The embattled CEO of Cracker Barrel has been accused by workers of slashing their hours and reducing food quality, as she faces calls for her resignation over a disastrous rebranding effort. The chain debuted a new logo for the first time in 48 years, sparking outrage among customers and wiping millions off the company stock price in the process. President and CEO Julie Masino, who earns a whopping $1 million a year, has become a target for those outraged over the change. Staff have vented over what they describe as poor management by airing their grievances on the employment review site Glass Door. One crew member posted, “We are making less pay for more work when we are understaffed because you suck at bringing this dead company from its grave.” Another posted, “Stop lowering your food quality. No, it’s NOT a good idea to force your cooks to serve bacon that’s over a day old. Bacon shouldn’t be saved overnight, believe it or not.” Yet another poster wrote, “There is nothing that makes the new Cracker Barrel any different from every other below-average restaurant chain.” Even the president’s son, Don Jr., took to social media demanding to know, “WTF is wrong with Cracker Barrel?” Customers have begun to boycott the famed restaurant, an action that’s almost guaranteed to send the stock plummeting even further. Masino went on Good Morning America to defend the remodel: “People like what we’re doing. Cracker Barrel needs to feel like the Cracker Barrel for today and for tomorrow.” One angered social media user slammed her remarks on GMA as being “delusional” and saying, “Julie Masino has destroyed the brand.” Executives of the brand are now beginning to rethink their decision to put Masino in charge. All longtime customers can do is wait for them to come to their senses and put everything back the way it was.
