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The chain’s restaurants are often located just off highway exits, which has made them an attractive option for decades to throngs of people on long drives looking for a place to sit down, grab a hot meal and unwind after a long drive.
But this strategy hasn’t worked well in recent years.
“We’re not as important as we used to be,” Chief Executive Officer Julie Masino told investors on a conference call in May.
Masino added that the chain is “refreshing and improving” many aspects of its business, from marketing to the atmosphere of its restaurants.
So far, some efforts have included offering dinner specials later in the evening to cater to diners who want to dine earlier.
Cracker Barrel is testing four new layout options for its restaurants, Masino said during the chain’s latest earnings call on Thursday.
The four options vary in cost and involvement, ranging from a “refresh” option that focuses on painting and refinishing the interior to the most expensive model that would entail replacing restaurant floors and installing new furniture, CFO Craig Pommels added.
The restaurant plans to expand testing of the new store format to 12 locations across Indianapolis, combining elements of the proposed renovations with new menu items and service standards.
“While results will take several months to come out, we are excited about this testing and look forward to sharing updates in the future,” Masino said on a conference call Thursday.
Masino said earlier this year that the company is using bookshelves in place of the chain’s traditional memorabilia-covered partitions and adding booth seating.
But for now, most stores will retain the old-fashioned décor and wooden seating that many associate with the brand.
Masino also said Thursday that Cracker Barrel has added new items to its menu, including a hash brown casserole shepherd’s pie and a fried apple French toast bake. Cracker Barrel previously told Business Insider that it was testing new items.
To get a better idea of what it’s like to dine at a Cracker Barrel these days, I visited one of the brand’s restaurants in Northern Virginia, just outside of Washington, D.C., in June. Here’s what I found: