Bodett, The Chick-Fil-A Cows, The "God Made A Farmer" Superbowl commercial for Ram, and dozens of other campaigns and rebrands that have made humongous financial gains for clients.
But that type of agency doesn't touch you if you don't have a multi million dollar ad spend.
Speaking of the Chick-fil-A , they pioneered the"woke" corporate rebrands. Did they get a free pass because of good food and good service or that the new "right wing" cancel culture lovers give them a pass?
Now don't get me wrong, I hate the phony "California conservatives" of the right that are always up in arms about shìt. They just think everything is out to get them and they're lazy, no good, complaining püssies. Bunch of whiny little bìtches.
But, in reality Dominos and Chick-fil-A have modernized their business and succeeded because they run excellent operations with better food quality than their peers. Pizza Hut and McDonald's rebrands suck because they suck.
Cracker Barrel picked a shìt logo. I wonder if they're strategy was to start attacking a more "urban" and millennial/gen z demographic and try to sell them shìtty food because they don't know better. 20 years ago Cracker Barrel was good, 10 years ago it was okay, now it's dog shìt.
If I were in charge, I'd cut the menu in half or more and focus on quality food and service. Prices and quality would both go up, but it would improve profits, because customers would rather pay $20 a plate for good food than $15 for trash. The merchandise in the stores needs to get away from quilts and doilies and focus on more regional goods because they're strategy has been to attract travelers and the locations are all next to the Interstates. Lean into it, but make it better.
When they attempted to franchise, it changed and, in my opinion, did not recover. My go to was roast beef and cheddar. It always came with hot gravy in a pewter(ish) bowl and hand cut fries. The gravy stayed hot until you were done. Post franchising you get a small plastic bowl with something more akin to au jus and Sysco waffle fries. It isn't even close to what it was early-mid 90's.
The food is not *that* bad. The service, at least around here, is terrible, but has improved recently. During and post-covid, they were short-staffed amd overwhelmed. I usually get something to go nowadays. The country ham breakfast plate with biscuits and gravy is superb.
Some of the items in the store are local. I actually have found some cool, unique MSU gear in our local CB over the years, scoring deals on half of merchandise after football season.
What CB could have done was do the redesign in the more urban areas outside of the South and Appalachia, instead of pushing it nationwide.
I don't think it was ever actually one-sided. You've just noticing it coming from the right more lately when you didn't before.
You could be right, but we had a whole thread 'noticing' it and the new social media fad term 'woke right' just yesterday on here. You think the right has been doing this whacko stuff all along and the whole world just happened to notice all at the same time?Okay, maybe so I guess. I certainly missed it.
I have no idea why it was an issue. I take more offense to the damn new direction of the overall decorations. Looks like Joanna Gaines had an orgasm on the design documents.
My entire adulthood has seen the right boycott stuff they dislike, hold inconsistent views on the job of the federal government, spew misdirected hostility concerning various issues, embrace identity politics while also vocally denouncing identity politics, etc etc.
Okay, maybe so I guess. I certainly missed it.
Its been outrage issue after outrage issue, with many(most?) being misrepresented, blown out of proportion, and sometimes flat out made up.
Remember this one?
4 years ago- schools all across the US, and elsewhere too, were providing litter boxes for kids to pee in because they identified as cats...except they werent. The claims were coming from random places around the country and the outrage media machine churned that story hard. It was everywhere and countless dummies lapped the stories up as truth.
There are countless others thru the last couple decades. Countless.
