Cracker Barrel Has A Strict Dining Rule For Its Employees

One of the best things about going on a work trip is getting to enjoy dining out at a nice restaurant — hopefully comped by your company, of course. However, for Cracker Barrel employees, that perk is a little different. According to a January 30, 2026, article in The Wall Street Journal, the popular restaurant chain mandates, "Employees are expected to dine at a Cracker Barrel store for all or the majority of meals while traveling, whenever practical based on location and schedule." This means that after a long day of handling crucial Cracker Barrel business while on the road, employees are then expected to post up at the closest Cracker Barrel restaurant for their meal.

In a less surprising move, the company also prohibits traveling employees from purchasing alcohol unless it is done with their own money. These directives could be designed to save the company money after its poorly conceived attempt to modernize its iconic look to appeal to a new demographic. Cracker Barrel's disastrous logo redesign also turned out to be a waste of money, as it was quickly reversed after public uproar caused Cracker Barrel stock to sharply decline.

For employees on tight budgets who are scrimping and saving due to inflation and the higher cost of living, this dining rule may take some of the joy away from whatever downtime they have while traveling for work. Now, if they want to experience a local hole-in-the-wall restaurant in the city they're visiting, they're expected to do so on their own dime. All in all, the rule that is meant to help the failing Cracker Barrel brand cut costs could be unfairly burdening its hard-working employees.

In a February 3, 2026, article, Today reported that Cracker Barrel's travel food mandate may not be as strict as it seems. It also isn't one of the new Cracker Barrel changes instituted in 2026. The company told Today that the policy has actually been in place since June of 2024. A spokesperson also clarified that traveling employees do have discretion to eat somewhere else and that the rule was designed to "further limit reimbursement of alcoholic beverages under the policy." Yet how often employees can opt to dine elsewhere is unclear, and it may be that they are strongly discouraged from choosing anyplace other than the closest local Cracker Barrel.

The employees who are traveling on behalf of the Cracker Barrel company are likely corporate team members, which means they probably don't work in Cracker Barrel restaurants, but rather out of the company's headquarters in Lebanon, Tennessee. It's possible they aren't tired of the restaurant's menu, given that they don't eat it for shift meals the way wait staff and other restaurant employees do. However, it still doesn't feel great to be told where to eat, even if you're traveling on company time. And while Cracker Barrel's expansive menu features hundreds of options, we can see how it could get old quickly for someone who travels a lot. Plus, for employees who have specific dietary restrictions or are just trying to eat healthy, this mandate could be somewhat of a burden.