Cracker Barrel 2008 Annual Report Download - page 11

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Ricky Skaggs. Whether you like songs from yesteryear
or today’s newhits,there is no mistakingthe country feel
when you walk through our frontdoor and give a listen.
Corporate social responsibility is a way of life at Cracker
Barrel Old Country Store® .Itbeginsat the top with our board
of directors, who, except for myself, are all independent
boardmembers.Our Board’s Public Responsibility Committee
is actively involved in reviewing our corporate citizenship
policies and activities to make sure that we carry out our
mission of “pleasing people,” both inside and outside the
four walls of our stores.Our executive team members,who
have an averagetenure of 23 years in the restaurant
industry, concern themselves not only with creating value
forshareholders but with socially responsible activities
in the communities and with the guests that we serve.
For example,we’refocusingmore on health and the
environment. In 2008, we successfully eliminated artificial
trans-fats from our food without affecting the quality
or taste. All of our new locationsarenon-smoking. On the
“green” front, we continue to look at ways to reduce the
energy usage in our locations, not only as a way to reduce
our costs, but to manage our carbon footprint.
We’ve madeeducationand diversity strategicpriorities.
For example,we expanded the focus of the CrackerBarrel
Old Country Store Foundation to evaluate opportunities in
all 41 states in which our stores arelocated.Notonly do
we provide scholarship opportunities each year for our
employees and their children, we also fund scholarships at
Spelman Collegein Atlanta as part of the Cracker Barrel
Endowed Heritage Scholars program andat Fisk University
in Nashville.Thesponsorship of the“Women of Color
StudentLeadership Conference” at Spelman College and the
TomJoyner Family Reunion®as well as participation
in the Women’s Foodservice Forum and the Multicultural
Foodservice & Hospitality Alliance aremore examples of
howwe are building relationships with those organizations
havinga commitmentto diversity and inclusion.
In closing, as we look toward our 40th anniversary,
we recognize that we face significant challenges. Our game
plan is to build on our brandstrength and execute our
operational initiatives to generate higher restaurant and
retail sales. Achieving higher profit marginson each
sales dollar will largely depend on our ability to manage
our costs. Most important, we cannot lose the energy
and excitement of our 65,000 dedicated employees who
serve our guests everyday.
Sincerely,
Michael A. Woodhouse
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer