The Cracker Barrel Saga – A Lesson in Social Media Crisis Management
Update: Cracker Barrel’s Continued Social Media Struggles in 2024
The lessons from “Brad’s Wife” have not prevented Cracker Barrel from facing continued social media crises nearly 5 years later. In 2024, the company once again found itself at the center of multiple controversies, reinforcing the importance of proactive crisis management in the digital age.
In December, an incident at a Cracker Barrel in Waldorf, Maryland, ignited a wave of public backlash when a group of special needs students was reportedly refused service due to staffing issues. The social media response was swift and unforgiving, forcing the company to issue an apology and take disciplinary action against the employees involved (HR Grapevine). The controversy highlighted an ongoing challenge for Cracker Barrel: its sluggish response to viral criticism and failure to anticipate how such incidents can damage its brand reputation.
Earlier in the year, the company faced another online uproar over its curbside pickup policy. Customers took to social media to express their frustration when their orders were not brought out to their cars as expected. Rather than letting the narrative spiral, Cracker Barrel responded with apologies and pledged to improve the experience through their guest relations team (The Sun). While this was a better approach than outright silence, the fact that the issue reached crisis levels suggests that Cracker Barrel still lacks a strong preemptive strategy for addressing customer dissatisfaction before it explodes online.
Beyond operational missteps, the brand’s efforts to modernize its image sparked another social media divide. A $700 million redesign of its stores and menu updates aimed at revitalizing the brand was met with mixed reactions. While some welcomed the change, others felt alienated, mourning the loss of Cracker Barrel’s traditional, rustic charm (The Sun). This backlash underscores a key dilemma for legacy brands—how to evolve without losing the loyal customers who built their success.
Cracker Barrel’s 2024 social media controversies demonstrate that its struggles from past crises remain unresolved. While the company has shown some improvement in addressing online backlash, it continues to face the same recurring issue: underestimating the power of digital outrage and failing to control the narrative before it spirals. Without a clear, proactive crisis communication strategy, Cracker Barrel risks turning every operational misstep into a viral PR disaster. The lesson remains the same—acknowledge issues early, engage with customers authentically, and take control of the story before social media does it for you.
By integrating the references, this version ensures credibility while reinforcing the ongoing pattern of Cracker Barrel’s struggles in social media crisis management.
Original article by David E. Johnson, CEO, Strategic Vision PR Group
Social media creates news – both positive and negative. Businesses of all sizes are finding out that social media posts can create a crisis where one did not exist. How a business responds to such a post can determine if it becomes a crisis or not. The saga of Cracker Barrel and Brad’s wife is a vivid example of what not to do when a social media crisis erupts.A Milltown, Indiana man named Bradley Byrd claimed his wife, Nanette, was fired from the Cracker Barrel in Corydon, Indiana on his birthday after 11 years of service. Byrd posted a question on Cracker Barrel's Facebook page asking, "Why did you fire my wife?"
From there, the internet took over. Visitors to the Cracker Barrel Facebook page are unable to post on the wall, so they've turned to the company's posts to find out what happened and to show their support for Brad's wife. Some of the comments are quite funny. #JusticeForBradsWife and #BradsWife are trending. The media is reporting on the social media outrage. Yet Cracker Barrel is remaining mum to the growing story both with the traditional media and on social media.
While companies will not state why an employee was terminated, Cracker Barrel is not even acknowledging the comments and is acting as if nothing is happening as it continues to post advertisements on social media. That hasn’t stopped the social media outrage or other businesses from jumping in and making use of the tagline Brad’s wife. Cracker Barrel is coming across as uncaring, unresponsive, and ridiculous all at the same time. Consumers are angry at a lack of any response or acknowledgement from the company which results in even more outraged posts. That is a place where no business wants to be.
So what should Cracker Barrel do?
Acknowledge the posts on its Facebook page. A simple statement saying thank you for your post. We appreciate hearing from you and while we value your opinion, employee records are confidential and something we cannot comment on. Such a statement would at least demonstrate that Cracker Barrel is paying attention to what people (many of them customers) are posting. By ignoring them, the company is basically sending the message that it doesn’t care what people (customers) think.
Post testimonials online from employees on what a great place Cracker Barrel is to work for and how the company cares about its employees.
Post online how much the company values its customers and their opinions.
Depending on the reason for the termination, Cracker Barrel should rehire Brad’s wife and even use her in advertising.
What Cracker Barrel is doing is what no company should do when facing a social firestorm – nothing. This allowed the story to go from social media to traditional media, making Cracker Barrel a butt of late night jokes and the object of consumer anger. As a result of not having a crisis management plan in place for a social media crisis, Cracker Barrel has allowed Brad’s wife to get the last laugh and serve as a warning to businesses on what not to do during a crisis.
