Liputan6.com, Jakarta - American restaurant giant Cracker Barrel will implement a significant new policy for its employees traveling on business, effective February 2026, which requires employees to consume most or all of their meals at Cracker Barrel restaurants during work trips.
This move is part of a broader company initiative to reduce expenses amid challenging financial conditions, specially aimed at corporate staff, trainers, and managers traveling for work-related reasons.
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According to the memo, obtained by the Wall Street Journal, “employees are expected to dine at a Cracker Barrel store for all or the majority of meals while traveling, whenever practical based on location and schedule.”
Cracker Barrel expects its employees to comply with this policy "whenever practical based on location and schedule."
If there is no Cracker Barrel restaurant near the travel location or the work schedule does not permit, an implied exception may be made.
New Policy for Cracker Barrel Employees
Cracker Barrel's new policy explicitly states that employees traveling on business are expected to eat at Cracker Barrel restaurants for all or most of their meals.
This rule applies to all company personnel traveling for work, including corporate staff, trainers, and managers.
In January 2026, an internal memo was released outlining these requirements, as part of a budget-saving effort following the previous year's rebranding issues.
In addition to meal rules, the revised guidelines also tighten the reimbursement of alcohol purchases.
Employees are now required to obtain prior authorization from senior management for any alcohol reimbursement.
In general, alcohol purchases during business travel are not reimbursable unless the employee pays for it themselves or receives specific and explicit approval from senior executives for specific events.
Background and Purpose of Cracker Barrel's Efficiency
These efficiency measures are part of a broader company initiative to significantly cut expenses after several business challenges, including declining customer numbers and slowing revenue growth.
The primary goal is to reduce costs associated with employee travel and entertainment expenses, which are considered areas for optimization.
In January 2026, the company issued a memo requiring employees to only dine at Cracker Barrel restaurants when traveling for work-related reasons.
According to critics, Cracker Barrel CEO Julie Masino faced intense scrutiny at the time for her role in turning the company into Woke.
The Impact of Failed Rebranding
The cost-cutting memo comes after Cracker Barrel came under national criticism for trying to change its restaurant image in 2025.
The rebranding included a new logo and ambitious plans to modernize restaurant interiors.
However, the rebranding and accompanying menu changes sparked significant disapproval from loyal customers.
This resulted in a $94 million loss in market value and forced the company to ultimately abandon the proposed changes.
This new policy also comes at a time when the company is facing layoffs and declining sales, signaling a difficult period for Cracker Barrel.