Ootl, what happened?

I’m addition to removing the cartoon old man and barrel iconography, Cracker Barrel is reducing the amount of random junk on the walls, and painting the bare wooden walls white. (Select stores only, not everything gets remodeled all at once). Probably they’re trying to appeal more to a younger generation or something.

Any word yet if this is private equity stripping the copper or are they just morons?

It’s a publicly traded company, so no, this isn’t private equity bleeding a corpse. They seem to be trying to modernize and broaden their appeal to get out of an extended post-covid slump. Per Wikipedia:

In May 2024, Cracker Barrel revealed that 16% of their customer base had not returned since 2020.