Download Cracker Barrel: America's Comfortable Restaurant Chain of the Year and more Lecture notes Business in PDF only on Docsity! Cracker Jack Cracker Barrel C H A I N O F T H E Y E A R There isn’t a cutting edge in the entire place, and therein lies the strength of Cracker Barrel Old Country Store. Its folksy demeanor and down-home cooking is a refuge for those who seek comfort in a tumultuous world. Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to America’s most comfortable restaurant and this year’s winner of RESTAURANT HOSPITALITY’S Chain of the Year. By Polly LaHue AUGUST 2003 RESTAURANT HOSPITALITY 49 T here’s been a lot written in recent years about comfort food. During tough times, pundits say, people yearn for the foods that have always made them feel good. But long before 9/11, “Operation Iraqi Freedom,” and this most recent and grueling downturn in the economy, few restaurant companies have offered food and an experience more comfortable than Cracker Barrel. Perhaps that’s why this Lebanon, Tenn.-based company has thrived for three decades and, during these tough times, has collected a barrel full of awards. A strong senior management team armed with four seemingly simplistic, but powerful 2 0 0 3 COZY COMFORT: Cracker Barrel has long represented a place of refuge, a place where one could get a meal like Mom used to make. Best Practices points, have shaped this 34-year-old chain into an award-winning giant. Cracker Barrel re- ceived the Good Sam Club’s Welcome Mat Award in 2002 and 2003, was ranked for the tenth consecutive year as the Best Restaurant Chain for Groups from Destinations magazine, and, this year, took honors as RESTAURANT HOSPITALITY’S Chain of the Year. For an enterprise more than three decades in the making, Cracker Barrel has remained surprisingly true to its roots. In 1969, Dan Evins, a Shell Oil “jobber” for the Tennessee/ Georgia territory, wanted to of- fer travelers a place to stop for a good meal at a fair price, quality gift items and gasoline. When he learned that a strip of land off Interstate 40 near Lebanon was available, he saw the perfect opportunity to build a combination retail store and restaurant with a gas sta- tion. He envisioned the restaurant much as it is today: filled with unique and authentic rural artifacts. In that first store, as in the 482 operated today by parent company CBRL Group, Inc., guests found slow-cooked country favorites made with pure and simple ingredients from old-fashioned, homestyle recipes. Chicken n’ Dumplins, Meatloaf and Roast Beef are staples on the dinner menu today, comple- mented by a long list of vegetables and side dishes. All that home cooking has helped build a loyal following, especially with travelers, to the tune of 180 million meals yearly. With restaurants along interstates in 41 states, Cracker Barrel has been able to take that brand awareness and move it out into core markets, C R A C K E R B A R R E L continued on page 54 52 RESTAURANT HOSPITALITY AUGUST 2003 We looked at the stores that did the best, learned from them, captured those things in training materials, and rolled them back into our system. Our Best Practices have become a way of life. TRUE TO ITS ROOTS: For more than three decades, Cracker Barrel has remained a constant in an ever-changing world. Its Early American interior simply says, “Please join us and relax. We have a good meal waiting for you.” TOP DOG: Cracker Barrel represents old-fashioned values, but under Mike Woodhouse’s leadership, the concept is progressive and forward-thinking.
