Alcohol has been added to the menu at select Cracker Barrel Old Country Store locations as the chain works to reopen dine-in service at more of its 664 locations.
“It was surprising to me how popular they are,” CEO Sandy Cochran told Restaurant Business while discussing the alcoholic drinks menu now served at 20 Florida Cracker Barrels. The menu reportedly includes beer, wine, cider and two flavors of mimosa, orange and strawberry.
The Southern-inspired eateries have long been known for their family-friendly atmosphere – part of which included a dry menu.
An unnamed representative from the company told Food and Wine, “The results of this test thus far have been overwhelmingly positive, and so we have decided to expand the test in different markets in Florida, Tennessee, and Kentucky. We have not determined timing for the next states and markets where we will expand the pilot.”
Booze isn’t the only new addition to the coronavirus-era Cracker Barrel roll out – the company is launching a digital store where customers can order retail items.
Cochran said the food menu will also be smaller and simpler so “it better highlights our signature offerings and abundance, value and variety.”
CFO Jill Golder said 505 of the 664 branches have resumed dine-in service with the rest expected to follow by the end of June.