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Cracker Barrel cancels plan to modernize its restaurants

Cracker Barrel cancels plan to modernize its restaurants

McKenna Snow
McKenna Snow
· 3 min read
Cracker Barrel cancels plan to modernize its restaurants

Cracker Barrel announced this week that it will stop redesigning its restaurants to have a modernized look, saying that public feedback made it clear that the new style was not reflective of what is beloved about the restaurant among its patrons. 

“If your restaurant hasn’t been remodeled, you don’t need to worry, it won’t be,” Cracker Barrel stated in the Sept. 9 announcement.

As CatholicVote previously reported, the company said in August that the remodels were intended to create a “refreshed” environment and “an enhanced brand look and feel.” 

In August, accounts on X posted side-by-side photos comparing classic Cracker Barrel restaurants to ones that were remodeled. Where eclectic antique decor once hung under warm lighting, neatly organized items such as groups of rolling pins and cutting boards were now displayed on white paneled walls. The wooden tables and chairs also were swapped out for more modern furniture. 

In an Aug. 21 X post, conservative podcast host and Catholic Michael Knowles called the remodel “awful in every way,” and called for the original to be restored. 

Another X account argued in an Aug. 20 post that Cracker Barrel “lost its soul,” describing the remodels as “sterile showroom knockoffs.” 

The account posted a video walkthrough of a remodeled store, and wrote in the caption, “This isn’t modernization. It’s extermination of Americana, of warmth, of memory.” 

In the Sept. 9 announcement, Cracker Barrel stated: “We heard clearly that the modern remodel design does not reflect what you love about Cracker Barrel. We tested this design in only four out of 660 locations, and we won’t continue with it. Of course, we will continue to invest in our restaurants to make sure that they are in good shape and meet your expectations.” 

The halt on interior remodeling comes several weeks after the company walked back its logo redesign, which also was met with customer backlash. It had unveiled the new logo in an Aug. 19 press release, showing a simple text-only design that removed the man-and-barrel image, as CatholicVote previously reported. Following the new logo announcement, the company took a plunge in the stock market. On Aug. 26, Cracker Barrel announced it would go back to the original logo design.

In the Sept. 9 announcement, the company said, “With our recent announcement that our ‘Old Timer’ logo will remain, along with our bigger focus in the kitchen and on your plate, we hope that today’s step reinforces that we hear you.”