Cracker Barrel CEO praises company's 'Google star rating' while revealing huge financial losses



Cracker Barrel just had its quarterly earnings meeting, during which the CEO admitted she does not have "a crystal ball."

Sales have decreased since the 2025 logo and branding change that saw Cracker Barrel deliver the biggest marketing blunder of the year. The shift was so bad that the new branding became a national story, and the board member who pushed for it soon resigned.

'We know we are headed in the right direction.'

Still looking to recover from the disaster, Cracker Barrel put out its second quarter fiscal report for 2026 on Wednesday, and the report showed significant losses for a company of its size.

Total revenue took a hit, decreasing by 7.9% compared to the year before. Restaurant revenue dropped by 7.5%, with management explaining that traffic had declined by more than 10%.

In the earnings call, CEO Julie Masino — who was at the helm when the new store design failed — boasted to investors about the restaurant's Google review rating, one of the few highlights.

"Our Google star rating, which over the long run is strongly correlated with traffic, was 4.28 in Q2," Masino stated, noting that it was a six-year high. "This represents the highest quarterly score since Q2 in fiscal year 2020."

RELATED: Board member behind Cracker Barrel DEI rebranding disaster resigns after pressure — including from Glenn Beck

Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images

While Masino said, "I do not have a crystal ball," and that she does not have a "correlation that says when scores improve by X, traffic follows," she was confident that the company's "indicators" still correlate to "growth and improvement."

In addition to the Google reviews, Masino cited increased guest satisfaction scores, lower manager turnover, improved traffic within the quarter, and a "meaningful percentage" of guests returning who did not visit in previous quarters.

"We know we are headed in the right direction, and everybody is working hard to make that a reality," Masino added.

The CEO also boasted about the restaurant's business during Thanksgiving week 2025, which she called "a big week for us."

However, despite bringing in $110 million in sales, which represents between 12% and 13% of total revenue for the quarter, "Thanksgiving traffic was in line with the rest of the month, so it did not crazily outperform or anything like that," Masino admitted.

RELATED: 'I feel like I've been fired by America': Cracker Barrel CEO nearly brought to tears over redesign backlash

"Our disciplined focus on operational excellence is driving significant improvements in several key guest metrics, many of which serve as important leading traffic indicators," Masino said in the company's press release. "We have also taken additional actions to improve financial performance and remain confident that we are well-positioned to regain prior momentum."

In the end, the board of directors still declared a quarterly dividend of $0.25 per share, and the company is still expanding ever so slightly with the opening of two new stores.

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Mom with child in tow accused of shooting toward sushi server. What allegedly triggered her is far from your average motive.



A St. Louis mother is facing multiple felony charges after police say she fired a gun inside a Kirkwood, Missouri, sushi restaurant amid an argument with staff last week, KTVI-TV reported.

Kirkwood police told the station the shooting took place just before 8:30 p.m. Wednesday.

'You're going to get it.'

Police said Aaliyah N. Moorehead, 31, told officers she believed restaurant staff were rude to her and her family when they arrived, KTVI reported, adding that Moorehead was with her 9-year-old child.

Moorehead also said she used a translation feature on her AirPods to determine that the cooks made racial and derogatory comments in Spanish about her and her family, the station said.

Police said Moorehead also got upset over what she described as an issue with her order, KTVI said. A server offered to correct the order, but Moorehead began swearing at the server and was asked to leave, the station noted.

Moorehead then threw a bowl of soup at the server, hitting him and others nearby, authorities told KTVI.

The server moved a chair between himself and Moorehead, the station said, adding that she grabbed the chair and threw it.

Moorehead then took out a 9mm Glock handgun, threatened the server, and fired a shot in his direction, police told KTVI, adding that Moorehead's 9-year-old was walking between Moorehead and the server at the time.

Police told KMOV-TV that Moorehead said, “You’re going to get it,” before firing the shot.

The bullet missed the server, went through a refrigerator, and struck a wall, KTVI said, adding that no one was injured.

RELATED: Unruly restaurant patron takes Taser from off-duty cop working security — and shoots cop with it. But troublemaker runs out of luck when officer pulls his gun.

Police said the restaurant manager told officers the suspect drove away in a white SUV, and officers located the vehicle soon after and detained those in the car, KTVI said.

After reviewing the restaurant’s security video, police identified the SUV's occupants as Moorehead, her 9-year-old child, and another adult woman, KTVI said.

Police told KMOV the entire incident was captured on surveillance video and that Moorehead admitted to firing the gun.

The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Moorehead with first-degree assault, armed criminal action, unlawful use of a weapon, endangering the welfare of a child, and first-degree property damage, KTVI said.

Moorehead was still behind bars Tuesday morning at the St. Louis County Justice Center; jail records do not show a court date.

KTVI said Moorehead is being held on a $150,000 cash-only bond.

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Pizza Hut Classic: Retro fun ruined by non-English-speaking staff, indifferent customer service



Pizza Hut Classic is evidence that even if a company gets its branding right, customer service is the oil that keeps the machine running.

Since 2019, Pizza Hut has been spreading its retro vibes across the continent by reintroducing its 1990s decor, design, and dining experience.

'The interior features cozy red booths and old-school Pizza Hut lamps.'

From Warren, Ohio to Hempstead, Texas, the iconic Pizza Hut chandeliers are being rehung, and the fantastic buffet is being put out once again. According to Chefs Resource, some locations have even brought back the beloved dessert bar.

Slice of life

With the return of the 1974 logo and nostalgic appeal, Pizza Hut did the inverse of Cracker Barrel. Instead of trying to modernize and simplify their decor, the pie-slingers retrofitted and cluttered theirs.

A page called the Retrologist dissected the formula and determined exactly what the word "Classic" in Pizza Hut Classic really means. To meet the new (old) standard, the writer pinpointed that each location must include the following:

1. The old logo is used in pole signage as well as at the top of the (usually but not always) red-roofed restaurant. The pole sign features the addition of the word "Classic."
2. The interior features cozy red booths and old-school Pizza Hut lamps.
3. Stickers featuring the long-discarded character Pizza Hut Pete are found on the door.
4. Posters feature classic photos from Pizza Huts of yore.
5. A plaque displays a quote from Pizza Hut co-founder Dan Carney, explaining the concept as a celebration of the brand’s heritage.

While many of the revamped locations have received rave reviews, there still exists a way to make such a fine dining experience awful, even if surrounded by everything that made customers flock to the buffet 30 years ago.

RELATED: The 'rebranding' brigade's war on beauty

Photo by Andrew Chapados/Blaze News

Word salad

For a Pizza Hut Classic ruined by modern belief systems, look no farther than north of the border, in the Toronto suburb of Scarborough.

While the restaurant did include the iconic chandeliers and some of the retro furnishings, it did not have old soda fountains or the memorable menus spotted at other locations. Instead, this unique eatery represented a new (low) standard of lackluster customer service, coupled with sprinklings of unfettered immigration policy.

These accommodations, or lack there of, will surely split customers down political lines. Yes, there are retro red Pepsi cups, but the waitress who literally speaks no English may fill that cup with Diet Pepsi with ice instead of "water with no ice."

Is there a salad bar? Yes. Is the salad bar limited to plain lettuce and croutons? Also yes. Were there pieces of lettuce dropped in the ranch dressing (the only available dressing) for the duration of the visit? Definitely.

RELATED: Cracker Barrel's logo lives — but like every digital-age public space, it now looks dead inside

Photo by Andrew Chapados/Blaze News

Meat and greet

A steady rotation of cheese, deluxe, and Hawaiian pizza was only broken up by one couple's complaints about the lack of variety. A manager — also largely unintelligible in her speech — replied first with a refusal to change the rotation. Strangely, about 10 minutes later, she eventually brought out two meat lovers' pizzas, in an apparent act of defiance.

The damaged seating in the restaurant combined with a chip out of the "Hut" portion of the building's exterior revealed years-old paint and, along with it, a yearning for more care to be given. A restaurant that could be so nostalgic, but ruined by the apparent comforts of a district that has voted Liberal in its last three federal elections for a woman from the U.K. who holds citizenship in three countries, including Pakistan.

"I wanted to go to a dine-in, because in most places, including the U.K., you can't do that now," said reporter Lewis Brackpool, who visited the location. He added, "I come to one, and what do you know — it sucks."

In at a massive discount due to the exchange rate, Brackpool could not help but feel like many who are from the area: that what had been promised was robbed.

The experience can be summed up in the words of an anonymous would-be customer who, upon seeing a commercial of what a Pizza Hut buffet looked like in the 1990s in comparison to the location in question, said, "They took this from us."

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Sorry, Not Sorry: Cracker Barrel Doubles Down On Unpopular Rebrand

After facing nearly a week-long backlash to its new soulless rebranding efforts, Cracker Barrel is doubling down on stupid. On Monday, the once-popular old-timey restaurant chain issued a lengthy statement showcasing it has no intention to adhere to the wishes of its loyal customer base. In its non-apology, the company attempted to spin its PR […]

I went to a restaurant run by feminists, and it was terrible



I went to a restaurant run by feminists, and it was terrible.

You probably have a lot of questions. I would too if I were the one reading that sentence rather than the one writing it.

These people — the people most obsessed with 'acceptance' as a political virtue — are generally miserable to be around.

How exactly do I know it was run by rabid feminists? Why exactly was it terrible because it was run by such feminists? I will explain.

My wife, children, and I were on vacation. We were off in the deep north of the Middle West. After driving for a few hours, we were ready for a bite to eat. There aren’t too many options that far out in the northern wilderness.

We were thankful to find a place — any place! — about 15 minutes away, right on a lake. A small restaurant on a lake up north, that’s got to be an easy-going, relaxing place to have lunch, right?

Wrong.

Service with a sneer

The atmosphere was rank from the moment we opened the door. The woman at the front greeted my wife with a cold and sour, “May I help you?” We sat down and things descended farther. They didn’t have a children’s menu. Who doesn’t have a children’s menu? They didn’t have booster seats. Who doesn’t have booster seats?

Often, when we go out with our kids, we order a side salad for them to split. Basically every restaurant has one or will make one.

But not this one.

My wife politely asked, “Could we get a side salad for the kids to share?”

Our frigid, tight-lipped waitress curtly answered, “No.”

They had a tiny menu, obviously excluding simple fare to signal some kind of “finer taste.” Remember, this is in the middle of nowhere, no cellphone service. Who are they kidding?

Whine list

There was a small bar with a single bartender. She was the type of gender-confused leftist who dyes her hair black, then chops it off into some kind of faux mullet.

Adorned with doodle tattoos, no makeup, and tasteless piercings, she stood behind the bar seething. Her default facial setting was one of bubbling rage. It looked like she wanted to kill. It may sound like I am exaggerating, and maybe I am, but only barely. This is how she looked, this is how she acted, and this is how it felt.

The general vibe was more reminiscent of a hostage situation than a dining establishment. The tables were full, but barely anyone spoke. It felt like everyone was afraid to say anything. They were scared for their lives.

There was a tense hum of silence over the tables. An older couple came in to ask if they could get a table, and the woman at the front made it seem like they were asking if she could split the atom for them. It was bizarre.

Malice's Restaurant

Different places have different feelings. It doesn’t come down to just one element. It’s the sum of the parts. The way people speak to you, the way they look at you, the way the decor is arranged, the music, the signs on the wall, the kind of people working. Some places are warm, inviting, and comfortable. Others are not, and this place was not.

Everyone working was a woman. At the front, behind the bar, waiting the tables.

RELATED: Against women wearing pants

Bettman/Getty Images

It’s hard to describe why, but I got the sense that they were all owners, like they all pitched in together. They weren’t just workers with paychecks. There was something else there. They weren’t moms, young college students, or anyone else you might expect to be working at a restaurant. Something was off.

They all looked, and acted like, a different archetype of unhappy, unfulfilled feminist. They all had the same kind of unpleasant, tightly wound, ready to snap, judgmental demeanor. They all looked down on my wife and kids with a patronizing and adversarial predisposition.

Of course, they weren’t exactly friendly to me either.

Appetite for destruction

There is a certain way bitter feminists, angry lesbians, and gender destroyers look at me, my wife, and kids. My wife is beautiful; she wears dresses every day. My daughter too. I dress in a classic American style, and so does my son.

For these types of people, our family is an aesthetic refutation of their broken and disordered ideology. They don’t like us (or people like us), and it’s very obvious.

And that’s why their restaurant is so miserable. These kinds of people are not happy people, they are not welcoming people, they are not warm people. They don’t like kids, they don’t like families, they don’t like happy men or beautiful women. They only like bitter, broken, and disordered individuals.

They might make fine food — and the food was just fine — but their obvious disdain for us left a bad taste all the same.

Signal du jour

There were signals of their political orientation on the walls. There were two restrooms. Both had signs that read “All Gender Restroom” in the middle of the door.

These signs, if you haven’t seen them, include three figures. A man, a woman in a dress, and then a figure that is half-man and half-woman. Half pants, half dress. A perfect example of the laziest, most pathetic kind of leftist virtue-signaling.

Again, this restaurant is in the middle of nowhere. The restroom signs are a political act, an intentional provocation, and an obvious indication of who they are.

It was the type of place that hangs a sign in the window that reads “ALL ARE WELCOME” in a variety of colors, despite the actual atmosphere inside being one that is completely acidic and 0% welcoming.

Check, please!

It’s a fascinating thing. You see this a lot. Crunchy grocery stores, vegan restaurants, and other lefty-type places. These people — the people most obsessed with “acceptance” as a political virtue — are generally miserable to be around. They are devoted to acceptance on paper, but their aura is like that of an electric fence.

Women are warm, welcoming, and kind. It’s their nature. That’s why they are called the fairer sex. God made them best with kids and things more sensitive.

Extreme feminists of 2025 are none of those things and possess none of those wonderful attributes. They have, in general, made their identity into one based on opposing any natural female traits, virtues, or sensibilities.

They have instead set their sights on trying, and failing, to be men. They have decided to resist, reject, and make war on all the wonderful things of women. That’s why they are so unhappy, and that’s why their restaurant was so miserable. It was clean, the food was fine, the location was great, but the women were dreadful, dour, sad, and bitter.

Walking out of the restaurant, our kids stumbling over each other, our family gleefully disturbing the morgue-like pall of the dining room, we laughed to one another. Thankful we are who we are and aren’t who we aren’t. It must be a miserable life being an angry feminist.

Florida male points gun at 4 in Mexican eatery amid bill dispute — including worker's son, 16. Technology assists in arrest.



Police in Ormond Beach, Florida, said a party of four had been dining at the Fresh Guacamole Tequila & Bar Mexican Grill on West Granada Boulevard on May 6 and were displeased with the bill, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reported.

Soon an argument erupted with the restaurant staff, the paper said, adding that an arrest report states that one of the employees actually tried to de-escalate the tense situation by telling the customers they could leave without paying the bill.

The suspect 'brandished a firearm toward restaurant staff, including a juvenile, during an altercation.'

Apparently, that wasn't good enough.

Amid the dustup, a woman with the dissatisfied group started banging on the plexiglass that protects the cashier, the News-Journal said.

What's more, she managed to get past the plexiglass and pushed toward four employees — one of them being the 16-year-old son of one of the workers, police told the paper.

Soon, the irate female started yelling in the face of one of the employees, and the 16-year-old boy stepped up to defend his dad, police told the News-Journal.

It was at that moment that a male was seen on surveillance video reaching into a bag, pulling out a silver handgun, and pointing it at the four employees — including the 16-year-old boy — police added to the paper.

With that, the woman pushed the male who pointed the gun out of the restaurant, and they departed, police told the News-Journal.

Then, cops got to work over the next month, the paper said, and police said they verified through photo lineups and facial recognition technology from the Volusia County Sheriff's Office that 25-year-old Anthony Rodriguez of Daytona Beach was the male seen pulling the gun on the restaurant's employees.

Police on June 3 posted a wanted notice on Facebook asking for the public's help in locating Rodriguez.

RELATED: Good guy with a gun isn't about to let accused carjacker get away with stealing 74-year-old's vehicle

Image source: Ormond Beach (Fla.) Police Department

Police said in its public notice that an investigation determined Rodriguez "brandished a firearm toward restaurant staff, including a juvenile, during an altercation. No injuries were reported." Police asked for help and tips in order to locate Rodriguez, who had a felony arrest warrant for four counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Police told Blaze News that in their above notice, the right-hand photo is a surveillance image while the left-hand photo is a previous mug shot of Rodriquez.

By the afternoon of June 5, police issued an update saying Rodriguez turned himself in and was taken into custody. Jail records indicate Rodriguez was booked on the evening of June 5 and released the next day. Jail records showed his cash bond amount for each count was $7,500 — or $30,000 total.

Anything else?

Just last weekend, Blaze News reported about another Florida restaurant dispute that turned into a dangerous encounter.

Police in Orlando said a male standing 6'2'' and weighing 280 pounds choked a cop after refusing to pay a $50.50 restaurant tab.

RELATED: It's easy to see why a photo of a store employee's act of kindness toward an elderly man has gone viral

Image source: Orange County (Fla.) Jail

After being asked to pay up, 22-year-old Daniel Robinson allegedly shoved the female owner of the pizza joint and departed, WOFL-TV reported. Officers tracked down Robinson and tried to arrest him — and then one officer stared hollering, “He’s choking me," WFTV-TV reported.

Another officer said he punched Robinson in the face until the choking stopped, WFTV said, adding that police also maced the suspect. Police said when medical personnel arrived, Robinson spat in an officer’s face amid an attempt to restrain him on a stretcher, WOFL reported. Robinson was booked into jail and was facing multiple charges, including attempted homicide of a law enforcement officer, WOFL said.

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Florida man — 6'2'', 280 lbs — chokes cop after bailing on $50 pizza bill, police say. But fellow officer's fist intervenes.



Police in Orlando, Florida, said officers responded to a pizza restaurant after reports of disturbance around 10:45 p.m. Monday, WOFL-TV reported.

Employees of the Corner Pizza Bar on Magnolia Avenue said a customer refused to pay his $50.50 bill, the station noted.

'I was in fear that great bodily injury or death would occur.'

When the customer — later identified as Daniel Robinson, 22 — was asked to pay up, he allegedly shoved the female owner and departed the restaurant, WOFL noted.

Employees called 911, WFTV-TV reported, and investigators said a pair of Orlando police officers confronted Robinson across the street from the restaurant.

Robinson said he intended to pay his restaurant bill with his phone but that the device was dead, WFTV said, adding that police said his phone — on the contrary — was visibly lit.

As the officers attempted to arrest Robinson, one officer hollered, “He’s choking me," WFTV reported, adding that Robinson is about 6'2'' and weighs 280 pounds.

RELATED: Florida street takeover thug arrested, accused of being part of mob that stomped on, broke bystanders' windshields, set fire

The other officer at the scene noted in a police report that “I was in fear that great bodily injury or death would occur," WFTV said.

With that, the fellow officer said he punched Robinson in the face until the choking stopped, WFTV said, adding that police also maced Robinson.

Police said when medical personnel arrived, Robinson spat in an officer’s face amid an attempt to restrain him on a stretcher, WOFL reported.

Orange County Corrections Department records indicate Robinson was booked into jail Tuesday. He's facing multiple charges, including attempted homicide of a law enforcement officer, WOFL said.

More from WFTV:

Court records show Robinson was also maced by officers last year after he allegedly stalked a woman. She said he started touching her on a bus as she went to work last November, then followed her off the bus. That’s when she called 911.

“I am upset and kind of in shock because that could have been me," last year's victim Mariah Gilbert told WFTV in an interview, adding that “now I have the opportunity to testify against him."

What's more, WFTV said records show Robinson last year also was arrested for battery upon a different woman and petit theft.

RELATED: Florida thug caught on video violently snatching lottery winnings from 83-year-old woman, who falls to the ground amid fight

WOFL said the Corner Pizza Bar issued the following statement: "Fortunately, the Orlando Police Department responded quickly and handled the situation promptly and professionally. We’re very grateful for their support. While we’re still processing the impact — since we never imagined something like this happening — we’ve decided not to speak further on the matter at this time."

The Orange County Corrections Department on Friday told Blaze News that Robinson's bond total is $17,650 and that his first court appearance was Wednesday.

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FACT CHECK: Was A Restaurant Manager Fired For Denying Service To Vance?

A post shared on social media purports that Primanti Bros. restaurant fired the manager who refused to service Vice Presidential candidate JD Vance. Verdict: False The claim is stems from a satirical website. Fact Check: Former President Donald Trump responded to the new case filed by special counsel Jack Smith, NBC News reported. Trump claimed this move is […]