Key Takeaways
- Cracker Barrel’s latest efforts to show investors that it’s working to turn things around include some management changes and the end of a relationship with a consulting firm that worked on its controversial rebrand.
- The stock is still down substantially for the year. Some Wall Street analysts think it has some room to rise.
Cracker Barrel isn’t done shaking things up.
The restaurant chain operator that lately found itself national news for uncomfortable reasons—a brand revamp that elicited unfavorable reactions from sizable chunks of the public and the disapproval of President Donald Trump—continues to adapt. It late yesterday announced several leadership changes and formally distanced itself from the firm it said worked with the company on the failed rebrand.
Cracker Barrel (CBRL) in a statement said it was “ending its engagement with Prophet, the global strategic and creative growth consultancy that advised Cracker Barrel on its previous brand refresh initiatives, including the logo and restaurant redesigns.” (Prophet did not respond to Investopedia’s request for comment in time for publication.)
Why This Matters to Investors
Cracker Barrel—the company and the stock—has had a rough 2025, with foot traffic at its restaurants under pressure and a brand revamp getting broadly panned. The company has sought to signal that it’s got things under control, and there’s some measured optimism on Wall Street that it might be on track.
The company last month announced a range of changes that signaled some urgency in getting people back on board and back into the restaurants—unsurprisingly, perhaps, with the stock down 16% this year through Thursday’s close.
Those efforts are partly about the menu—including new breakfast specials and other deals as well as an attempt at better biscuits—but also the end of a new and streamlined logo, and a paused restaurant remodeling plan. CEO Julie Masino, meanwhile, said the company would step up plans to get more feedback from its most loyal fans.
Wall Street analysts are cautiously optimistic. The mean price target on the stock, per Visible Alpha data, is currently a bit below $48, pointing toward gains of about 8% from last night’s close. That doesn’t suggest wild optimism, but it’s well off 2025 closing lows, seen in April, of $34.75. Given the company’s recent run, cautious optimism about the stock might be as welcome as one of its iconic rocking chairs on a cool evening.
