CRACKER BARREL REPORTS THIRD QUARTER FISCAL 2026 RESULTS AND UPDATES FISCAL 2026 OUTLOOK
Company increases revenue and adjusted EBITDA 1,2 guidance
LEBANON, Tenn., June 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. ("Cracker Barrel" or the "Company") (Nasdaq: CBRL) today reported its financial results for the third quarter of fiscal 2026 ended May 1, 2026.
Cracker Barrel President and Chief Executive Officer Julie Masino said, "Our initiatives to improve operations, deepen guest connection, and enhance profitability continue to gain traction, with strong execution from our teams driving third quarter results that exceeded expectations. We remain focused on serving delicious food and delivering experiences guests love and believe we are well-positioned to sustain this new momentum."
Third Quarter Fiscal 2026 Highlights
Third Quarter Ended
(In thousands, except per share amounts)
5/1/26
5/2/25
Revenue
$797,367
$821,147
GAAP net income
$42,811
$12,574
Adjusted net income 1
$6,533
$13,123
Adjusted EBITDA 1
$40,305
$48,117
GAAP earnings per share – diluted
$1.90
$0.56
Adjusted 1 earnings per share – diluted
$0.29
$0.58
Balance Sheet & Capital Allocation
Fiscal 2026 Outlook
The Company provided the following updated outlook for fiscal 2026:
1 EBITDA, adjusted net income, adjusted EBITDA, and adjusted earnings per diluted share are non-GAAP financial measures. For definitions of these non-GAAP measures and reconciliations of these non-GAAP measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures, please refer to the Reconciliation of GAAP-Basis Operating Results to Non-GAAP Operating Results section of this release.
2 The Company has determined to provide guidance focused on adjusted EBITDA 1 because the Company believes it will be more useful to investors to evaluate the Company's performance prior to the impact of depreciation, taxes, impairment charges, and other items that management believes are not reflective of the Company's current operations. The Company is not able to reconcile the forward-looking estimate of adjusted EBITDA 1 set forth above to a forward-looking estimate of net income, the most directly comparable estimated measure calculated in accordance with GAAP, without unreasonable efforts because the Company is unable to predict, forecast or determine the probable significance of certain items impacting these estimates, including interest expense, taxes, impairment charges and share-based compensation, with a reasonable degree of accuracy. Accordingly, the most directly comparable forward-looking GAAP estimate is not provided.
3 Consolidated senior leverage is defined as total debt (other than subordinated debt and unsecured debt) divided by adjusted EBITDA 1 (as defined under our revolving credit facility).
Fiscal 2026 Third Quarter Conference Call
As previously announced, the live broadcast of Cracker Barrel's quarterly conference call will be available to the public online at investor.crackerbarrel.com today beginning at 5:00 p.m. (ET). The online replay will be available tomorrow and through June 23, 2026.
About Cracker Barrel Old Country Store®
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. – rooted in a rich legacy of warmth, generosity, and tradition – is on a mission to bring the goodness of country hospitality to life. Since 1969, when the first store opened in Lebanon, Tenn., Cracker Barrel has been serving up abundant portions of craveable homestyle food and offering one-of-a-kind retail finds. With approximately 660 company-owned Cracker Barrel Old Country Store® locations in 43 states, and ownership of the fast-casual Maple Street Biscuit Company, the brand continues to honor its heritage while welcoming everyone with more than a meal. For more information, visit CrackerBarrel.com.
CBRL-F
Except for specific historical information, certain of the matters discussed in this press release may express or imply projections of items such as revenues or expenditures, statements of plans and objectives or future operations or statements of future economic performance. These and similar statements regarding events or results that the Company expects will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements concerning matters that involve risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results and performance of the Company to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. All forward-looking information is provided pursuant to the safe harbor established under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and should be evaluated in the context of these risks, uncertainties and other factors. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "trends," "assumptions," "target," "guidance," "outlook," "opportunity," "future," "plans," "goals," "objectives," "expectations," "near-term," "long-term," "projection," "may," "will," "would," "could," "expect," "intend," "estimate," "anticipate," "believe," "potential," "regular," "should," "projects," "forecasts," or "continue" (or the negative or other derivatives of each of these terms) or similar terminology. The Company believes that the assumptions underlying any forward-looking statements are reasonable; however, any of the assumptions could be inaccurate, and therefore, actual results may differ materially from those projected in or implied by the forward-looking statements. In addition to the risks of ordinary business operations, factors and risks that may result in actual results differing from this forward-looking information include, but are not limited to risks and uncertainties associated with inflationary conditions with respect to the price of commodities, ingredients, transportation, distribution and labor; disruptions to the Company's restaurant or retail supply chain; effects of changes in international, national, regional and local economic and market conditions (such as the imposition of trade barriers or other changes in trade policy) on our business; the Company's ability to manage retail inventory and merchandise mix; the Company's ability to sustain or the effects of plans intended to improve operational or marketing execution and performance or liquidity; the impact of adverse or extreme weather events on sales and customer travel; the effects of increased competition at the Company's locations on sales and on labor recruiting, cost, and retention; consumer behavior based on negative publicity or changes in consumer health or dietary trends or safety aspects of the Company's food or products or those of the restaurant industry in general, including concerns about outbreaks of infectious disease; the effects of the Company's indebtedness and associated restrictions on the Company's financial and operating flexibility and ability to execute or pursue its operating plans and objectives; changes in interest rates, increases in borrowed capital or capital market conditions affecting the Company's financing costs and ability to refinance its indebtedness, in whole or in part; the Company's reliance on a single distribution facility and certain significant vendors, particularly for foreign-sourced retail products; information technology disruptions and data privacy and information security breaches, whether as a result of infrastructure failures, employee or vendor errors or actions of third parties; the Company's compliance with privacy and data protection laws; changes in or implementation of additional governmental or regulatory rules, regulations and interpretations affecting tax, health and safety, animal welfare, pensions, insurance or other undeterminable areas; the actual results of pending, future or threatened litigation or governmental investigations; or the Company's ability to manage the impact of negative social media attention and the costs and effects of negative publicity; the impact of activist shareholders; the Company's ability to achieve aspirations, goals and projections related to its sustainability initiatives; the Company's ability to enter successfully into new geographic markets that may be less familiar to it; changes in land, building materials and construction costs; the availability and cost of suitable sites for restaurant development and the Company's ability to identify those sites; the Company's ability to retain key personnel; the ability of and cost to the Company to recruit, train, and retain qualified hourly and management employees; uncertain performance of acquired businesses, strategic investments and other initiatives that the Company may pursue from time to time; the effects of business trends on the outlook for individual restaurant locations and the effect on the carrying value of those locations; general or regional economic weakness, business and societal conditions; discretionary income or personal expenditure activity of the Company's customers; implementation of new or changes in interpretation of existing accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP"); and other factors described from time to time in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, press releases, and other communications. Any forward-looking statement made by the Company herein, or elsewhere, speaks only as of the date on which made. The Company expressly disclaims any intent, obligation or undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking statements made herein to reflect any change in the Company's expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statements are based.
CRACKER BARREL OLD COUNTRY STORE, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED INCOME STATEMENT
(Unaudited)
(In thousands, except share and per share amounts, percentages and ratios)
Third Quarter Ended
Nine Months Ended
5/1/26
5/2/25
Percentage
Change
5/1/26
5/2/25
Percentage
Change
Total revenue
$797,367
$821,147
(3 %)
$2,469,372
$2,615,675
(6 %)
Cost of goods sold (exclusive of depreciation & rent)
240,973
247,280
(3)
782,038
816,013
(4)
Labor and other related expenses
302,083
304,781
(1)
919,110
938,342
(2)
Other store operating expenses
198,198
207,486
(4)
644,546
639,059
1
General and administrative expenses
49,393
46,025
7
145,401
167,341
(13)
Impairment and store closing costs
0
718
(100)
3,891
3,869
1
Operating income (loss)
6,720
14,857
(55)
(25,614)
51,051
(150)
Litigation settlement income
(47,422)
0
(47,422)
0
Interest expense
3,668
4,984
(26)
11,425
15,784
(28)
Income before income taxes
50,474
9,873
411
10,383
35,267
(71)
Provision for income taxes (income tax benefit)
7,663
(2,701)
384
(9,088)
(4,358)
(109)
Net income
$42,811
$12,574
240
$19,471
$39,625
(51)
Earnings per share – Basic:
$1.92
$0.56
243
$0.87
$1.78
(51)
Earnings per share – Diluted:
$1.90
$0.56
239
$0.86
$1.77
(51)
Weighted average shares:
Basic
22,351,318
22,264,782
0
22,328,450
22,246,936
0
Diluted
22,500,168
22,459,281
0
22,513,419
22,435,317
0
Ratio Analysis
Total revenue:
Restaurant
82.6 %
82.7 %
81.1 %
80.8 %
Retail
17.4
17.3
18.9
19.2
Total revenue
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
Cost of goods sold (exclusive of depreciation & rent)
30.2
30.1
31.7
31.2
Labor and other related expenses
37.9
37.1
37.2
35.9
Other store operating expenses
24.9
25.3
26.1
24.4
General and administrative expenses
6.2
5.6
5.9
6.4
Impairment and store closing costs
0.0
0.1
0.1
0.1
Operating income (loss)
0.8
1.8
(1.0)
2.0
Litigation settlement income
(5.9)
0.0
(1.9)
0.0
Interest expense
0.4
0.6
0.5
0.7
Income before income taxes
6.3
1.2
0.4
1.3
Provision for income taxes (income tax benefit)
0.9
(0.3)
(0.4)
(0.2)
Net income
5.4 %
1.5 %
0.8 %
1.5 %
CRACKER BARREL OLD COUNTRY STORE, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(Unaudited and in thousands, except share amounts)
5/1/26
5/2/25
Assets
Cash and cash equivalents
$26,050
$9,814
Accounts receivable
34,689
37,439
Inventories
179,935
168,695
Prepaid expenses and other current assets
49,878
60,877
Property and equipment, net
955,860
971,021
Operating lease right-of-use assets, net
764,571
822,269
Intangible assets
24,325
24,369
Other assets
52,569
44,565
Total assets
$2,087,877
$2,139,049
Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity
Accounts payable
$131,002
$121,117
Current portion of long-term debt
149,850
0
Other current liabilities
299,203
301,916
Long-term debt
336,783
489,410
Long-term operating lease liabilities
608,049
653,060
Other long-term obligations
97,520
104,235
Shareholders' equity, net
465,470
469,311
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity
$2,087,877
$2,139,049
Common shares issued and outstanding
22,351,460
22,266,951
CRACKER BARREL OLD COUNTRY STORE, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED CASH FLOW STATEMENT
(Unaudited and in thousands)
Nine Months Ended
5/1/26
5/2/25
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net income
$19,471
$39,625
Depreciation and amortization
91,760
90,379
Amortization of debt issuance costs
1,998
1,329
Loss on disposition of property and equipment
5,066
6,249
Impairment
418
3,581
Share-based compensation
3,186
8,056
Noncash lease expense
45,735
45,560
Amortization of asset recognized from gain on sale and leaseback transaction
9,551
9,551
Decrease in inventories
650
12,263
Decrease in accounts payable
(38,846)
(41,171)
Net changes in other assets and liabilities
(46,483)
(58,745)
Net cash provided by operating activities
92,506
116,677
Cash flows from investing activities:
Purchase of property and equipment, net of insurance recoveries
(87,896)
(113,214)
Proceeds from sale of property and equipment
1,301
1,829
Net cash used in investing activities
(86,595)
(111,385)
Cash flows from financing activities:
Net proceeds from long-term debt
0
11,425
Taxes withheld from issuance of share-based compensation awards
(1,943)
(1,428)
Dividends on common stock
(17,561)
(17,510)
Net cash used in financing activities
(19,504)
(7,513)
Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents
(13,593)
(2,221)
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period
39,643
12,035
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period
$26,050
$9,814
Third Quarter Ended
5/1/26
5/2/25
Company-owned units opened during quarter:
Cracker Barrel
1
1
Maple Street Biscuit Company
0
1
Company-owned units closed during quarter:
Cracker Barrel
0
0
Maple Street Biscuit Company
2
0
Company-owned units in operation at end of quarter:
Cracker Barrel
657
658
Maple Street Biscuit Company
52
70
Total stores at end of period
709
728
Third Quarter Ended
Nine Months Ended
5/1/26
5/2/25
5/1/26
5/2/25
Total revenue*: (In thousands)
Restaurant
$644,300
$661,945
$1,959,504
$2,061,681
Retail
138,903
141,695
465,836
502,052
Total revenue
$783,203
$803,640
$2,425,340
$2,563,733
Cost of goods sold* (exclusive of depreciation
and rent): (In thousands)
Restaurant
$168,202
$173,431
$523,521
$546,757
Retail
69,129
69,346
246,824
256,015
Total cost of goods sold
$237,331
$242,777
$770,345
$802,772
Average unit volume*: (In thousands)
Restaurant
$980.7
$1,006.0
$2,984.2
$3,134.8
Retail
211.4
215.3
709.5
763.4
Total
$1,192.1
$1,221.3
$3,693.7
$3,898.2
Operating weeks*:
8,541
8,554
25,608
25,649
Note*: This information is for Cracker Barrel stores only and excludes Maple Street Biscuit Company.
CRACKER BARREL OLD COUNTRY STORE, INC.
Reconciliation of GAAP-Basis Operating Results to Non-GAAP Operating Results
(Unaudited and in thousands, except per share amounts)
Adjusted Net Income and Earnings Per Share
In the accompanying press release, the Company makes reference to adjusted net income (loss) and adjusted earnings (loss) per share. The Company defines adjusted net income (loss) as net income (loss), calculated in accordance with GAAP, excluding, to the extent the following items occurred during the periods presented: (i) impairment charges, and, for periods prior to the second quarter of fiscal 2025, store closing costs, (ii) expenses related to the proxy contest in connection with the Company's 2024 and 2025 annual meeting of shareholders, (iii) expenses associated with the Company's strategic transformation initiative, (iv) a corporate restructuring charge that includes consulting fees related to business model improvement and severance related to a reduction in headcount, (v) a gain on extinguishment of debt related to the Company's repurchase of $150 million aggregate principal amount of its 0.625% convertible senior notes due June 2026, (vi) store closing costs associated with MSBC reorganization, (vii) a benefit of approximately $47 million related to a litigation settlement that occurred in the third quarter of fiscal 2026, and (vii) the related tax impacts of the foregoing. The Company believes excluding these items from its financial results provides investors with an enhanced understanding of the Company's financial results and enhances comparability across periods. The Company calculates adjusted net income (loss) margin by dividing adjusted net income (loss) by consolidated GAAP revenue. The Company calculates adjusted net income (loss) per share by dividing adjusted net income (loss) by weighted average shares outstanding for the applicable period. This information is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for net income (loss) or earnings (loss) per share information prepared in accordance with GAAP.
Third Quarter Ended
Nine Months Ended
5/1/26
Margin
5/2/25
Margin
5/1/26
Margin
5/2/25
Margin
Revenue
$797,367
100 %
$821,147
100 %
$2,469,372
100 %
$2,615,675
100 %
GAAP net income
42,811
5.4
12,574
1.5
19,471
0.8
39,625
1.5
Strategic transformation initiative expenses
0
0.0
0
0.0
0
0.0
7,263
0.3
Impairment and store closing costs
0
0.0
718
0.1
418
0.0
3,581
0.1
Store closing costs associated with MSBC reorganization
0
0.0
0
0.0
3,095
0.1
0
0.0
Proxy contest expenses
0
0.0
0
0.0
4,072
0.2
8,220
0.3
Corporate restructuring charge
0
0.0
0
0.0
8,743
0.4
0
0.0
Litigation settlement income
(47,422)
(5.9)
0
0.0
(47,422)
(1.9)
0
0.0
Tax impacts of the foregoing
11,144
1.4
(169)
(0.0)
7,307
0.3
(4,480)
(0.2)
Adjusted net income (loss)
$6,533
0.8 %
$13,123
1.6 %
($4,316)
(0.2 %)
$54,209
2.1 %
GAAP Earnings per share - basic
$1.92
$0.56
$0.87
$1.78
GAAP Earnings per share - diluted
$1.90
$0.56
$0.86
$1.77
Adjusted Earnings (loss) per share - basic
$0.29
$0.59
($0.19)
$2.44
Adjusted Earnings (loss) per share - diluted
$0.29
$0.58
($0.19)
$2.42
Weighted average shares - basic
22,351,318
22,264,782
22,328,450
22,246,936
Weighted average shares - diluted
22,500,168
22,459,281
22,513,419
22,435,317
CRACKER BARREL OLD COUNTRY STORE, INC.
Reconciliation of GAAP-Basis Operating Results to Non-GAAP Operating Results
(Unaudited and in thousands)
EBITDA/Adjusted EBITDA
In the accompanying press release and the below reconciliation tables, the Company makes reference to EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA. The Company defines EBITDA as net income, calculated in accordance with GAAP, excluding depreciation and amortization, interest expense and tax expense. The Company further adjusts EBITDA to exclude, to the extent the following items occurred during the periods presented: (i) expenses related to share-based compensation, (ii) impairment charges, and, for periods prior to the second quarter of fiscal 2025, store closing costs, (iii) the proxy contest in connection with the Company's 2024 and 2025 annual meeting of shareholders, (iv) expenses associated with the Company's strategic transformation initiative, (v) a corporate restructuring charge that includes consulting fees related to business model improvement and severance related to a reduction in headcount, (vi) a gain on extinguishment of debt related to the Company's repurchase of $150 million aggregate principal amount of its 0.625% convertible senior notes due June 2026, (vii) store closing costs associated with MSBC reorganization, and (vii) a benefit of approximately $47 million related to a litigation settlement that occurred in the third quarter of fiscal 2026. The Company calculates EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA margin by dividing EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA by consolidated GAAP revenue. The Company believes that presentation of EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA (together with related margin figures) provides investors with an enhanced understanding of the Company's operating performance and debt leverage metrics and enhances comparability with the Company's historical results, and that the presentation of this non-GAAP financial measure, when combined with the primary presentation of net income (loss), is beneficial to an investor's complete understanding of the Company's operating performance. This information is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for net income or net income margin prepared in accordance with GAAP.
Third Quarter Ended
5/1/26
Margin
Nine Months Ended
5/1/26
Margin
Revenue
$797,367
100 %
$2,469,372
100 %
GAAP Net income
42,811
5.4
19,471
0.8
(+) Depreciation & amortization
31,038
3.9
91,760
3.7
(+) Interest expense
3,668
0.5
11,425
0.5
(+) Tax expense (tax benefit)
7,663
1.0
(9,088)
(0.4)
EBITDA
$85,180
10.7 %
$113,568
4.6 %
Adjustments
(+) Share-based compensation
2,547
0.3
3,186
0.1
(+) Impairment
0
0.0
418
0.0
(+) Store closing costs associated with MSBC reorganization
0
0.0
3,095
0.1
(+) Proxy contest expenses
0
0.0
4,072
0.2
(+) Corporate restructuring charge
0
0.0
8,743
0.4
(-) Litigation settlement income
(47,422)
(5.9)
(47,422)
(1.9)
Adjusted EBITDA
$40,305
5.1 %
$85,660
3.5 %
Third Quarter Ended
5/2/25
Margin
Nine Months Ended
5/2/25
Margin
Revenue
$821,147
100 %
$2,615,675
100 %
GAAP Net income
12,574
1.5
39,625
1.5
(+) Depreciation & amortization
30,991
3.8
90,379
3.5
(+) Interest expense
4,984
0.6
15,784
0.6
(+) Tax expense (tax benefit)
(2,701)
(0.3)
(4,358)
(0.2)
EBITDA
$45,848
5.6 %
$141,430
5.4 %
Adjustments
(+) Share-based compensation
1,551
0.2
8,056
0.3
(+) Impairment
718
0.1
3,581
0.1
(+) Proxy contest expenses
0
0.0
8,220
0.3
(+) Strategic transformation initiative expenses
0
0.0
7,263
0.3
Adjusted EBITDA
$48,117
5.9 %
$168,550
6.4 %
Investor Contact:
Adam Hanan
(615) 443-9887
Media Contact:
Heidi Pearce
(615) 235-4135
SOURCE Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc.