If you’ve spent any time on social media lately, you’ve probably seen the headlines or the angry tweets. People are genuinely upset. It feels like every other week there’s a new rumor about the leadership over at the "Old Country Store." The big question everyone is typing into Google is pretty simple: has cracker barrel ceo been fired?
The short answer is no. Julie Felss Masino is still the CEO.
But honestly, saying "no" doesn't even begin to cover the chaos of the last few months. It has been a total whirlwind of PR disasters, logo changes that people hated, and a stock price that looks like a steep hill at a theme park.
The Controversy That Sparked the Rumors
So, where did all the "she’s fired" talk come from? It mostly started with a redesign that went over about as well as a lead balloon. Earlier in 2025, the company decided to refresh its look. They tweaked the iconic logo—the one with the man, the chair, and the barrel—and tried to modernize the dining rooms.
People lost it.
Fans felt like the brand was stripping away its Americana soul. Even high-profile figures and activist investors started calling for heads to roll. When the stock took a massive dive—dropping millions in value in a single day—the internet assumed Masino was a goner.
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But here is the twist: on November 20, 2025, the shareholders actually had a vote. They decided to keep her. It wasn't a unanimous "we love you" kind of vibe, but she survived the proxy fight. One board member, Gilbert Davila, did end up resigning after the results showed he didn't have the support, but Masino stayed in the big chair.
"Fired by America"
In a pretty famous interview with Glenn Beck shortly after that vote, Masino was asked if she was surprised she still had her job. Her response was kinda heartbreaking for a corporate exec. She said, "I feel like I've been fired by America."
That quote went everywhere.
It basically admitted that while the board hadn't let her go, the public perception was at an all-time low. She spent a good chunk of that interview apologizing. She told Beck that the intention was never to "remodel Cracker Barrel" into something unrecognizable, but rather to make the stores more comfortable because guests were complaining about the lighting and the menus being hard to read.
What’s Actually Changing in 2026?
Since she wasn't fired, Masino has been on a warpath to fix the mess. If you walk into a Cracker Barrel today, you'll notice they've completely backpedaled on the logo changes. The old-school branding is back.
But it’s not all sunshine and biscuits. To navigate the "headwinds" (that's corporate speak for "we aren't making enough money"), the company has started some pretty significant corporate layoffs here in early 2026.
Leadership Restructuring
Instead of firing the CEO, the company is cutting "layers" of management. They've made some big moves:
- Doug Hisel was promoted to Senior VP of Store Operations to streamline how things run.
- Cammie Spillyards-Schaefer, the former Chief Restaurant and Retail Operations Officer, had her role eliminated entirely.
- They fired the consulting firm, Prophet, which was the group that originally advised them on the failed rebranding.
It seems the strategy is to keep the captain but change the entire crew and the map they’re using.
Why Julie Masino Is Still There
You might be wondering why a board would keep a CEO after such a public backlash. Usually, when a brand takes a hit this big, the CEO is the first to go.
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Experience matters. Masino came from Taco Bell, where she was a powerhouse. She also had stints at Starbucks and Godiva. The board likely thinks her operational knowledge is more valuable for a turnaround than starting over with someone brand new who doesn't know where the kitchen keys are.
Also, it’s expensive to fire a CEO. Between severance packages and the instability it signals to Wall Street, sometimes it’s "safer" to let the person who made the mess try to clean it up.
What This Means for Your Next Visit
If you’re just a fan who wants a good meal, here is the deal. The company is leaning hard back into their "roots." They are bringing back old favorites like Hamburger Steak and Eggs in the Basket. They’ve even retrained kitchen staff on the core recipes because, apparently, the food consistency had started to slip during all the rebranding drama.
So, while the CEO hasn't been fired, the version of Cracker Barrel she was trying to build definitely was.
Actionable Takeaways for Consumers and Investors
If you're watching this story closely, here are a few things to keep an eye on over the next few months:
- Watch the Menu: If you see more "modern" items creeping in, it means the brand is still struggling to find its identity. If it’s all comfort food, they’ve truly retreated to their base.
- The Stock (CBRL): Analysts are projecting a rough 2026 with sales potentially dropping another 4% to 7%. If that trend doesn't reverse by summer, the "is she fired?" rumors will start all over again.
- Google Ratings: Masino mentioned that their star ratings are actually improving recently. This is often a leading indicator of whether a restaurant is actually getting its act together.
The drama at the top of Cracker Barrel is a classic case of what happens when a legacy brand forgets why people loved it in the first place. Masino is still in charge for now, but she's definitely on a very short leash.
If you want to stay updated on how the turnaround is going, keep an eye on the quarterly earnings reports. Those will tell you if the "fired by America" sentiment is actually fading or if the brand is still in hot water.