Business CEO's and business practices in general

[tlawler]

Is academia over-rated?

Does John Morgan unabashedly chase ambulances?

 

[Bugkiller99]

Does John Morgan unabashedly chase ambulances?

No. He chases $$$$$$$$$.

 

[ladder13]

CB's biggest issue, to us, is the quality of their food. We used to stop there when traveling as it was a known product and convenient for a quick stop and go. Some years ago it started going downhill, imo, or maybe out tastes have changed. Now we seek out the spots "where the locals go".
We must have passed a half dozen in PA this weekend, not a one has changed signs yet.

CB responds to the uproar.

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/08/25/cracker-barrel-cbrl-backlash-logo-rebranding.html

 

[38 Specialist]

I don't think people are any dumber or smarter than ever before. I think what you'll find is that people, in the long run, do what they are incentivized to do. What most benefits a CEOs doesn't always most benefit employees, customers, shareholders.

As for getting into politics, sometimes it's a great move. There are lots of companies who serve a small slice of the population. Displaying similar beliefs as your core customer can be helpful in generating customer loyalty.

 

[Bald1]

The problem with most "managers" is that they've never done the job they are "managing". As a 34 yr Teamster, and 3 term elected union rep I've dealt with many. The good ones would talk to drivers one on one and ask what they thought about this or that. They were open to input. They treated you like a person not an asset to be managed. Unfortunately these good ones never lasted long. They moved on to bigger and better things with different companies. During contract negotiations, when you see a companies financials it is maddening the amount of waste and pure gluttony that goes on. Bonuses for a failing company should never happen. Six figure expense accounts should never happen. My employer filed for bankruptcy. They called an emergency meeting with union representatives to discuss it. The CEO of the company says "don't worry, we are simply reorganizing and our management team will remin in place. It'll be business as usual". I raised my hand and asked, isn't our current management team and current business model what drove us to bankruptcy? If looks could kill I'd be dead.

 

[DWalt]

Nearly all business failures have a common cause - Management ignores, denies, misreads, or misinterprets changes evolving in its market and fails to adjust, innovate, and adapt while its competitors do. Or if it does adjust, it's in the wrong direction. I have seen that happen in a big way in three larger corporations I worked for in mid-level management positions. None still exist. BTW, I was one of those MBAs. But that's another story.

 

[Pisgah]

MBA = Minimal Business Acumen...

 

[NYlakesider]

As a simple high school educated long time stock market player I do note some things. One of the biggies is the Golden Parachute that the big shots get.

Lets make it something like they get a sliding pay scale, the company does horrible do to the stupid decisions done you get less compensation and perks. It does better you get more! Earn your dam money, wrecking a outfit and leaving with bushel baskets of money is sure no incentive to give a ****.

 

[Model29-26.5]

I ate breakfast at Cracker Barrel yesterday and was talking to the lady at the cash counter about it. She told me that there was going to be a big staff meeting yesterday and they were going to discuss all the changes that were being made.. so it's more than just uncle Herschel being removed.
We don't really know if this is going to fail or succeed. We will only know this after we look at the stock price..
My big country boy breakfast and the country ham tasted as good as ever.
They have to try new things and maybe they do it for publicity.
I feel if you're a CEO and you've got to this position you probably know what you're doing, even if it does not appear that way. This has not always proven to be the case, but we will see in a year or two how Cracker Barrel is doing.

My thoughts are that maybe they want to open new franchises in the northeast, so they are "rounding off the edges" of the southern tone.

 

[GypsmJim]

The problem with most "managers" is that they've never done the job they are "managing". As a 34 yr Teamster, and 3 term elected union rep I've dealt with many. The good ones would talk to drivers one on one and ask what they thought about this or that. They were open to input. They treated you like a person not an asset to be managed. Unfortunately these good ones never lasted long. They moved on to bigger and better things with different companies. During contract negotiations, when you see a companies financials it is maddening the amount of waste and pure gluttony that goes on. Bonuses for a failing company should never happen. Six figure expense accounts should never happen. My employer filed for bankruptcy. They called an emergency meeting with union representatives to discuss it. The CEO of the company says "don't worry, we are simply reorganizing and our management team will remin in place. It'll be business as usual". I raised my hand and asked, isn't our current management team and current business model what drove us to bankruptcy? If looks could kill I'd be dead.

My Grandpa had only 1 job in his life. When he emigrated to the USA he started working as a grunt in a small local factory, ultimately working his way up to General Foreman. Back in the 1950's his company was bought out by a mega National company, and he was demoted to grunt again. They brought in all their own management. The worst part was that he lost his pension completely and had to join the Union. He often spoke about how Union "officials" would come in driving a Caddy and dressed in black suits with bulges under their armpits and shake them down for some "contribution". At 95 years old Grandpa would get red in the face if someone said "union".

My company went bankrupt, not because of bad management, but as a result of using asbestos 75 years before. During bankruptcy we all went thru TQM, Six Sigma, etc., and many were laid off. After we emerged there was a massive layoff. Even though all the fat was gone, now we were cutting into the bone. Many of us had to now assume more than one role. Even the salaried had to work extra hours at times. Even ALL the Vice Presidents lost their jobs. They were ALL promoted to Senior VP (can't make this stuff up).

 

[chief38]

Is academia over-rated?

ABSOLUTELY!!!!

 

[Denverd0n]

As far as my limited knowledge goes, Cracker Barrel simply wanted to change their logo...

No. It is not just changing the logo. As someone else said, they are changing the menu and changing the decor, as well as changing the logo. They are essentially changing it into a different sort of restaurant. Obviously, the long-time customers don't like that. Can you blame them?

They are doing it with the thought that they can appeal to a new group of customers. In the process they are going to lose many of their existing customers. Only time will tell if the trade-off is worth it, or just a huge mistake.

 

[Tom S.]

No. It is not just changing the logo. As someone else said, they are changing the menu and changing the decor, as well as changing the logo. They are essentially changing it into a different sort of restaurant. Obviously, the long-time customers don't like that. Can you blame them?

They are doing it with the thought that they can appeal to a new group of customers. In the process they are going to lose many of their existing customers. Only time will tell if the trade-off is worth it, or just a huge mistake.

Which would the long time customers prefer: changing the business model or going bankrupt and closing completely? Yes we can complain about the changes but don't overlook the alternative. Besides, didn't someone once say "Nothing is as sure as change"? I think it was Mrs. Buckley back in 3rd grade.

 

[dockmurgw]

Which would the long time customers prefer: changing the business model or going bankrupt and closing completely? Yes we can complain about the changes but don't overlook the alternative. Besides, didn't someone once say "Nothing is as sure as change"? I think it was Mrs. Buckley back in 3rd grade.

Cracker Barrel was doing fine, bankruptcy or closing completely was not in their future. With that in mind, I suspect Mrs. Buckley would have advised stay the course.

 

[dockmurgw]

No. It is not just changing the logo. As someone else said, they are changing the menu and changing the decor, as well as changing the logo. They are essentially changing it into a different sort of restaurant. Obviously, the long-time customers don't like that. Can you blame them?

They are doing it with the thought that they can appeal to a new group of customers. In the process they are going to lose many of their existing customers. Only time will tell if the trade-off is worth it, or just a huge mistake.

Its even worse than that. The CEO's and marketing misfits' statements on why they did this are clear and everywhere to read and listen to...at least they are for anyone interested in reading or listening to them. They were and are on a mission, I will leave it at that because to explain the mission will get me suspended.

 

[Denverd0n]

Which would the long time customers prefer: changing the business model or going bankrupt and closing completely? Yes we can complain about the changes but don't overlook the alternative.

Well, I can think of (what I consider) a better alternative right off the top of my head. Pick a new name. Change SOME of the stores (particularly in locations where demographic studies show it would be beneficial) to the new, more hip restaurant that appeals to the younger crowd (which is what they're going after). See how that works out.

Then -- depending on the results -- you can slowly change over the rest of the locations if you want to. Or maybe even build new restaurants and expand your clientele without alienating your existing clientele. Or, if the new look doesn't work, convert those restaurants back to the successful and thriving Cracker Barrel. (Not even remotely close to bankruptcy, by the way.)

What they are doing instead is a classic repeat of the New Coke fiasco. Instead of introducing New Coke as an alternative to traditional Coke, they completely replaced it. Took traditional Coke off the market. DISASTER! Back pedal like crazy, at huge expense! When New Coke might have been a very successful product if they had offered it as yet another drink that they sell instead of trying to force customers to change.

 

[Bald1]

My Grandpa had only 1 job in his life. When he emigrated to the USA he started working as a grunt in a small local factory, ultimately working his way up to General Foreman. Back in the 1950's his company was bought out by a mega National company, and he was demoted to grunt again. They brought in all their own management. The worst part was that he lost his pension completely and had to join the Union. He often spoke about how Union "officials" would come in driving a Caddy and dressed in black suits with bulges under their armpits and shake them down for some "contribution". At 95 years old Grandpa would get red in the face if someone said "union".

My company went bankrupt, not because of bad management, but as a result of using asbestos 75 years before. During bankruptcy we all went thru TQM, Six Sigma, etc., and many were laid off. After we emerged there was a massive layoff. Even though all the fat was gone, now we were cutting into the bone. Many of us had to now assume more than one role. Even the salaried had to work extra hours at times. Even ALL the Vice Presidents lost their jobs. They were ALL promoted to Senior VP (can't make this stuff up).

Hahaha the old union stereotype jokes are funny. I think that behavior went away before I became a Teamster in August 1989. Our bussiness agents drove Chevy Malibus with almost 200k on the odometer. My good friend chose to drive his personal vehicle (Chevy 2500) instead. In fact some would suggest labor unions today are paper tigers. Not sure I'd argue with them.

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

At the news conference to announce the return of Coke "Classic" as it was now labeled, the then chairman of Coca-Cola said:
"I hope nobody thinks we planned it this way. We're not that clever !"
The old adage was "The customer is always right !" And they can always take their money elsewhere.

 

[hkcavalier]

All big corporations get out of touch, it's unavoidable. The ones that stick around do things like form monopolies, create huge barriers to entry for new competitors, develop nearly unbreakable relationships with massive customers like the federal government, etc.

I can't find it online, but there was a cartoon some years ago of a doting mom/grandma type who started selling "Mom's Pies" to the neighborhood, then through a storefront, and it kept growing until it was a huge factory with "MOMCO" on the front. Big trucks full of refined syrups and such were pulled up to the loading docks. And out front, by the street, was a small stand where someone was selling homemade pies to people in line...

Chain restaurants are popular B-school projects/case studies because they're relatively easy to understand, have enormous real estate/labor/input costs, and really have none of those protections I listed above. Once the winds shift, they come undone pretty quickly vs. a (for example) IBM that can lose its position of prominence but linger on with legacy systems, long term service contracts, and organizational inertia. In the last 25 years we've seen the death of "casual sit down dining" like Sizzler and buffet places that can't survive in an increasingly to-go-pickup world. Cracker Barrel probably saw that their average customer age was essentially 1:1 with the passage of time and figured they had to change to survive. Denny's, IHOP, Shoney's, etc have similar problems.

 

[GypsmJim]

Hahaha the old union stereotype jokes are funny. I think that behavior went away before I became a Teamster in August 1989. Our bussiness agents drove Chevy Malibus with almost 200k on the odometer. My good friend chose to drive his personal vehicle (Chevy 2500) instead. In fact some would suggest labor unions today are paper tigers. Not sure I'd argue with them.

Actually, it wasn't a joke. Grandpa retired early in 1958, so obviously it was before then.