Back in January, we had on Julie Masino, the President and CEO of Cracker Barrel, who walked us through her strategy for transforming the brand, and gave great insights into general trends in the restaurant industry. Since it's summer time, and patio season is in full swing, we thought now would be a good time to revisit this gem.

Summary: 

What does it take to revitalize a legacy brand, while maintaining its identity? By balancing tradition and transformation, any company can breathe new life into its business and consistently evolve to meet the changing expectations of customers and employees alike.

Today's guest is Julie Masino. Julie is President and CEO of Cracker Barrel, a role she took on just over a year ago in November of 2023. Since then, she's led the company with a focus on innovation and growth drawing on her over 30 years of experience in the restaurant and retail industries. Previously, Julie served President of International at Taco Bell and before that, President of North America. She's also held senior leadership positions at Sprinkles Cupcakes, Mattel, Starbucks, and began her career at iconic brands like Godiva, Coach, J. Crew, and Macy's. 

In this episode, Julie shares her vision for the brand and the five-pillar transformation strategy she is implementing aimed at enhancing market share, guest experience, and profitability.

Highlights:

• Julie explains the opportunity she saw for Cracker Barrel (2:58)
• Julie's fiver pillar strategy for Cracker Barrel's transformation (4:25)
• Why dinner remains a key area for increasing market share (9:23)
• What updates are being made to Cracker Barrel's pricing strategy? (12:39)
• Improving facilities and team satisfaction (15:44)
• Julie highlights the metrics correlated with sales growth (18:48)
• Digital and off-premises growth (23:00)
• How Cracker Barrel is engaging younger consumers (27:05)

Links:

Julie Masino on LinkedIn

Cracker Barrel on LinkedIn

Cracker Barrel Website

ICR LinkedIn

ICR Twitter

ICR Website

Feedback:

If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, [email protected].