This week’s top stories in Nation’s Restaurant News are Cracker Barrel announces “strategic changes” amid financial woes. Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, a restaurant brand that has struggled with sales and traffic since the COVID-19 pandemic, wants to get back on track. That’s the main objective of new CEO Julie Fels Masino’s new “strategic transformation” of the family-dining brand. After several quarters of declining customer traffic, including a 4% drop in traffic recently, Second quarter Ends Jan 26 — Masino is introducing a five-pillar brand overhaul that includes evolving the brand, enhancing menu, renovating stores, investing in digital and external locations and improving the employee experience.
In other news, Flynn Group announced on Monday that it has acquired Wendco (NZ) Ltd., the sole franchisee of the Wendy’s brand in New Zealand.
San Francisco-based Flynn Group also owns Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar, Taco Bell, Panera Bread, Arby’s, Pizza Hut and Planet Fitness franchises, and Wendco has been operated by the Rendich family since 1988. He said he came.
Also, McDonald’s is encouraging customers to celebrate grandma with its new “Grandma McFlurry,” available for a limited time starting May 21. The McFlurry contains “syrup and crushed candy” mixed into vanilla soft serve ice cream.
See what else is trending this week on NRN.com.
