Better Health for All

The company's restaurant menu includes many items high in calories, fat, sodium, and sugar, such as Pecan Pancakes (1,500 calories, 96g fat, 2,190mg sodium) and Southern Fried Chicken (1,640 calories, 100g fat, 4,730mg sodium).

Cost-saving measures in the past led to the removal of some healthy items like egg whites and oatmeal. The company provides nutritional information for menu items, but some health plans, like the Health Basics Plan, are explicitly stated as not providing comprehensive medical coverage and not meeting specific state requirements. The company offers a Health and Welfare Plan for employees, covering medical, dental, and mental health, with 100% coverage for preventive care under some plans. It also offers a Type 2 Diabetes Management program, a Quit for Life tobacco cessation program, and a medication management program. A 25% surcharge is applied to medical plans for tobacco users, and a $225 monthly surcharge for spouses eligible for coverage elsewhere. The Cracker Barrel Cares program provides financial assistance to over 6,600 employees and their families, totaling over $8.68 million. The 'Food for Families' initiative, in partnership with Feeding America, aims to provide 1 million meals to high-need rural and underserved communities. The company offers tuition reimbursement up to $1,000 per fiscal year for job-related degrees and provides ID Theft & Financial Wellness services through Experian. Mental health support is available via an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and some plans include virtual counseling sessions and a Calm app subscription.

Fair Pay & Worker Respect

In 2023, Cracker Barrel's CEO-to-median employee pay ratio was 588:1, with CEO Sandra B. Cochran earning $8,271,680 and the median employee earning $14,062.

The company's employee satisfaction score is 3.3 out of 5, which translates to 66%. Cracker Barrel has incurred three substantiated workplace safety or health violations in the past three years (2022, 2023, 2024), with penalties totaling $129,065 for nine such records since 2002. Additionally, the company has three employment discrimination violations (2006, 2009, 2021) with penalties totaling $2,270,000, and one wage and hour violation in 2005 with a penalty of $6,949.

Kind to Animals

Cracker Barrel aims to transition 100% of its egg supply to cage-free by the end of 2026, with a current goal of 25% by the end of 2024.

The company's animal welfare policy lacks any commitment regarding gestation crates, and there is no evidence that a 2012 promise to eliminate them from the supply chain was kept. While the company states it gives purchasing preference to suppliers with gestation stall-free pork, this is not a mandate. In 2013, Cracker Barrel's board of directors endorsed a shareholder proposal to eliminate gestation crates, which shareholders approved. However, the company has not publicly disclosed its position on current legislative efforts, such as California's Proposition 12, which establishes minimum space requirements for farm animals, and Congress is considering proposals to invalidate state animal welfare laws.

No War, No Weapons

The provided articles do not contain any specific, concrete data points or information relevant to Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc.'s association with arms manufacturing, military contracts, conflict facilitation, or peace initiatives.

All articles explicitly state that no data is provided or that the information is not applicable to the company's business practices concerning the 'No War, No Weapons' ethical value. Therefore, no KPIs can be assessed based on the evidence provided.

Planet-Friendly Business

Cracker Barrel's total Scope 1, 2, and 3 greenhouse gas emissions were approximately 1.295 million tCO₂e in 2023 and 1.296 million tCO₂e in 2024.

The company provides a full public breakdown of these emissions, including categories like stationary combustion, fugitive emissions, purchased goods/services, and employee commuting. However, emissions increased slightly year-on-year, and the company has not disclosed specific reduction targets or initiatives. The company has not disclosed any science-based targets, nor has it provided information on its alignment with TCFD recommendations.

Respect for Cultures & Communities

The provided articles detail a federal investigation by the Department of Justice into Cracker Barrel for racial discrimination, which resulted in a consent order requiring the company to adopt nondiscrimination policies and improve complaint systems.

A class action lawsuit alleging racial discrimination in employment and customer service, including pay disparities, segregation, and denial of service, led to an $8.7 million settlement involving over 40 plaintiffs across 16 states. Additionally, in 1991, Cracker Barrel implemented a policy that resulted in the firing of LGBTQ+ employees. A shareholder resolution to add sexual orientation to the company's equal employment policy passed in 2002 with 58% shareholder support. The company's Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) rating on Glassdoor is 3.6 out of 5 stars, based on 3,174 employee ratings, which is equal to the average for the Restaurants & Food Service sector. Specific employee ratings for Indigenous American/Alaska Native employees are 3.2 out of 5, and for Transgender/Non-Binary employees, 2.5 out of 5. However, none of the provided articles contain specific, concrete data points that directly map to the quantitative thresholds of the KPIs under the 'Respect for Cultures & Communities' rubric, such as formal partnerships with community groups, revenue reinvested in local development, cultural appropriation incidents, cultural impact assessment protocols, or other community-specific metrics.

Safe & Smart Tech

The company states it has not identified any cybersecurity incidents materially affecting operations.

It maintains cyber insurance coverage and has a Cyber Incident Response Plan (CIRP) that is routinely tested. The company conducts regular cybersecurity training for employees, focusing on relevant risks to their job duties. While the company occasionally identifies risks or threats to its systems, including ransomware and attempts to obtain team member credentials through phishing or social engineering, there are no documented incidents of unauthorized data use by the company itself. Cracker Barrel's cybersecurity risk management program is designed and evaluated based on the National Institute of Standards and Technology Cybersecurity Framework (NIST CSF) and considers Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) requirements. The company conducts internal tests to identify potential vulnerabilities and engages third parties annually for internal and external penetration testing. Annual tabletop exercises are also led by third-party consultants to enhance readiness for different scenarios. A formal System and Organization Controls (SOC) review process is performed annually on financially significant third-party service providers.

Zero Waste & Sustainable Products

The provided article discusses an initiative by "Cracker Barrel (a Lactalis brand)" to reduce food waste.

However, the company being assessed is Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. (CBRL.US), which is not a Lactalis brand. Therefore, the article is not relevant to CBRL.US, and no specific evidence is available to score any of the KPIs for this company.