Cracker Barrel Replaces CEO Julie Masino After Rebranding Backlash and Sales Volatility
Former Bloomin' Brands chief David Deno will step into the lead role following a rocky year of modernizing attempts at the country-themed chain.
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Inc. is undergoing another top leadership transition, replacing Chief Executive Officer Julie Masino following a tumultuous period marked by a high-profile rebranding backlash, fluctuating sales, and strategic pivots aimed at modernizing the legacy restaurant chain.
The company announced Monday that Masino will step down from her executive role on Aug. 10, though she will remain with the organization in an advisory capacity through Oct. 9 to assist with the transition. David Deno, former chief executive of Outback Steakhouse parent Bloomin’ Brands, will take over as CEO on Aug. 10.
Deno brings deep casual dining and corporate leadership experience to the Tennessee-based company, having led Bloomin’ Brands from 2019 until his retirement earlier in 2024. His background also includes senior executive appointments at Best Buy and Yum Brands, the parent company behind global fast-food chains including KFC and Taco Bell.
Masino, a former executive at Taco Bell and Starbucks, was brought in by Cracker Barrel in July 2023 with a mandate to revitalize the brand and attract a younger demographic. Headquartered in Lebanon, Tennessee, the company operates nearly 660 locations across 43 states, long recognized for its roadside gift shops, dark wood interiors, and traditional Southern comfort food.
Her tenure was quickly defined by an ambitious turnaround strategy designed to lift lagging dinnertime foot traffic. Masino introduced novel menu concepts, including Hashbrown Casserole Shepherd’s Pie, and launched an extensive restaurant remodeling initiative aimed at replacing dark wood walls with brighter paint and installing updated seating.
However, the modernization efforts hit a major roadblock last August when the company revealed plans to retire its iconic logo, which depicted a man in overalls named Uncle Herschel leaning against a wooden barrel alongside the phrase “Old Country Store.” Management argued that a streamlined design would offer better visibility on highway billboards and digital mobile applications while promising that Uncle Herschel would remain featured on store merchandise and menus.
The announcement triggered swift resistance from loyal patrons who viewed the overhaul as an erosion of the chain’s heritage. The controversy expanded beyond the brand’s core customer base when former President Donald Trump commented on Truth Social, urging Cracker Barrel to restore its original logo and heed customer feedback.
Although Masino abandoned the logo redesign within days, the brand turbulence coincided with severe financial friction. Same-store restaurant sales fell 5% last fall and plummeted 7% in the quarter ending Jan. 30, 2026. Sales at the retail stores attached to the restaurants experienced even steeper declines during the same period.
To stabilize core operations and streamline corporate resources, Masino orchestrated the divestiture of Maple Street Biscuit Co., a breakfast chain Cracker Barrel purchased in 2019 that had grown to 50 locations across the United States. Shareholders also signaled support in November by voting to retain Masino as CEO as turnaround initiatives progressed.
More recent financial metrics suggested the strategy was beginning to yield results. For the quarter ending May 1, same-store restaurant sales contraction slowed to 2.6%, prompting executive leadership to raise full-year revenue and profit guidance for the company.
The timing of the leadership switch caught Wall Street observers off guard. In a note to clients on Monday, Citi analyst Jon Tower described Masino’s departure as unexpected given the recent trajectory of operational stabilization.
Cracker Barrel shares traded down 2.7% following the announcement in early afternoon market action.
