Cracker Barrel is adding alcohol to the menu for the first time in its history

Author: Lauren M. Johnson / CNN
Published:
mimosas
Cracker Barrel is rolling out beer, wine and mimosa sales at more than 600 locations.

The next time you go to order a Momma’s Pancake Breakfast, you can add a mimosa to your order.

Cracker Barrel is getting bubbly with the addition of beer, wine and mimosas to its menu for the first time in the company’s 51-year history.

The “old country store” restaurant chain began testing the concept starting before the coronavirus pandemic began. After adding beer, wine and mimosas to the menu at more than 100 locations, the company is making the change permanent.

It helped that the overall response from customers was overwhelmingly positive and made the decision to allow most locations to partake in adult beverages a no-brainer.

“Our guests have told us that offering beer and wine would reduce the veto vote — that is, those guests who would choose Cracker Barrel for a given dining occasion, but ultimately go elsewhere because they would like to have a beer or a glass of wine with their meal — especially during weekend dinner,” a Cracker Barrel spokesman told CNN via email.

The company was encouraged by the results of the test program, which featured a limited assortment of beer and wine plus mimosas, according to the spokesman. The company now plans to add alcohol sales to roughly 600 locations by the end of the fiscal year, the spokesman said.

In a call with reporters earlier this week to discuss the company’s latest earnings report, Cracker Barrel CEO Sandra Cochran said the test stores were located in Florida, Kentucky and Tennessee.

“We have not yet really started to promote it, but I’m encouraged with how strong it has continued to be, especially in Florida, where we’ve had it the longest,” Cochran said.

The alcohol sales were mostly targeting the dinner crowd, but Cochran said the mimosas were becoming “quite popular” with breakfast and lunch diners.

Plus, customers will have the option to order mimosa kits to go at some locations in both of the offered flavors — classic orange and strawberry.

Cracker Barrel was established on September 19, 1969, in Lebanon, Tennessee. The company has more than 660 locations in 45 states.

Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.