We thought you’d like to read this article about what Cracker Barrel is doing to try and increase their bottom line through their catering business and an improved in-store experience.
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store said it is looking to bolster its in-restaurant experience, add new menu items, and push holiday catering in an effort to offset ongoing traffic declines.
Their first quarter ended Nov. 2, and traffic was down 1.6 percent. Same-store sales were up 1.4 percent in the period, driven by a menu price increase. Average checks were up 3 percent for the period. Comparable retail sales were up 4.3 percent.
Cracker Barrel aims to improve traffic with better guest experiences, menu innovation, strong value proposition, and will focus on growing its catering business.
They plan to improve guest experiences through new management training and concentrating on server attentiveness.
A new menu item will include bone-in fried chicken by next summer. The product is well-suited for off-premise catering.
Other menu innovations included new items like the “Daily Delights” menu featuring such dishes as biscuit French toast, biscuit pot pie, and buttermilk biscuit beignets.
Total revenue for the first quarter of 2019 increased 3.3%.
Net income for the quarter was $47.2 million, or $1.96 per share, up from $46.4 million, or $1.92 per share, in the same period a year earlier.
Cracker Barrel opened three new stores in the quarter and as of Nov 2. had 663 units nationwide, up from 651 at the same time last year.