The new logo for Cracker Barrel is boring. Companies are showing their fear of actually standing for anything. We have a local restaurant franchise who went from showing local themes to a generic nothing. I would assume this was franchise wide, since I know the owners of their restaurant had no choice. If Cracker Barrel is only doing the change, how does anyone know before they decide to stop at one what they will find? If they prefer one look/merchandise they may just decide to not bother. OTOH, we never stopped going to our local franchise because they changed the decor.
I do, however, seldom, go to our local McDonald’s. I simply cannot abide the interior design. I can stop at another one not far away which has a decent design. The restaurant business is not an easy business. Every little thing matters.
Beautiful morning here! Cooler temps after light rain last night. We watched a fox catch a squirrel then he and the other fox contended for the prey! Fascinating!
Husband and I were discussing how some business owners shoot themselves in the foot in customer service sometimes. A local coffee shoppe insists on playing loud obnoxious music and refuses to lower the sound..,customers like us do not return. A rude waitress can forever seer into the mind of a customer a bad experience so that they will not return. Flagrant political endorsement of woke culture will keep us away. Cracker Barrel hasn’t been a go to place for us but if they go woke we won’t even consider a visit. I have enjoyed their gift shoppe…
Good morning! We are cool at 73° with a high of 78° expected. Cloud cover keeps us in lower temps and a cold front (summer version) is predicted for tomorrow.
We had used Cracker Barrel in the past as a spot to meet my brother for Thanksgiving, but last year we only got breakfast there and then did the hike at a nearby small mountain. We will make other arrangements this year unless there are no other options. I expect they still serve a decent cup of coffee which we could reduce our order to.
I had a thought for a big space restaurant like Cracker Barrel to turn it into an international cuisine place with budding chefs each having a section of the restaurant to design representative of their nation. People might like to go there more frequently to try the various different offerings.
I think Cracker Barrel may be going the way of the enclosed malls. I think people now are more into intimate and unique settings that don’t seem so crowded.
In these days of such strong political partisanship, a business that comes across as too liberal will be scorned and boycotted by some on the right, while a business that comes across as too conservative will be scorned and boycotted by some on the left.
You know, I hire someone to work for me whose politics make me feel sad and sometimes angry at their shrill voice.
This person has lost a lot of work because of their loud posts on FB.
But, I love this individual. This person needs work and does a great job by me.
So, I stay mum, listen, talk about our commonalities, and frankly send a lot of love.
Those of you who know our family’s story with the yoga-based cult, know that one of those family members left it after 50 years.
We’d worked hard to keep, limited, communication open and simply loved them and their family.
Love won.
When they left, they came to us–and we opened our arms wide.
Jesus and the father of the son who prefered to live with swine for awhile, demonstrated the depth that love can and should go.
That’s why I stay silent on politics. No one wins in a “playing field” that divides and shouts slurs at each other.
Jesus never did that.
Indeed, in the last week of his life, while the Pharisees desperately worked to kill him, he continually reached out to them with love and forgiveness.
They saw their power base threatened by Jesus.
And they missed the salvation of their lives–and the world–the free (and very expensive because of them) gift of God.
We had a restaurant named Po’ Folks which was down home Southern cooking, similar to Cracker Barrel. It was really good food. We went there regularily. They changed the name to Folks and made it a bit more stylish inside, but still kept to serving the best iced tea in Mason jars. They had music in sync with the style. At some point they got new all black management at our nearest location.
After that they played music that appealed only to certain blacks and the service was way slow for us. The food was still good, but we no longer felt welcomed there. We quit going. It was not long until it shut down.
Another Folks location, not too far away, seemed also to be under black management. They treated people kindly. We went there for a number of years. I think recently it finally closed.
There is no doubt that politics can be divisive, and it is the reason I don’t have certain bumper stickers and buttons or discuss it in certain venues or with certain people. There is a time and a place, however. We know God doesn’t like lukewarm people. Sometimes that does apply to our politics. There is a way to discuss without being unloving.
I guess I don’t find a man sitting beside a checkboard offensive. Am I missing something? I understand why teenagers would not be drawn to it and maybe twenty somethings.
We don’t have any Cracker Barrels near us, either.
Kathaleena – Unless I’ve missed something, I don’t think the man sitting beside the checkerboard was considered offensive. I think they are merely doing an updating, which businesses do now and then. (I’m not fond of those new white walls, though.)
*******
Speaking of updating a business, are any of you in the Midwest familiar with Bill Knapp’s restaurants, which went out of business in the early 2000s?
When I was growing up in Ohio, we often went to a Bill Knapp’s in our area. They had good quality, basic food, and did a good amount of business. (I remember they had bags of donut holes near the cash register, but my parents rarely let us get one.)
At some point (I think I read that it was in the late ’90s), the decision was made to modernize the restaurants with different, “hipper” cuisine and such. At that point, they lost their loyal customers but did not draw in many new customers. They tried to backtrack, but it was too late.
*******
Note: I tend to say that I grew up in Ohio, although I was born in Connecticut. We left Connecticut when I was five, lived in Tennessee for two and a half years, and then we lived in Ohio (Centerville for six years, and Miamisburg for about one and a half) during my prime growing up years, 8 to almost 16. We moved to Wisconsin in December of my sophomore year of high school, and lived there until I was 19, when we moved back to Connecticut, but a different area than my parents had lived before.
There used to be a restaurant named Sambo’s, named after “The Story of Little Black Sambo.” That name eventually was considered not such a good idea! From what I’ve read, at least one restaurant out in California kept the name until several years ago, while others changed theirs. The one that used to be in our area changed its name to Sam’s. I don’t remember when it went out of business.
Janice I hadn’t heard Po Folks in many a year! We loved going there while living in the Carolina’s.
Kizzie my Uncle lived in Miamisburg for a good while.
I worked in the data entry department at Sambos when we moved back to KY for a short while. I processed the orders from the restaurants to be shipped from the warehouse. Sambos was much like a Dennys…
One thing no one has mentioned is that the derogatory term for a black to call a white is a “Cracker.” It is along the same line of using the old long gone from most people’s vocabularies, ‘N’ word. At first I thought they were going to change the name of the restaurant because of that name association. But I suppose whites are the last people to have things get a name change because some white person might take offense.
Way back when my parents first moved to Atlanta, the name of the baseball team was The Atlanta Crackers. It probably referred to the sound a fast moving bat makes when a ball hits it, but more than likely, way back then, the team was all white.
This was interesting to learn, there was a black team known as the “Black Crackers.”
From AI
“The “Atlanta Crackers” refers to a historic minor league baseball team that played in Atlanta from 1901 to 1965. They were a prominent team in the Southern Association, winning 17 league championships, more than any other team in the league. The Crackers played at Ponce de Leon Park, a well-known minor league venue. The team’s history is closely tied to the development of baseball in Atlanta, as they were the city’s primary team before the Atlanta Braves moved to Atlanta in the 1960s. The Crackers also had a Negro league team called the Black Crackers.”
Janice – Don’t worry; the word Cracker in Cracker Barrel refers to the kind of crackers we eat.
~ “Soda crackers used to be shipped to old country stores in large wooden barrels to prevent the crackers from breaking apart during the shipping process.” ~
Yes, I understood the history, but these days people overlook the original context and jump to offense so easily because they have been taught to be triggered by certain words.
Our pastor’s ordained son did the sermon today. He has several times in the past remarked how his dad seems to assign him the toughest passages to preach on. I looked at Art today and said, “He got another tough one.” It was on Sodom and Gomorah. He did another great job on a difficult passage. We have been in Genesis for almost a year now, going all the way through it. It is wonderful to hear a young man (early 30’s) speak with authority guided by the Holy Spirit.
Wandering Views 
The new logo for Cracker Barrel is boring. Companies are showing their fear of actually standing for anything. We have a local restaurant franchise who went from showing local themes to a generic nothing. I would assume this was franchise wide, since I know the owners of their restaurant had no choice. If Cracker Barrel is only doing the change, how does anyone know before they decide to stop at one what they will find? If they prefer one look/merchandise they may just decide to not bother. OTOH, we never stopped going to our local franchise because they changed the decor.
I do, however, seldom, go to our local McDonald’s. I simply cannot abide the interior design. I can stop at another one not far away which has a decent design. The restaurant business is not an easy business. Every little thing matters.
LikeLiked by 4 people
Beautiful morning here! Cooler temps after light rain last night. We watched a fox catch a squirrel then he and the other fox contended for the prey! Fascinating!
Husband and I were discussing how some business owners shoot themselves in the foot in customer service sometimes. A local coffee shoppe insists on playing loud obnoxious music and refuses to lower the sound..,customers like us do not return. A rude waitress can forever seer into the mind of a customer a bad experience so that they will not return. Flagrant political endorsement of woke culture will keep us away. Cracker Barrel hasn’t been a go to place for us but if they go woke we won’t even consider a visit. I have enjoyed their gift shoppe…
LikeLiked by 4 people
Good morning! We are cool at 73° with a high of 78° expected. Cloud cover keeps us in lower temps and a cold front (summer version) is predicted for tomorrow.
We had used Cracker Barrel in the past as a spot to meet my brother for Thanksgiving, but last year we only got breakfast there and then did the hike at a nearby small mountain. We will make other arrangements this year unless there are no other options. I expect they still serve a decent cup of coffee which we could reduce our order to.
I had a thought for a big space restaurant like Cracker Barrel to turn it into an international cuisine place with budding chefs each having a section of the restaurant to design representative of their nation. People might like to go there more frequently to try the various different offerings.
I think Cracker Barrel may be going the way of the enclosed malls. I think people now are more into intimate and unique settings that don’t seem so crowded.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Agree about the new logo.
Hittin’ the low 80s today, bright and sunny.
Aj
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I actually don’t like the food there. Since we don’t have them out west, it’s a moot issue for me.
I, however, met one of the founders of Cracker Barrel in an–as usual crazy–experience while working on a book I never published.
https://www.michelleule.com/2012/05/04/serendipity-and-research/
LikeLiked by 5 people
Oh the adventures you have had M! Great story!!!
LikeLiked by 2 people
In these days of such strong political partisanship, a business that comes across as too liberal will be scorned and boycotted by some on the right, while a business that comes across as too conservative will be scorned and boycotted by some on the left.
LikeLiked by 1 person
And the one who chooses middle of the road loses customers on both sides!
LikeLiked by 2 people
You know, I hire someone to work for me whose politics make me feel sad and sometimes angry at their shrill voice.
This person has lost a lot of work because of their loud posts on FB.
But, I love this individual. This person needs work and does a great job by me.
So, I stay mum, listen, talk about our commonalities, and frankly send a lot of love.
Those of you who know our family’s story with the yoga-based cult, know that one of those family members left it after 50 years.
We’d worked hard to keep, limited, communication open and simply loved them and their family.
Love won.
When they left, they came to us–and we opened our arms wide.
Jesus and the father of the son who prefered to live with swine for awhile, demonstrated the depth that love can and should go.
That’s why I stay silent on politics. No one wins in a “playing field” that divides and shouts slurs at each other.
Jesus never did that.
Indeed, in the last week of his life, while the Pharisees desperately worked to kill him, he continually reached out to them with love and forgiveness.
They saw their power base threatened by Jesus.
And they missed the salvation of their lives–and the world–the free (and very expensive because of them) gift of God.
LikeLiked by 3 people
We had a restaurant named Po’ Folks which was down home Southern cooking, similar to Cracker Barrel. It was really good food. We went there regularily. They changed the name to Folks and made it a bit more stylish inside, but still kept to serving the best iced tea in Mason jars. They had music in sync with the style. At some point they got new all black management at our nearest location.
LikeLiked by 2 people
After that they played music that appealed only to certain blacks and the service was way slow for us. The food was still good, but we no longer felt welcomed there. We quit going. It was not long until it shut down.
Another Folks location, not too far away, seemed also to be under black management. They treated people kindly. We went there for a number of years. I think recently it finally closed.
LikeLiked by 1 person
There is no doubt that politics can be divisive, and it is the reason I don’t have certain bumper stickers and buttons or discuss it in certain venues or with certain people. There is a time and a place, however. We know God doesn’t like lukewarm people. Sometimes that does apply to our politics. There is a way to discuss without being unloving.
I guess I don’t find a man sitting beside a checkboard offensive. Am I missing something? I understand why teenagers would not be drawn to it and maybe twenty somethings.
We don’t have any Cracker Barrels near us, either.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Kathaleena – Unless I’ve missed something, I don’t think the man sitting beside the checkerboard was considered offensive. I think they are merely doing an updating, which businesses do now and then. (I’m not fond of those new white walls, though.)
*******
Speaking of updating a business, are any of you in the Midwest familiar with Bill Knapp’s restaurants, which went out of business in the early 2000s?
When I was growing up in Ohio, we often went to a Bill Knapp’s in our area. They had good quality, basic food, and did a good amount of business. (I remember they had bags of donut holes near the cash register, but my parents rarely let us get one.)
At some point (I think I read that it was in the late ’90s), the decision was made to modernize the restaurants with different, “hipper” cuisine and such. At that point, they lost their loyal customers but did not draw in many new customers. They tried to backtrack, but it was too late.
*******
Note: I tend to say that I grew up in Ohio, although I was born in Connecticut. We left Connecticut when I was five, lived in Tennessee for two and a half years, and then we lived in Ohio (Centerville for six years, and Miamisburg for about one and a half) during my prime growing up years, 8 to almost 16. We moved to Wisconsin in December of my sophomore year of high school, and lived there until I was 19, when we moved back to Connecticut, but a different area than my parents had lived before.
LikeLiked by 3 people
There used to be a restaurant named Sambo’s, named after “The Story of Little Black Sambo.” That name eventually was considered not such a good idea! From what I’ve read, at least one restaurant out in California kept the name until several years ago, while others changed theirs. The one that used to be in our area changed its name to Sam’s. I don’t remember when it went out of business.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Janice I hadn’t heard Po Folks in many a year! We loved going there while living in the Carolina’s.
Kizzie my Uncle lived in Miamisburg for a good while.
I worked in the data entry department at Sambos when we moved back to KY for a short while. I processed the orders from the restaurants to be shipped from the warehouse. Sambos was much like a Dennys…
LikeLiked by 1 person
One thing no one has mentioned is that the derogatory term for a black to call a white is a “Cracker.” It is along the same line of using the old long gone from most people’s vocabularies, ‘N’ word. At first I thought they were going to change the name of the restaurant because of that name association. But I suppose whites are the last people to have things get a name change because some white person might take offense.
Way back when my parents first moved to Atlanta, the name of the baseball team was The Atlanta Crackers. It probably referred to the sound a fast moving bat makes when a ball hits it, but more than likely, way back then, the team was all white.
LikeLike
This was interesting to learn, there was a black team known as the “Black Crackers.”
From AI
“The “Atlanta Crackers” refers to a historic minor league baseball team that played in Atlanta from 1901 to 1965. They were a prominent team in the Southern Association, winning 17 league championships, more than any other team in the league. The Crackers played at Ponce de Leon Park, a well-known minor league venue. The team’s history is closely tied to the development of baseball in Atlanta, as they were the city’s primary team before the Atlanta Braves moved to Atlanta in the 1960s. The Crackers also had a Negro league team called the Black Crackers.”
LikeLike
Janice – Don’t worry; the word Cracker in Cracker Barrel refers to the kind of crackers we eat.
~ “Soda crackers used to be shipped to old country stores in large wooden barrels to prevent the crackers from breaking apart during the shipping process.” ~
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yes, I understood the history, but these days people overlook the original context and jump to offense so easily because they have been taught to be triggered by certain words.
LikeLike
another 100 degree day here. I heard that the mountains got thunderstorms but not here
I started my walk before 8 and it fell cool
jo
LikeLiked by 1 person
Our pastor’s ordained son did the sermon today. He has several times in the past remarked how his dad seems to assign him the toughest passages to preach on. I looked at Art today and said, “He got another tough one.” It was on Sodom and Gomorah. He did another great job on a difficult passage. We have been in Genesis for almost a year now, going all the way through it. It is wonderful to hear a young man (early 30’s) speak with authority guided by the Holy Spirit.
LikeLiked by 1 person