Cracker Barrel brought back the old logo and calmed the pearl-clutchers. But let’s not get distracted. A rebrand won’t fix long wait times, food inconsistency, or a pricing perception gap. In this episode, I break down the real reasons Cracker Barrel is losing relevance—and what it needs to do to get back in the game.

We’re talking guest expectations by age group, the myth of the logo fix, and why value and speed are the critical pressure points for restaurant brands today. If you’re in restaurant leadership, strategy, or branding, this one’s for you.

Timestamps:

00:00 - The nostalgia bait-and-switch

01:35 - Why the rebrand happened in the first place

03:10 - What each generation really wants from Cracker Barrel

06:45 - Value and speed: the red thread

08:20 - Why logos don’t fix operational problems

10:05 - What Cracker Barrel needs to do next

12:30 - Your move: how restaurant brands can learn from this

Listen, like, and share if you’re building brands that actually matter.

Follow for bold takes on restaurant branding, business strategy, and leadership.

Out-of-the-box tech systems help restaurants launch fast. Online ordering, loyalty, location pages—they’re quick, functional, and affordable. But they’re not built to carry you forever.

In this episode, Joseph Szala unpacks the lifecycle of restaurant tech adoption:

• Why out-of-the-box solutions are the right move early on

• The tradeoffs every brand eventually faces

• The $5M sales inflection point where custom experiences become critical

• How to unify your digital experience to reduce friction, maximize pull-through, and build stronger guest relationships

If you’re leading a multi-unit brand or pushing digital transformation in restaurants, this episode will give you clarity on when to optimize, not just operate.

McDonald’s new DoorDash-powered ordering flow works like a charm… but not for brand building. I break down the experience in real time, calling out what’s smooth, what’s broken, and what it teaches every multiunit restaurant leader about protecting your brand in the age of tech partnerships.