Cracker Barrel's modern makeover leaves diners divided
A Cracker Barrel Old Country Store sign is seen outside one of the chain’s locations, as the company undergoes a controversial redesign aimed at modernizing its restaurants. (Photo by Tim Boyle/Getty Images)
At Cracker Barrel, the country store feel is getting a facelift—and fans are feeling emotional about it.
The Tennessee-based restaurant chain has started swapping its signature dark wood interiors, walls packed with vintage antiques, and front-porch rocking chairs for a cleaner, more modern look. While executives say the redesign helps the brand stay relevant, many customers say it’s erasing the cozy, nostalgic atmosphere that defined the Cracker Barrel experience for generations.
Why is Cracker Barrel updating its restaurant design?
The backstory:
Cracker Barrel announced its remodeling plans in 2023, after CEO Julie Felss Masino acknowledged that the chain was "just not as relevant" as it used to be.
As of May 2025, about 40 of its 660+ locations had completed some form of redesign, according to The Wall Street Journal. The new look includes crisp white walls, streamlined booths, and simpler floor plans to improve lighting and traffic flow.
A Cracker Barrel spokesperson told the New York Post the updates are "inspired by the voices of both our guests and team members," and aim to make restaurants "brighter and even more inviting," while still preserving "country hospitality and charm."
How are customers reacting to the changes?
What they're saying:
Longtime customer Sharon Triana, who grew up visiting Cracker Barrel with her parents and now goes with her own family, said the new design feels colder.
"It has always felt like being in someone’s home," Triana told The Wall Street Journal. "But opening the walls, lighter colors and atmosphere, it feels like something colder."
Rachel Love, whose TikToks mourning the renovations went viral, said she was "heartbroken" when she realized the changes were permanent.
"My 14-year-old son was devastated," she told the Journal, after noticing white paint outside and fewer antiques inside during a visit on Easter.
But not everyone is upset. D.T., an employee at a Cracker Barrel in North Carolina, told the Journal that the brighter lighting makes the menu easier to read and the simplified décor is easier to clean.
Julie Bidtah, a frequent Cracker Barrel diner in Colorado, said the old look felt "cluttered" and "dusty," though she acknowledged there’s a line the chain shouldn’t cross.
"Your name is Cracker Barrel, so you’re kind of stuck with the whole nostalgia thing," Bidtah said.
CEO Felss Masino defended the renovations as part of a natural evolution for a brand rooted in Americana.
"It’s because people have an emotional connection with the brand," she said. "People’s immediate reaction to things is like, ‘Oh this isn’t the way it was,’" but they tend to come around.
What’s next for Cracker Barrel’s redesign rollout?
Dig deeper:
Cracker Barrel hasn’t announced how quickly all restaurants will be remodeled, but the redesign effort is already underway:
- Roughly 40 locations have completed updates as of spring 2025.
- The redesigns feature brighter lighting, fewer antiques, and more open dining rooms.
- Some porch rocking chairs have been replaced with Adirondack-style seating.
The company says many décor items are being reused or sold to a third party, with speculation that some are being stored at its Lebanon, Tennessee headquarters.
The Source: This article is based on reporting from The Wall Street Journal and The New York Post, which interviewed Cracker Barrel executives, longtime customers, employees, and social media users reacting to the changes. Direct quotes and factual updates were drawn from both outlets’ coverage in June 2025.