Here’s the thing: Cracker Barrel has been trying to modernize and appeal to a younger demographic for years. They launched Holler & Dash in 2016 to try to get the Zennial demo and that got folded into their Maple Street Biscuit Company acquisition in 2019.

Oh wow, I'd forgotten about Holler & Dash!

Most people have! I only remember it because a buddy was the kitchen manager at their first location.

Cracker Barrel is struggling because free hotel breakfasts have improved dramatically in the last 20 years.

Yep. CB didn't get rid of Barrel Guy because of wokeness. They got rid of him because he scans as old, and they don't want to be known as an "old people's restaurant." Notice they also got rid of the "Old Country Store" tagline -- same reason. Their gimmick was nostalgia kitsch, and... /1

...there's no longer a market for that. Or rather, the market for nostalgia kitsch is now centered in the 1980s and 90s, not Depression-era rural life. /end