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re: Another woke CEO bails after killing the company
Posted on 7/27/26 at 9:53 am to TigerHornII
Posted on 7/27/26 at 9:53 am to TigerHornII
quote:That crap was never good.
Long John Silver's - was actually good back in the 1980's, then they went to cheaper frying oils and cheaper everything else too
0
Posted on 7/27/26 at 9:55 am to Fun Bunch
quote:Overreaction by who? Their customer base? That's basic finance. That is not who you are targeting to piss off and go away.
She was doing the right thing attempting to overhaul. They were not doing well and their base was dying off.
It was a stupid overreaction
Posted on 7/27/26 at 9:56 am to slidingstop
She was the one who was saying that they surveyed a bunch of customers and the overwhelming majority of the survey participants felt that Cracker Barrel was “too southern.”
There was a massive online backlash from very loyal Cracker Barrel customers who disputed this they weren’t necessarily the ones who took the survey, but loads of people went online claiming that the restaurant was perfect.
When she was confronted around the pool of people they surveyed, she says the primary focus was on the northeast US.
What a buffoon!!
There was a massive online backlash from very loyal Cracker Barrel customers who disputed this they weren’t necessarily the ones who took the survey, but loads of people went online claiming that the restaurant was perfect.
When she was confronted around the pool of people they surveyed, she says the primary focus was on the northeast US.
What a buffoon!!
This post was edited on 7/27/26 at 9:57 am
Posted on 7/27/26 at 9:57 am to Klark Kent
quote:
acker Barrel maintained an explicit DEI strategy, promoted Pride initiatives, and organized employee groups around race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual identity.
You can file that under woke and a mistake as it alienates a part of your base
quote:
Then this CEO arrived promising to make the brand younger and more “relevant,
Not sure if you know this but with the boomers exiting the market, and far removed from the coveted 18-35 demographic, everyone is trying to do this. Wee can sure argue if it was done properly, and I think it was not, but this is only woke to the 50+ crowd that says things like "libtard" and retirement is looming for them.
Posted on 7/27/26 at 9:58 am to Fun Bunch
quote:
She was doing the right thing attempting to overhaul. They were not doing well and their base was dying off.
As others have posted the issue was a drop in food quality and service. Either of these things alone reduces popularity but both is a killer.
I used to take my kids to Cracker Barrel for breakfast a few times a year. We have Franks in Prairieville. After going to Franks one time my kids have never chosen Cracker Barrel again.
I worked at Burger King in the early 90s. We had great service, fresh food and a clean restaurant. I went there a few months ago and all that was gone. Half the staff looked like they just got out of rehab or were going soon
Posted on 7/27/26 at 9:59 am to jmarto1
quote:
Not sure if you know this but with the boomers exiting the market, and far removed from the coveted 18-35 demographic, everyone is trying to do this. Wee can sure argue if it was done properly, and I think it was not, but this is only woke to the 50+ crowd that says things like "libtard" and retirement is looming for them.
I would imagine, and I'm just guessing here, that price constraints given that demo are a major reason why the brand is deteriorating. Like in this thread people are talking about how the food sucks now and they had to cut corners. I imagine that's due to their primary demo being so cost-conscious.
It's a spiral, and CB is hardly the first brand to face this demographic issue.
Posted on 7/27/26 at 10:00 am to slidingstop
Who knew handing a brand of rural southern roots to a liberal white woman in L.A. would have disastrous consequences?
But, just like all CEOs, she’ll get an 8 figure golden parachute and move on to the next company and do the same thing.
But, just like all CEOs, she’ll get an 8 figure golden parachute and move on to the next company and do the same thing.
Posted on 7/27/26 at 10:00 am to CleverUserName
quote:
The first and main thing you do to revive a restaurant is to fix the damn food. They went cheap and centralized their food preparation and it backfired. You don't fix that with paint and a new logo and keep chugging along
This just seems to be the modern corporate playbook:
Keep cutting costs in service and quality
Market differently
Hope it results in a wave of giant shareholder payouts and executive bonuses for a period. Move to do that to another company either way.
Posted on 7/27/26 at 10:01 am to Breauxsif
They all have those stupid assed looking Spencer's Gifts eyeglasses.
Posted on 7/27/26 at 10:01 am to slidingstop
Probably will make more with her golden parachute on the way out than if she had stayed several more years. CEO of a major company is the best gig in the world if you can get it.
Posted on 7/27/26 at 10:01 am to SlowFlowPro
I told them to connect with Paula Deen to overhaul the food and the brand, but they didn't listen.
Posted on 7/27/26 at 10:04 am to SlowFlowPro
quote:
Cracker Barrel’s investments in its restaurants, team and operations helped drive rising guest metrics for the third consecutive quarter, including a 4% year-over-year boost to its Google star rating, President and CEO Julie Felss Masino said on a Q3 2026 earnings call Tuesday.
She is touting success because the 2026 "Google start rating" is doing better than the 2025 ratings? Those same 2025 ratings that were tanking because of the changes she has put in place. FYI, she started as CEO back in November 2023.
quote:
The market had already spoken before the change, and has continued to speak
Looks like the market was speaking out against her.
3rd quarter 2022 revenues: $790.2M, Net Income $27.5M, Adjusted EBITDA $40.3M
3rd quarter 2023 revenues: $832.7M, Net Income $14M, Adjusted EBITDA $60.3M
Took over as CEO in November 2023
3rd quarter 2024 revenues: $817.1M, Net Income -$9.2M, Adjusted EBITDA $47.9M
3rd quarter 2025 revenues: $821.1M, Net Income $12.5M, Adjusted EBITDA $48.1M
3rd quarter 2026 revenues: $797.4M, Net Income $42.8M, Adjusted EBITDA $40.3M
Revenue & Adj EBITDA are continuing to decline under her leadership
Posted on 7/27/26 at 10:04 am to Fun Bunch
quote:
She was doing the right thing attempting to overhaul. They were not doing well and their base was dying off
Yes, there needed to be some changes given their primary customer base is older. But that change was not a huge waste of money to something a superfluous as a logo change. Somehow marketing people and graphic designers have figured out how to convince CEOs (not just cracker barrel) that changing an established logo = success, rather than actually fixing aspects that matter.
Hell, this is a sports board. Just look at how many franchises constantly change their logos/branding, just to have the fans (i.e. customers) demand that the team go back to its old logo.
Posted on 7/27/26 at 10:04 am to Hangover Haven
There is a marketing principle that people can age into brands. Just because the base is “dying off” doesn’t mean it won’t get replaced. The oldest millennials (a very large cohort) are now 46 and will start getting AARP mail soon.
CB should lean into their identity as grandma’s house and improve the restaurant quality and service which has sucked the couple of times I’ve been.
CB should lean into their identity as grandma’s house and improve the restaurant quality and service which has sucked the couple of times I’ve been.
Posted on 7/27/26 at 10:06 am to slidingstop
quote:
Cracker Barrel is shaking up its leadership after CEO Julie Masino announced she is stepping down following a turbulent tenure marked by a controversial brand overhaul and mounting pressure to revive sales.
Posted on 7/27/26 at 10:06 am to jmarto1
You basically conceded the point in your first sentence. Cracker Barrel’s DEI strategy can fairly be described as “woke,” and it clearly alienated part of its customer base. That was the explanation.
I also specifically said that trying to attract younger customers isn’t inherently woke, and the rebrand itself looked more catastrophically stupid than ideological. But when DEI, Pride initiatives, and an effort to make a traditional brand younger and more “relevant” all happen under the same corporate umbrella, people are obviously going to connect the dots. (Let's just ignore that....)
You can argue that the word “woke” is overused. But dismissing everyone who sees the connection as some 50-year-old boomer screaming “libtard” isn’t an argument. It’s just a lazy caricature.
I also specifically said that trying to attract younger customers isn’t inherently woke, and the rebrand itself looked more catastrophically stupid than ideological. But when DEI, Pride initiatives, and an effort to make a traditional brand younger and more “relevant” all happen under the same corporate umbrella, people are obviously going to connect the dots. (Let's just ignore that....)
You can argue that the word “woke” is overused. But dismissing everyone who sees the connection as some 50-year-old boomer screaming “libtard” isn’t an argument. It’s just a lazy caricature.
Posted on 7/27/26 at 10:06 am to SlowFlowPro
quote:
I would imagine, and I'm just guessing here, that price constraints given that demo are a major reason why the brand is deteriorating. Like in this thread people are talking about how the food sucks now and they had to cut corners. I imagine that's due to their primary demo being so cost-conscious.
It's a spiral, and CB is hardly the first brand to face this demographic issue.
Everyone is but a lot of this board is struggling on two things:
1) The issues are a multi layered onion. Maintaining prices and food quality is tough right now. Shutting down the world economy has consequences. Sysco's dominance also has consequences
2) Opinions outside the 18-35 demo do not carry as much weight. If they did they would have added popcorn ceilings instead of decluttering
Posted on 7/27/26 at 10:07 am to TejasHorn
quote:
CB should lean into their identity as grandma’s house and improve the restaurant quality and service which has sucked the couple of times I’ve been.
correct. i'm pretty sure you, TejasHorn, could walk in tomorrow with this as your mission statement and do a better job.
Posted on 7/27/26 at 10:08 am to jmarto1
quote:
Not sure if you know this but with the boomers exiting the market, and far removed from the coveted 18-35 demographic, everyone is trying to do this. Wee can sure argue if it was done properly, and I think it was not, but this is only woke to the 50+ crowd that says things like "libtard" and retirement is looming for them.
Is that 18-35 market the coveted demographic for Cracker Barrell? Based on the times we have gone, would appear their target demographic is that Boomer generation, and road trippers.
Posted on 7/27/26 at 10:11 am to Fun Bunch
quote:
She was doing the right thing attempting to overhaul.
Are you familiar with the changes she instituted - at all?
quote:
They were not doing well and their base was dying off.
So, you would endorse just driving the rest of them away, selling everything, firing everyone and selling the brand name/IP to private equity for virtually nothing?
Interdasting...
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