Cracker Barrel Makes Major Leadership Move After Disastrous Rebrand Backlash
Cracker Barrel just made the leadership move many of its longtime customers saw coming.
Julie Felss Masino is stepping down as chief executive after nearly three years at the helm and one year after the restaurant chain’s disastrous modernization push became a national punchline.
The company is bringing in an experienced restaurant operator to take over. The timing speaks for itself, even if Cracker Barrel’s formal announcement uses the polished language of corporate succession.
Polymarket captured the breaking development shortly after it became public:
The company’s filing with the SEC and its formal announcement from Cracker Barrel put the transition dates and terms in black and white.
Masino will step down as CEO and resign from the board on August 10. She will remain an employee in an advisory capacity through October 9 to help with the transition, and the filing says her board resignation is not the result of a disagreement with the company.
David Deno will become CEO and join the board on the same August date. Deno, 69, led Bloomin’ Brands from 2019 to 2024 after serving as that company’s chief financial and administrative officer.
His resume also includes senior operating and financial roles at Yum Brands, Pizza Hut, Best Buy, and Burger King. He currently sits on the boards of Krispy Kreme and Panera Brands, giving Cracker Barrel a veteran operator with more than four decades in restaurants and retail.
Cracker Barrel says the board selected Deno after a comprehensive search process. Its filing presents the change as succession planning and says Masino’s board resignation did not stem from a disagreement.