Consumers Name Cracker Barrel “Best Family Restaurant”

As Cracker Barrel Old Country Store® prepares to celebrate its 40th anniversary , the popular family restaurant company is honored to again be named “Best Family Restaurant” by consumers around the country. In winning the first place Platinum Award in the annual Consumers’ Choice in Chains awards for the 19th consecutive year, Cracker Barrel has again demonstrated its dedication to providing an excellent experience for every guest on every visit. The Choice in Chains study is conducted by Restaurants & Institutions magazine annually and asks 3,000 consumers to rate nearly 120 chain restaurants on eight customer satisfaction attributes: food quality, menu variety, value, service, atmosphere, cleanliness, reputation, and convenience.

“When you think about the careful decisions that consumers are making these days regarding when and where to spend their money, it is truly an honor to know from this award that our guests continue to see Cracker Barrel as a place where they can get quality food, genuine hospitality, excellent service, all at a fair price,” said Michael A. Woodhouse, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cracker Barrel. “This award is one of the things that reminds us that we are making the right decisions when it comes to serving our guests – we are maintaining our high quality standards and ample portion sizes, and will continue to do everything to ensure that we provide the Cracker Barrel experience that our guests expect.”

Woodhouse continued, “I am especially pleased to make note of the dedication of Cracker Barrel’s 66,000 employees. It is their commitment to our mission statement – 'pleasing people' – that creates the welcoming environment and provides the high quality products for our guests. It is truly remarkable that Cracker Barrel has won this award for 19 years in a row, and I know that the reason for this is the outstanding work of our employees. Regardless of what state or what community they are in, our employees consistently offer up the same wonderful Cracker Barrel experience.”

For the past 29 years, Restaurants & Institutions magazine has presented its Consumers’ Choice in Chains awards; these awards are recognized as a key measure of success by restaurant chains across the country.

About Cracker Barrel

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store® restaurants provide a friendly home-away-from-home in their old country stores and restaurants. Guests are cared for like family while relaxing and enjoying real home-style food and shopping that’s surprisingly unique, genuinely fun and reminiscent of America’s country heritage…all at a fair price. The restaurant serves up delicious, home-style country food such as meatloaf and homemade chicken n’ dumplins as well as its signature biscuits using an old family recipe. The authentic old country retail store is fun to shop and offers unique gifts and self-indulgences.

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of the publicly held CBRL Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: CBRL). Cracker Barrel was established in 1969 in Lebanon, Tenn. Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. operates 588 company-owned locations in 41 states. Every Cracker Barrel unit is open seven days a week with hours Sunday through Thursday, 6 a.m. – 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 6 a.m. - 11 p.m. For more information, visit crackerbarrel.com.

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