Cracker Barrel clarifies restaurant’s position after employee dining rules go viral

Cracker Barrel said the recent change was to ‘limit reimbursement of alcoholic beverages’ for employees traveling for work

Cracker Barrel has issued a clarification after going viral for a controversial rule that employees must eat at its own restaurants while traveling.

The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that the Southern country-themed chain issued a new policy that pushes employees to dine at a Cracker Barrel store “for all or the majority of meals while traveling.”

However, Cracker Barrel says that isn’t entirely true.

“The policy for employees to dine at Cracker Barrel while traveling for business, whenever practical based on location and schedule, is not new. Also, it is not the only place that our employees may eat when on the road, as previously reported,” the restaurant said in a statement to The Independent.

Cracker Barrel further clarified that it had recently change employee guidelines was to “limit reimbursement of alcoholic beverages under the policy.”

Cracker Barrel has issued a clarification after a report claimed that its employees were required to eat at the chain while traveling (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

It has been a been a difficult few months for the chain, whose sales declined late last year following a controversial rebranding of it logo.

The chain made national headlines, and even attracted the interest of President Donald Trump, after removing its longtime mascot, the man leaning on a barrel, known as Uncle Herschel, from its signage.

The bold move saw Cracker Barrel lose an estimated $94 million in market value in a single day. The change also drew ire from the MAGA world, who branded the redesign as “woke” and urged the company to return to its classic look.

Within days, the company reverted back to its signature logo. However, its sales still took a downfall.

For the financial quarter between August 1 and October 31, 2025, the chain said its revenue was down 5.7 percent compared to the same time the year before.

Around that time, the company announced plans to modernize over 650 locations, drawing even more backlash as critics claimed the change would take away from the chain’s identity.

Cracker Barrel made headlines last year after attempting to rebrand its logo (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Cracker Barrel quickly changed course, scrapping plans for the renovations.

“If the last few days have shown us anything, it’s how deeply people care about Cracker Barrel. We’re truly grateful for your heartfelt voices," the company said at the time. “You’ve also shown us that we could’ve done a better job sharing who we are and who we’ll always be.”

Cracker Barrel went on to reassure diners that "the things people love most about our stores aren’t going anywhere: rocking chairs on the porch, a warm fire in the hearth, peg games on the table, unique treasures in our gift shop, and vintage Americana with antiques pulled straight from our warehouse in Lebanon, Tennessee.”