As Cracker Barrel Old Country Store celebrates its 40th anniversary, Michael Woodhouse attributes the brand’s longevity to its unwavering consistency and great homestyle food and service. The 588-unit family-dining chain last year had foodservice revenues of more than $1.87 billion, according to Nation’s Restaurant News’ most recent Top 100 survey. Woodhouse, president, chief executive and chairman of the Lebanon, Tenn.-based concept, says it’s his intention to raise the bar on such performance by continuing to deliver the value and quality guests expect.
Why is this anniversary particularly memorable?
What’s really important is that although 40 years is a long time, we’ve been working really hard over the last few years to take the brand and figure out not how to just keep it alive, but keep it alive for the next 40 years. Right now we want to celebrate our achievements and the power of the brand.
To what do you attribute that success?
Consistency. We deliver what the guest expects. We did some research about two or three years ago and found that Starbucks was the only other company besides us that over-delivered against customer expectation.
What do you think is the reason for that?
FAST FACTS
HOMETOWN: Jarrow, EnglandAGE: 64EDUCATION: Queens’ College in Cambridge, EnglandHOBBIES: reading, cooking and gardeningCAREER HIGHLIGHTS: learning the restaurant business from Norman Brinker and other Steak & Ale luminaries such as Chris Sullivan and Ron McDougall; working with Larry Lavine, who founded Chili’s, at Tia’s, and being given the opportunity at Cracker Barrel by Danny Evins.
We understand what they’re looking for. We don’t create something and then tell them why they should like it. Then there’s honest value. Obviously, it has to be affordable, but we also want to create great quality at both the restaurant and retail ends. It centers around trust; what you see is what you get from us. We’re never going to surprise our guests in a negative way, never going to have anything but an open, honest presentation of ourselves.
What do you think is the reason for this brand’s success, particularly when others are having so many troubles during this recession?
What happens in a recession is that the customer has less money to spend so he or she is more careful when they do spend it, more careful at getting the best deal. Now that’s not necessarily the cheapest or a buy-one-get-one, but it’s the best deal in terms of great food, great quality and great service. They know we’re not going to change things on them. We haven’t downgraded anything we serve on the plate. In 40 years we’ve never had to discount [our prices]. And during this recession, we’re running better guest traffic than most of the rest of the industry.
How does the brand stay relevant, especially after so many years?
For example, with the 40th anniversary we’re trying to extend the brand. With our new menu promotion we’re looking back at some of our traditional offerings, but at the same time we’re also going to a little bit of a different place. We’re offering some healthier items—yogurt, granola and fruit—and working on salads that taste great. We want to be relevant, but also stay true to what our guests expect from us.