Lessons from Cracker Barrel

Lessons from Cracker Barrel

Cracker Barrel has a special place in my heart. Strategically placed along the nation's busy interstates, Cracker Barrel restaurants were a safe choice among many suspect and questionable diners that dotted the roadsides during family road trips. The food was quality, the staff was friendly, and the peg game provided hours of fun. I spent many hours in those restaurants staring at walls adorned with an assortment of antique signs and tchotchkes, drinking root beer from a frosted glass, and rocking to and fro on the front porch.

For as long as I can remember, Cracker Barrels looked the same, smelled the same, and felt the same. The only change to that formula I can recall is when they did away with the smoking section. But the post-COVID economy and skyrocketing costs have prompted Cracker Barrel to rethink their brand and introduce some radical changes. The funky wall decor is being replaced with sterile gray tones and symmetrical wall art. The iconic logo of an old-timer, Mr. Herschel, resting against the eponymous barrel has been reduced to plain brown words on a bland yellow backdrop. Loyal fans and traditionalists revolted, leading to a backlash so strong that Cracker Barrel reversed course. But this raises an interesting question: are the change-agents right and the traditionalists too resistant to change, or are the modernizers wrong and the old guard vindicated in defending what made the restaurant special in the first place?

A similar question also plays out in churches across America. There's often tension between tradition and the way things have "always" been done, and a desire to revisit our assumptions and try different approaches. On one hand, we risk getting too comfortable with what we know and placing limits on ourselves that shouldn't be there. On the other hand, it's foolish to dismiss the way things are because there could be very good reasons behind those methods. G.K. Chesterton put it this way:

"There exists in such a case a certain institution or law; let us say, for the sake of simplicity, a fence or gate erected across a road. The more modern type of reformer goes gaily up to it and says, 'I don't see the use of this; let us clear it away. ' To which the more intelligent type of reformer will do well to answer: 'If you don't see the use of it, I certainly won't let you clear it away. Go away and think. Then, when you can come back and tell me that you do see the use of it, I may allow you to destroy it. ' "

If things are done a certain way, it would be wise to consider why. Things aren't that way by accident, and our predecessors might have understood a thing or two.

However, it's important for us to not elevate tradition to the level of law. Jesus warned the Pharisees about this: "You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men." [Mar 7:8 ESV]. For the Pharisees, they were placing demands on the people that weren't required by God. Similarly, it can be easy for us to venerate the way we've done things in the past and place on them an elevated significance.

Over the last decade, our congregation replaced hymnals with projectors, added encouragement and Lord's Supper talks, adjusted our worship schedule, and began live-streaming services. Not all of those changes were easy for us, but none of them violate the Biblical authority or hinder our ability to follow God's commands.

But not all change is good: if something changes too radically, it can lose its essence. For example, if Cracker Barrel started selling tacos, chalupas, and Mountain Dew, it would no longer be Cracker Barrel—it would instead be a Taco Bell. Likewise, if a church does things that aren't church-things, how can it any longer be called a church? As Jesus said, "Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again?" [Mark 9:50 ESV] Today there are churches that look more like a stage production or rock concert instead of a body of saints united in worship. Churches don't get to that point overnight, but given enough time and generations changes can run amok.

If we learn anything from the Cracker Barrel situation, it's that we should exercise caution when introducing change and consider the wisdom of those who have gone before us. Let's learn from the past so we don't have to relearn every lesson the hard way. In addition, we need to ensure the changes we desire are consistent with Christ's vision for the church. Let's ensure that, over time, the church looks more like Christ's bride, and not our own creation. If we follow in the foolishness of Cracker Barrel, then we just may be an "eg-no-ra-moose."

-  Dan Harbin

______

How To Feel Blessed

The apostle Paul mentioned something to the Ephesian elders that is found nowhere else in the New Testament:  “Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”  (Acts 20:35)

Famed psychiatrist Dr. Karl Menninger composed the following list which he called “Ten Rules to Cure the Blues” :

1 do something for someone else

2 - 10 repeat nine times



Don’t remove a fence until you know
why it was put up in the first place.

View Full Content Source:
https://www.cedarparkchurchofchrist.org/resources/articles/2026/01/11/lessons-from-cracker-barrel