Cracker Barrel Might Soon Become a Thing of the Past

No doubt the past few years have been extremely difficult for restaurants to continue to operate. Setbacks from the pandemic to current inflation are mostly to blame for the restaurant industry's struggles.

Now, Cracker Barrel might soon become a thing of the past.

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Customer traffic has been an ongoing issue for the Southern, country-themed restaurant chain.

According to Eatthis.com, in the company's recent second-quarter earnings call, Craig Pommells, Cracker Barrel's CFO, shared that customer traffic decreased by 4 percent during the quarter, which ended on Jan. 26.

One can argue that part of the problem is that Cracker Barrel has increased their menu prices by 4.8 percent. The reasoning for the price hike has a few different factors.

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The food costs Cracker Barrel more due to inflation, and the cost to employ enough workers for each location is also dramatically higher now, post-pandemic.

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However, the reason that the chain might be going away in the future is a constant decrease in foot traffic throughout all of its locations. Cracker Barrel has seen more than a 7 percent decrease in foot traffic over the past five quarters.

The Cracker Barrel executive did not get into details as to why foot traffic seems to be declining so rapidly. However, in past instances of declining numbers, the chain has said that there were a few factors that could be causing this: Ineffective marketing, fewer people dining out due to inflation and needed improvements in the guest experience.

Looking ahead, if the once mega-popular food chain doesn't make a change to their business, the future could be pretty grim.

They aren't waving the proverbial white flag yet, though; they seem to be launching a last-ditch effort. Cracker Barrel is shifting its brand positioning by updating its menu and restaurant design, hoping to bring traffic back into their locations across America.

Evan Paul is the host of Taste of Country Nights, a syndicated radio show heard on more than 130 country radio stations nationwide, every night from 7PM to midnight. He plays the best new country music and interviews today's top stars, like Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen, Kenny Chesney, Miranda Lambert, Dan + Shay, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Chris Stapleton, Lady A, + more!