Cracker Barrell has announced that it will be shuttering 14 locations, only weeks after the company became mired in controversy over an attempted rebrand.
In an earnings report released last week, Cracker Barrel said that it will close 14 Maple Street Biscuit Company locations, one of its wholly owned subsidiaries.
Newsweek contacted Cracker Barrel via email outside of regular business hours for further comment.
Why It Matters
The restaurant industry has battled a number of headwinds in 2025, and is one of the sectors expected to be hit hardest by marked declines in consumer confidence and elective spending. For Cracker Barrel, the decision comes after the iconic restaurant and gift store chain altered its logo for the first time in nearly 50 years. While the company has shifted back to its “Old Timer” logo, the fallout has seen its share price plummet, with Cracker Barrel also acknowledging that this has negatively impacted sales.
What To Know
Cracker Barrel acquired Maple Street Biscuit Company in 2019 for $36 million. In a statement to USA Today, the company said it would be closing the underperforming locations as these “simply didn’t meet our financial expectations.”
The company has not disclosed which locations will be affected by the move, or provided a timeline for when the closures will complete. However, its latest earnings report showed that two locations closed in the fourth quarter, leaving 68 remaining company-owned Maple Street outlets as of August 1.
In the release, Cracker Barrel reported $868 million in revenue, surpassing market expectations. Earnings per share, however, came in short at 74 cents.
In a subsequent call with analysts, the company’s chief financial officer, Craig Pommells, noted that the company had incurred a non-cash store impairment charge of $16.2 million in the fourth quarter, which he said was “primarily related to low-performing Maple Street stores.”
Pommells added that since August 19—when Cracker Barrel initially announced its logo change—store traffic had declined around 8 percent. Should this trend continue, the company anticipates a 7 to 8 percent drop for the first quarter of fiscal year 2026.
What People Are Saying
Cracker Barrel president and chief executive officer Julie Masino, in a recent earnings release, said: “We thank our guests for sharing their voices and their passion for Cracker Barrel in recent weeks, and we’ve listened, switching back to our ‘Old Timer’ logo, hitting pause on remodels, and placing an even bigger emphasis in the kitchen and other areas that enhance the guest experience.”
What Happens Next?
Looking ahead, Cracker Barrel expects total revenue of $3.35 billion to $3.45 billion for fiscal 2026, compared to 3.48 billion in the prior year, alongside a comparable store traffic decline of 4 percent to 7 percent.
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