Report: Cracker Barrel to test selling alcohol at select Florida locations
(Courtesy: Cracker Barrel)
You may soon be able to have a mimosa with your breakfast at Cracker Barrel.
The restaurant chain says it is testing an alcohol menu at 20 of its Florida locations, according to Restaurant Business.
CEO Sandy Cochran told the outlet the menu includes orange and strawberry mimosas in addition to beer, wine and hard ciders.
"It was surprising to me how popular they are," Cochran said of the mimosa offerings.
Cochran did not specify which locations in the Sunshine State would be testing the alcoholic beverage options, but a representative told Food & Wine they have already received "overwhelmingly positive" feedback and plan to expand the test to other Florida locations as well as Tennessee and Kentucky.
The move comes as Cracker Barrel reopens its dining rooms across the country, which were reduced to offering takeout meals due to the coronavirus pandemic.
CFO Jill Golder said that while the chain lost a significant amount of revenue, they were pushing ahead with planned changes.
"Although we are focused on cash conservation in the near term, we will be making prudent investments in our menu evolution initiative, our beer and wine program, our digital strategy and our point-of-sale system," Golder told Restaurant Business.
They said they plan to feature a smaller menu than what they had prior to the pandemic, which "better highlights our signature offerings and abundance, value and variety," Cochran said.
The company also plans to develop a digital store where customers can shop for Cracker Barrel food and retail items, though they did not give a timeline for when that would be made available.