Cracker Barrel 2008 Annual Report Download - page 8

2) there’s an engaged employee who’s creatingthe
experience; and3)there is a clean environment and hotfood.
Another survey, by W Ratings,an independent
competitive research firm, ranked Cracker Barrel in the
top ten of the most competitive companies among
US consumers. W Ratings identifies the best-performing
companies through a patented method that blends
financialdata with quantitative consumer interview data
to measurea company’s ability to achieve higher
economic profit than its competitors and sustain the
competitive advantagethrough barriers to entry.
Cracker Barrel was tied with globally-recognized brands
Heineken and Nokia for tenth place.
For the 18th consecutive year, we continued our run
as the “Best Family Dining Chain”by Restaurants &
Institutions magazine. For the seventh consecutive year,
Cracker Barrel was rated as the most RV-friendly
sit-down restaurant in America. In addition, we ranked
fourth in Fortune’s Most AdmiredCompanyfood service
classification, behindStarbucks,McDonald’s andYum!
Brands.Once again, we were ranked first amongfull-
service restaurants and second overall in the quality of
products and services.
There’s a saying that “Your mission is what you
measure.” Any way you measureit, we have a strongbrand,
onewhich forms thecornerstoneof our mission of
“pleasingpeople” and our goal of generatingpremium
returnsforour shareholders.
OUR PEOPLE MAKE IT HAPPEN EVERY DAY
We love our loyal guests. We also know that loyalty cannot
be taken for granted. Every time a guest visits a Cracker
Barrel we want to provide a great experience.Our people
make it happen every day,andwe believe that we have
a unique advantage in attractingandretaining top-caliber
employees.By providinge-learning for every position
through the Personal Achievement Responsibility (PAR)
system, each employee has the opportunity to advance
through four skill levels with an associated increase in pay
andbenefits. The skills training provided through our PAR
System translates into a higher level of customer service
and greater customer satisfaction. And our diversity
training programs ensure that our employees understand
that they have the rightto be treated with the same
respect and dignity as our guests.
Keepingour people productive is of course important,
but the real benefit comes from keepingour best
employees with us over a longerperiod of time. Having
well-trained,experienced employees in the restaurants and
retail shops greatly improves the overall guest experience.
We made good progress in reducingturnover in 2008
andwill continue with that focus in 2009. The“RisingStar”
program, which we introduced in 2007, has helped reduce
hourly employee turnover to below 100 percent, which is
remarkable in the restaurant industry.Our management
turnover is below 20 percent–anothermeasureof our focus
on refining job responsibilities in orderto provide our
guests with the absolutely best dining experience.Reduced
employee turnover initiates a positive chain reaction
that results in higher guest satisfaction, increased
productivity throughout thestore, and lower costs for
training and hiring.
Leadingthecharge every day is a network of executives
andstoremanagers whotogether are accountable for