Cracker Barrel 2005 Annual Report Download - page 8

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It is our job to adapt to changing conditions, and
while we don’t see this affecting our underlying
strategy, we are focusing on what we can control,
delivering a great experience to our guests day in
and day out.
WE’RE IN THIS FOR THE LONG HAUL
As veterans of the restaurant industry, our manage-
ment teams are no strangers to “economic shocks.”
Our priority is to sustain and improve our unique
and profitable concepts.
After 35 years, it’s gratifying to know that our
guests continue to see Cracker Barrel as something
very special. For the 15th year in a row, Cracker Barrel
was named “Best Family Dining Chain in America”
by Restaurants and Institutions magazine’s annual
“Choice in Chains” consumer survey. The rating
categories are there for all to see, such as Food Quality,
Menu Variety, Value and Service. However, the
one attribute with the highest score was “Good
Reputation.” We take great pride in our ability to
achieve this year after year. This is what supports the
strength of our brand. Our people are what make
this possible. Keeping our brand strong and relevant
is a way of life at Cracker Barrel. In fiscal 2005
we began our seasonal menu promotions, with new
stand-alone menus for five seasonal periods (the
holidays, winter, spring, summer and fall) featuring
limited-time offers not yet found on the regular
menus. We’ve learned a lot from these specials, both
how to execute them more effectively and how our
guests respond to new and different products, and
we see this as part of an ongoing focus on keeping
our Cracker Barrel brand strong for many more years.
At Logan’s Roadhouse we are very focused on
brand differentiation. Under the leadership of
President Tom Vogel, we’re building the team and
the initiatives to make Logan’s The Real American
RoadhouseSM . In fiscal 2005, our Vice President of
Menu and Culinary Innovation, Stephen Anderson,
garnered the MenuMasters Award from Nation’s
Restaurant News for the best menu revamp. Steve’s
initial focus was on appetizers, and we recently
introduced his second major menu change with more
exciting new products. Logan’s developed and
tested its new media strategy in fiscal 2005, and in
the first quarter of fiscal 2006, we began running
television and radio advertising affecting almost half
of the company-operated stores. Rob Effner, our
Senior Vice President of Development and Operations
Innovation, led the effort to develop a new
prototype building for Logan’s, the first of which has
just opened in fiscal 2006 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Over 1,800 people applied for positions at the new
restaurant as word of mouth apparently got a
lot of people talking about how “cool” the new
prototype was.
So, uncertainty may be running at an elevated
level in the short run, but we’re in it for the long
haul, and our management teams are doing every-
thing they can to maintain our success over the
long run.