From this week’s McSweeney’s:
It looks like they added alcoholic drinks as a permanent menu item in 2020. That would have been during the tenure of their previous CEO, Sandra Cochran; their current CEO, Julie Feiss Masino, took over in 2024.
I do suspect that the drinks aren’t offered at every one of their locations; it requires each location to get a liquor license from whatever local government unit regulates such licenses, and I know that, in the southeastern U.S. (where many of their locations are), getting such a license can be difficult.
Beyond that, a whole lot of MAGA types do like to drink booze.
Yeah. As you say, the chain won’t be uniform on this due to local hoops-to-jump through. But no one seems to consider the availability of beer to be Woke or DEI-related.
(I’m still unclear on the rationale behind the “CB has gone woke” accusation. Is taking down some of the clutter from the walls and repainting, somehow related to Being Black or Female or Hispanic? Maybe related to Being Gay, if one accepts stereotypes about gay men. But it’s really a stretch.)
Same for the NE, I think. One of the weirdest things about New Jersey (coming from Michigan) is that not every adult restaurant served alcohol. Also I think there was a day on the weekend they weren’t allowed to sell it. And the places that did sell it seemed super out of place. There was a huge alcohol selection at Rite Aid, for example. Had to do with zoning, I think.
There were places where I grew up where you could get drive-through liquor and cigarettes. I guess we’re all just boozers up here.
Ok, the guy is standing there wearing the barrel, and the sign says, “Thanks Trump” instead of Cracker Barrel. I’d make it if I knew how.
For bird lovers:
The name sounds familiar, their logo or website content I wasn’t quite following.
What comes in the barrel? I assume cheese? Maybe a barrel of crackers?
I hope this rises to to the level of “Cracker Barrel Gate” just to keep trump’s mind on how important and representative his several administrations will be known for. Certainly the DEI stuff is back in play.
ETA: their stock is a bit down for the year. I say it’‘s a buy. Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas - that is cheese & cracker time. Even if it was made by DEI folks.
(although, if it’s the same kind of product, Jacob’s blows them away)
Once upon a time, at old-fashioned small-town general stores, soda crackers did, in fact, come in barrels.
As the stories go, locals – particularly old-timers – would congregate at their towns’ general stores, sit around the cracker barrel, and socialize and tell stories (probably while snacking on crackers). For that reason, the adjective “cracker-barrel” means “suggestive of the friendly homespun character of a country store.”
The restaurant chain chose the name to evoke that “friendly homespun character,” and their old/new logo depicts such an old-timer, sitting in a comfortable chair, leaning against a cracker barrel.
Similar to the pickle barrel in Sam Drucker’s store in Green Acres and Petticoat Junction.
As word goes ‘round, after reading kenobi’s Americana reply. Sam Drucker and those two shows came to mind.
Jesus, first they screw up all the Cracker Barrel’s, now they’re telling us Buford Pusser killed his wife? It’s the war of northern aggression all over again!
i’ve not been following Cracker Gate.
i know the policy of Police is to never stop investigating “cold cases” yet is this a sequitur or non-sequitur?
ETA: Or was ir abour rhem lying, thieving reporters at The Intependent not finding any scandals in the UK and cooking up Cracker Gate, with all it’s insidious DEI stuff?
On their way to claiming the Pulizer, they are.
Non sequitur; it has nothing to do with Cracker Barrel.
Or, they could re-brand and focus on family fun.
Why settle for the Lesser Evil?
They both pertain to a certain kind of Southern culture.
I’m not sure “woke” has any meaning anymore other than Something New That I Don’t Like. (FWIW, the university where I work got accused of “wokeness” after trying to rebrand to attract more male students.)
Cracker Barrel brought in a CEO to modernize the brand. That would unclude the menu, appearance, and logo.
Julie Felss Masino is a former Taco Bell executive. I think Taco Bell is pretty sterile and bland. But they are successful.
I don’t see any political issue. The founders of a business eventually get old and the people that take over make changes.
Masino has never met one of the original cofounders and board member. I guess she doesn’t consider it important to reach out. I think Masino is focused on the future of the brand.
Tommy Lowe is 93 and retired.
Clearly, the people who had a cow over the logo feel very differently.
I’m surprised Cracker Barrel was founded in 1969. I was already finishing elementary school. My parents and I stopped at CB on vacations in the early to mid 70’s. We had no idea they were new restaurants.
They looked like a brand from the 1950’s. The post war boomer families were traveling more and visited restaurants like Bonanza, Shoney’s and Stuckey’s.