All kinds of chain restaurants have undergone massive overhauls by way of redesigns, from Wendy’s losing its sunrooms to Whataburger dropping its iconic A-frame shape. The latest company to implement one of these big redesigns is Cracker Barrel, and though the changes have been rolling out to restaurants over the last year, San Antonio’s five area locations appear untouched — for now.
You might be wondering, how and why would anyone change the way Cracker Barrel looks? The long-kept aesthetic certainly is stamped in the minds of folks who frequent the chain of old country stores. But the updated look, which tempers some of the restaurant’s nostalgic kitsch, stems from a strategic plan Cracker Barrel announced in May 2024. In that plan, the company revealed it would be evolving the customer experience with new store designs and an overhaul of the vibes.
“The company is in the process of testing remodel prototypes and expects to complete 25-30 remodels in fiscal 2025,” the company wrote in its plan at the time.
The redesigns are essentially updates to what already exists, with a cleaner grey paint job and more utilitarian tables, chairs and fixtures in lieu of rustic wood. Random wall fixtures remain integral to the dining rooms, albeit in a less gaudy sort of way.
MySA can confirm that none of San Antonio’s locations have undergone these strategic changes so far, based on recent customer photos and phone calls to the restaurant’s locations in the area. We’ve also reached out to the company directly to ask if the Alamo City Cracker Barrels will receive makeovers any time soon. As of May, only about 40 out of 660 Cracker Barrels have gotten the redesign treatment, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.
On social media, people are having a strong reaction to the new look. TikToker rachelallthelove posted a video of a redesigned Cracker Barrel in April, which received more than two million views. Comments on the TikTok were almost unanimously negative.
“‘Old Country Store’ was kind of the whole point of theme,” one TikTok comment read, while another stated, “Corporate minimalism strikes again.”
See the video for yourself to decide if you’d prefer the old Cracker Barrel look and feel over the new one.