Cracker Barrel联合创始人Tommy Lowe近日公开批评公司现任CEO Julie Felss Masino，认为她对公司根源和忠实顾客群体的理解不足。Lowe指出，Masino的改革方向与Cracker Barrel的南方乡村主题和顾客期望相悖，并质疑公司董事会未能有效纠正这一方向。他尤其对公司耗资巨大的品牌重塑和标识更改表示不满，认为这些举措未能带来价值，反而引发了顾客和投资者的强烈反对，并导致公司市值大幅下跌。Lowe强调，若由他负责，将聚焦于公司基础运营，聘请熟悉业务和食物的专业人士，并确保食物的品质和顾客体验。

⭐ Cracker Barrel联合创始人Tommy Lowe认为现任CEO Julie Felss Masino对公司核心价值和顾客需求理解不足，其推行的改革措施与品牌定位不符。Lowe批评Masino缺乏对Cracker Barrel历史、食物和顾客群体的深入了解，并以“Taco Bell不是Cracker Barrel”为例，强调了不同餐饮品牌的独特性，暗示CEO的背景可能不适合管理Cracker Barrel。

📉 Lowe对公司近期的品牌重塑计划，特别是耗资7亿美元的全面改革和标志性“Old Timer”标识的更换表示强烈反对。他认为这是一笔巨大的浪费，并指出此次重塑引发了顾客和投资者的强烈抵制，导致公司市值蒸发超过1.4亿美元，甚至引起了前总统特朗普的关注，敦促公司回归初心。

🛠️ Lowe强调了回归公司基本面的重要性，并表示如果他来领导，将专注于聘请真正了解Cracker Barrel业务和食物的专业人士。他特别提到了食物的品质和温度（如冷掉的粗麦粉和乡村蔬菜），以及员工培训的重要性，认为这是确保顾客满意度的关键要素。

🏛️ Lowe还将部分责任归咎于公司董事会，认为他们未能有效监督和纠正公司的发展方向。他质疑董事会成员是否真正了解Cracker Barrel的厨房运作和客户群体，并表示如果董事会尽职尽责，早已应该进行人事调整。

Cracker Barrel co-founder Tommy Lowe is speaking out against the company’s current leadership, accusing its CEO of being out of touch with the Southern-country themed chain’s loyal customer base.

In an interview with FOX Business, Lowe, 93, criticized Julie Felss Masino — who previously served as president of Taco Bell and Mattel before taking over as CEO in 2023 — for pushing changes he believes run counter to the restaurant’s roots.

"Taco Bell is not Cracker Barrel," Lowe told FOX Business. "… She knows very little about Cracker Barrel's operation — the history, the food. The idea she's come up with … doesn't fit the customer. If she'd go out and sit on the front porch and talk to all the customers that come in there, she'd have a little bit of a different outlook."

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Lowe, who helped launch the first Cracker Barrel with Dan Evins in 1969, argued that the company’s board of directors is equally responsible for what he sees as a misstep in direction.

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"I doubt that they've ever been in a Cracker Barrel kitchen or have an idea of what their clientele is," Lowe said. "And the board is evidently still supporting her … And if they were any kind of board of directors, they'd have cleaned house a long time ago."

Lowe praised Cracker Barrel’s recent decision to return to its original logo, which features the iconic "Old Timer" leaning on a barrel.

"That's just the biggest waste of money in the world," he said. "… They were talking about $700 million for their redo, and it was worth nothing."

The logo change, unveiled in August, dropped the iconic man-and-barrel illustration that symbolized the brand’s Southern hospitality for more than five decades. The rebranding was part of a $700 million overhaul across the company’s 660-plus restaurants, which also included a revamped menu and decluttered dining rooms.

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However, the move sparked fierce backlash among customers and investors alike, wiping more than $140 million off Cracker Barrel’s market value at the height of the controversy. President Donald Trump even weighed in, urging the chain to return to its roots.

If he were in charge today, Lowe said he would focus on fundamentals.

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"I'd bring somebody in there that knew how to run a Cracker Barrel," he said. "… I'd bring on somebody that was familiar with the business and the food. … Do you ever try to eat grits cold or any kind of country vegetables? It's got to be piping hot, and they're just not training the people."

Cracker Barrel did not immediately respond to FOX Business' request for comment.