Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Inc. has received much recent attention recently for missteps in its efforts to revitalize its chain of restaurant and retail stores.
Apparently, its much smaller Maple Street Biscuit Co. chain is also underperforming.
As Cracker Barrel reported earnings for the fiscal year that ended Aug. 1, the company said it closed two Maple Street restaurants in the fourth quarter and plans to close 14 more in fiscal 2026.
Maple Street, then headquartered in Orange Park, had 33 restaurants when Cracker Barrel bought the company for $36 million in 2019. The new owner expanded the chain, growing it to 70 stores by the third quarter of fiscal 2025.
However, its downsizing plans, with no indication it expects to open new restaurants, would reduce Maple Street to 54 locations.
Cracker Barrel had 657 restaurant and store locations after closing one in the fourth quarter.
Cracker Barrel’s media relations department did not respond to an email asking for a list of restaurants to be closed.
The Maple Street restaurant at 1171 Edgewood Ave. S. in Jacksonville’s Murray Hill neighborhood was closed in June. Maple Street founder Scott Moore is taking over that space with his new breakfast taco concept called Calico Cactus.
Maple Street’s website lists five locations in the Jacksonville area, including its original restaurant at 2004 San Marco Blvd., which opened in 2012.
The San Marco restaurant received a permit in August for a $100,000 renovation.
Cracker Barrel does not report financial information for the Maple Street chain. Chief Financial Officer Craig Pommells said in the company’s Sept. 17 conference call with analysts that Cracker Barrel took a $16.2 million noncash store impairment charge in the fourth quarter “primarily related to low-performing Maple Street stores.”
However, that was the only mention about the performance of Maple Street and company officials have said very little about that chain in the last two years.
“Maple Street is a brand that we really do love,” CEO Julie Masino said in a May 2024 call when asked about the chain by an analyst.
She added, “we’ll talk about Maple Street in forthcoming quarterly updates,” but company officials have been mum since then.
Cracker Barrel has been dealing with customer backlash against recent changes, including a change in its logo and an updated restaurant design.