Cracker Barrel urges staffers to eat at chain for – Business News
Cracker Barrel is urging staffers to dine at the Southern chain for all meals during work journeys because it seeks to cut prices amid a extended gross sales hunch following backlash over its “woke” rebrand — one other instance of “travelscrimping,” through which companies drain the enjoyable out of work journeys to save a couple of dollars.
The company requested staff to postpone work journey till later this 12 months, when it hopes to have recovered from a steep gross sales decline.
If journey is important, then staff ought to fill up on Cracker Barrel’s Southern fixins – like grits, casserole, and biscuits and gravy – for all of their meals, the company stated.
Cracker Barrel is urging staffers to dine at the chain for all meals during work journeys. Universal Images Group through Getty
“Employees are expected to dine at a Cracker Barrel store for all or the majority of meals while traveling, whenever practical based on location and schedule,” the company stated in an inner message obtained by The Wall Street Journal.
The coverage marks an occasion of “travelscrimping ” — stripping away any sense of glamor or luxurious from work journeys – one of the final remaining perks of white-collar work amid return-to-office mandates and sweeping layoffs, The Journal famous.
Cracker Barrel even cut off touring staff from free drinks, mandating that every one alcoholic drinks be paid out of pocket.
“Exceptions for special occasions must be pre-approved by an E-Team member,” the company wrote in its memo.
Some Cracker Barrel staff shrugged off the adjustments, saying they had been unaware they had been even allowed to drink on work journeys beforehand. The restaurant solely added alcohol to its menus in 2021.
Cracker Barrel didn’t instantly reply to The Post’s request for remark.
It’s not the one company to cut back on worker bills as companies search to decrease prices — pushing staff to hunt for low cost resort rooms, buy ready meals from grocery shops or lug their garments to laundromats whereas away.
During an investor call in December, Cracker Barrel execs additionally stated they had been wanting to save $20 million to $25 million in annual spending by streamlining the company’s company help middle, together with by way of layoffs.
The company requested staff to postpone work journey till later this 12 months, when it hopes to have recovered from a steep gross sales decline. Christopher Sadowski
The cost-cutting efforts come after Cracker Barrel suffered a hit to gross sales due to its tried “woke” rebrand, which quickly axed the chain’s Uncle Herschel character from the brand.
The revised emblem and reworked eating places – which cut back on Cracker Barrel’s tchotchkes and atmosphere – had been meant to entice Gen Z prospects and drive growth because the chain confronted site visitors declines.
Instead, it confronted excessive backlash from longtime prospects, who argued Cracker Barrel was chopping its ties to conventional US tradition.
Cracker Barrel coughed up an apology in August and reversed its redesign after President Trump urged the chain to “go back to the old logo, admit a mistake based on customer response (the ultimate Poll), and manage the company better than ever before.”
The company’s stock ended 2025 down roughly 30%.
