It can be disconcerting when a beloved business changes something fundamental. Imagine McDonald’s without the golden arches, for example. It just wouldn’t be the same.
A Florida woman recently had that experience at a Cracker Barrel. But did the southern chain known for rocking chairs and hashbrown casserole actually change something? Or did she just get it wrong?
Gabby (@gabbylarue78) posted angrily from a Cracker Barrel earlier this week. In her TikTok, she writes, “The basket of biscuits and cornbread are no longer served in the beginning,” along with four angry face emojis.
“Dear CEO: put it back where you freaking found it!!” Gabby adds.
Her post swiftly racked up views. In two days, it’s accrued 367,700 and counting.
People in the comments are, for once, mostly on the corporation’s side. They largely agree that the buttermilk biscuits and cornbread that Gabby counts on to be served as a complimentary appetizer are not, in fact, free.
New CEO takes heat
Cracker Barrel could be fairly described as the original modern farmhouse. The chain features farm equipment on the walls, sells old school rock candy and quilts, and has an overall aesthetic that’s aggressively country.
Now, some are concerned that the familiar hardwood floors and peg game may become a thing of the past. The chain is in the midst of a rebranding. Even the peg game has gotten an update.
It has many, like Gabby, singling out Cracker Barrel CEO Julie Fells Masino, whom the chain hired in 2023.
One of the company’s top investors calls the rebrand “obvious folly,” per Fox Business. The outlet blasted the changes as a move away from Cracker Barrel’s roots and towards “corporate blandness.”
It’s so unpopular—its new text-only logo (no more man in overalls leaning on a barrel) drew industry-wide criticism—that on Monday, Cracker Barrel issued a statement saying in part that it “could’ve done a better job sharing who we are.”
The attention Cracker Barrel has attracted with its rebrand may be why Gabby’s post about the supposed complimentary bread struck a nerve.
All about the biscuits
The Mandela effect is shorthand for a collective delusion in which people misremember events, facts, or the like.
The claim that Cracker Barrel has always hustled out free cornbread and buttermilk biscuits may be an example.
“Every location I’ve ever been to has brought out a basket of biskits and cornbread with butter and jelly when they brought the drinks. Never had to ask and always refilled when they refilled drinks,” a TikToker named Jennifer wrote.
Someone with the screen name Lee Lee added, “Yes. This all of this.”
These appear to be in the minority, however. Many, including a slew of self-identified longtime Cracker Barrel employees, insist that there have never been complimentary biscuits and cornbread. They insist that bringing it out is a discretionary move by whoever served Gabby.
“Never has been served first, depends on the server and store, we can only bring them out if it comes with your meal,” wrote one.
Another who said they’ve worked at Cracker Barrel for over a decade chimed in, “Bread was NEVER supposed to be served before the meal unless requested by the guest. Not every meal comes with biscuits and/or cornbread; but you can always add them on.”
Customers also came to the chain’s defense.
“When have they gave you biscuits and cornbread when you sit down? I’ve never gotten that in the 30 plus years I’ve been going,” a woman named Amy wondered.
Gabby, who did not respond to a direct message sent via TikTok, may now know that Cracker Barrel doesn’t serve complimentary bread as an appetizer. But she’s still raging at the brand.
Two days ago, she posted a video of a rooster perched on one of the rocking chairs outside. “Even the chickens are fed up with the changes,” she wrote.
@gabbylarue78 #crackerbarrel @Cracker Barrel ♬ original sound – gabbylarue78
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