) An integral part of the initial growth and success of Cracker Barrel is their location. Cracker Barrel restaurants are located mostly on major highways and interstates. Because of their location, they were not only able to constantly pull in tourists and travelers, but also appeal to the local markets. .
An additional feature of being located on the major interstates was to offer retail merchandise to travelers in their gift shops. The retail gift shops sold souvenirs specific to the region of where the Cracker Barrel was located and contributed to generating 25% of Cracker Barrel's revenue.
Cracker Barrel has an "old country" nostalgic feel which remains constant throughout all their stores across the country. Creating the right atmosphere is almost as important as serving the right food for Cracker Barrel. From the wording of menus, how the staff dresses, to store the decorations all create a relaxed atmosphere. .
The old country style appeals mostly to an older generation, ages 55 and up. This older generation is not only one of the largest consumer markets; but is also one of the fastest growing markets. I consider a majority of their business is from this older generation, all of whom are also repeat customers. This demographic characteristic has played an important role in the growth of Cracker Barrel. Cracker Barrel's old country appeal and home-style meals as lead to generation after generation of customer satisfaction. .
b.) The same characteristics that helped the initial growth of Cracker Barrel, also constrained their growth. Because Cracker Barrel saturated the interstates and highways, Cracker Barrel had to slowly migrate more towards the local markets. This migration to the local markets is much slower, has to be well planned, and requires more research on the market area before a new site will be considered.
After the initial release of the Cracker Barrel stores, management recognized the need to adopt some features of the menu to include the localities" preferences.
