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Cracker Barrel fan's viral TikTok sparks backlash over restaurant makeover

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Cracker Barrel fan's viral TikTok sparks backlash over restaurant makeover

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store restaurants have been around since 1969, nestled strategically off interstates to attract drivers with their convenience, southern hospitality, range of food options and affordable menu prices.

But Cracker Barrel may be losing its charm amid a physical makeover, according to some.

Rachel Love, a 38-year-old Tennessee resident and self-proclaimed Cracker Barrel fan, recently caught the restaurant chain’s attention with her social media video.

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“When Cracker Barrel took away the last piece of nostalgia you had left,” Love captioned in a TikTok video last month as she showed the inside of an updated location. (See the video at the top of this article.)

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The post has amassed thousands of comments from other Cracker Barrel lovers, many of whom disapprove of the new look and prefer the original concept.

Rachel Love shared a TikTok video showing the changes to the walls of a Cracker Barrel restaurant in Tennessee. (Rachel Love/@rachelallthelove)

Love told Fox News Digital she was in “shock” when she first saw the white walls and giant mural on the side of the restaurant near her parents’ house.

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“I thought they were priming it to paint it brown again,” she said.

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The interior décor had also been altered.

A Cracker Barrel location in Tennessee is painted white with murals on the side of the building. (Rachel Love)

“There’s no antiques on the wall,” Love said. “The only antiques they have were on the fireplace mantle.”

‘Very transparent’

Cracker Barrel chief marketing officer Sarah Moore said all the things that people love about the Tennessee restaurant chain aren’t going away.

“Over the past year, we have been very transparent about our transformation platform,” Moore told Fox News Digital. “One of our strategies is really centered on that physical guest experience.”

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Cracker Barrel has been testing “various levels of remodels,” Moore told Fox News Digital.

“It’s all about evolution with intentionality,” she said. “We’ve been very transparent about our goal of making our stores feel brighter and even more welcoming than they already are, while maintaining that country hospitality and charm that we’re known for.”

Cracker Barrel has been in business since 1969, but it is undergoing changes. (Tim Boyle/Getty Images)

That includes the brand’s signature rocking chairs and peg games.

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“None of that is going away,” Moore said. “We’re just looking at ways to freshen up the experience so that we can open our door a bit wider for more guests.”

Love said she’s been contacted by Cracker Barrel employees wishing to remain anonymous who said the souvenir store – a popular way for customers to pass the time while waiting for a table – is part of the revamp.

Moore said there’s no reason to worry.

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“The retail store is such a differentiator for us. It is such an important part of our overall experience. Things of that nature, the things that make us truly who we are — that’s not changing.”

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“Thank you for loving Cracker Barrel as much as we do!”

Still, Love’s video created such buzz that Cracker Barrel reached out with a peace offering that included a gift basket full of knickknacks. 

“Hi Rachel! Just a little something to say thank you for loving Cracker Barrel as much as we do! Your Friends, Cracker Barrel,” a note on the card read.

Rachel Love shows off the letter she received from Cracker Barrel in response to her viral TikTok video. (Fox News Digital)

Moore said Cracker Barrel listens to its customers.

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“What the guests asked for are things like spaces that feel brighter, that feel less cluttered, more booth seating, more seating options, so our guests are more comfortable while they’re dining with us,” she said.

‘Menu evolution’

Love said she believes the quality of the food has declined in recent years. “I think they’re trying to save on the food costs,” she said.

Cracker Barrel added alcohol a few years ago – something Love said wasn’t necessary.

“If I’m out at a nice dinner, I’ll drink,” she said. “I’m not going to Cracker Barrel to drink.”

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Guests can also expect more menu changes. “Similar to our remodel strategy, menu evolution has also been a clear pillar within our transformation framework,” Moore told Fox News Digital.

Cracker Barrel is “doubling down on our breakfast, which is a strength for us, but also expanding our dinner offerings.”

The “campfire” meals, absent since 2018, recently returned to the menu, along with the all-new Campfire Shrimp Skillet, “an incredible value,” Moore said.

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“I don’t think we get enough credit for the value that we offer,” Moore said. “We offer so many ways to find value in your own way when you come to Cracker Barrel. If you think about it, our average check is $14 compared to $27 for the casual dining industry. Delicious food in abundance has always been part of our value equation.”

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Cracker Barrel’s Campfire Shrimp Skillet is new to the menu in 2025. (Cracker Barrel)

Love hopes the responses to her video will lead Cracker Barrel to tamp down on the cosmetic changes and focus more on the food.

“Prepare it with love like it used to be. That’s where it all starts,” she said. “The food has to get better. Just adding new options is not going to change how people feel about it.”

Cracker Barrel, however, suggested it has an eye on the future while recognizing its past. 

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“Everything we’re doing is deeply rooted in who we are,” Moore said. “It’s just, how do we carry forward those things that have made us so beloved for the last 55 years? How do we set up for the next 55 years?”

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Virginia murder suspect in bus stop stabbing had lengthy criminal history, multiple dropped charges

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Virginia murder suspect in bus stop stabbing had lengthy criminal history, multiple dropped charges

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A Virginia murder suspect accused of fatally stabbing a woman at a bus stop earlier this week has a lengthy criminal history filled with multiple arrests, but was let back onto the streets nearly every time. 

Abdul Jalloh, 32, is charged with the Monday night killing of Stephanie Minter, 41, of Fredericksburg, at a bus stop shelter, the Fairfax County Police Department said. 

Minter was found by officers with stab wounds to her upper body and pronounced dead at the scene, police said. 

Abdul Jalloh, 32, is accused of killing Stephanie Minter, 41, at a Virginia bus stop.  (Fairfax County Police Department; provided)

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Jalloh, 32, who was seen on surveillance cameras exiting the bus with Minter at Richmond Highway and Arlington Drive, was arrested the next day. 

He was arrested at a liquor store after an employee called 911. At the time, officers arrested him for allegedly shoplifting. Investigators linked him to the murder a day later. 

Authorities were still trying to determine a motive for the killing and what led to the deadly stabbing. 

A search of online court records revealed Jalloh has more than a dozen arrests in northern Virginia, including on charges of petty larceny and malicious wounding. 

In most of the cases, prosecutors dropped the charges, FOX D.C. reported. 

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Abdul Jalloh seen on a bus in Virginia.  (Fairfax County Police Department)

Laura Birnbaum, the chief of staff for Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano, said Jalloh was known to the district attorney’s office and was “acutely aware of the risk he posed to the community.”

“That is why we convicted the defendant of a 2023 malicious wounding charge, and have since made every effort to hold him accountable each subsequent time that he has come in contact with the criminal justice system, including asking him to be held in custody whenever possible,” Birnbaum said. 

“Unfortunately, the defendant in this case also had a history of selecting victims with no fixed address – some of the most vulnerable members of our community,” she added. “In multiple cases, we were unable to move forward with prosecution because victims could not be located or contacted.”

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Stephanie Minter, 41, was killed on Monday after getting off of a bus in Virginia.  (Provided)

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An obituary for Minter described her as a “happy, jolly” person. 

“A beam of light in dark places,” the obituary states. 

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Dem governor under fire after illegal alien allegedly stabs woman to death at bus stop: ‘Heinous’

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Dem governor under fire after illegal alien allegedly stabs woman to death at bus stop: ‘Heinous’

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EXCLUSIVE: The Department of Homeland Security is calling on Virginia’s Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger to ensure local law enforcement cooperates with federal immigration officials by handing over an illegal immigrant with a lengthy criminal record who allegedly killed a woman earlier this week at a Virginia bus stop.

Police in Fairfax County, Virginia, arrested an illegal immigrant from Sierra Leone earlier this week on charges of second-degree murder after he allegedly fatally stabbed a woman, Stephanie Minter, 41, who was found dead at a local bus stop with several wounds to the upper body. 

The alleged suspect, Abdul Jalloh, 32, also has a criminal history of more than 30 arrests, according to DHS, including for rape, malicious wounding, assault, identity theft, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, assault and pick-pocketing.   

The request from the Trump administration comes after the newly elected Democratic governor of Virginia signed an executive order to end cooperation between federal immigration officials and state and local law enforcement, a move several Democratic Party governors have taken recently amid President Donald Trump’s move to increase deportation operations around the country. 

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The DHS request asking Virginia officials to cooperate with ICE also comes after an illegal immigrant allegedly murdered someone just days after being released from jail for a separate crime in December.

Abdul Jalloh, 32, and Gov. Abigail Spanberger  (Department of Homeland Security/Getty Images)

“We are calling on Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger and Virginia’s sanctuary politicians to commit to not releasing this murderer and violent career criminal from their jail without notifying ICE,” said Deputy Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis. 

“This illegal alien’s murder of an innocent, beautiful American woman came less than 24 hours before Governor Spanberger’s demonization of ICE law enforcement. This heinous criminal is a perfect example of why we need cooperation from sanctuary jurisdictions and the importance of third country removals for the safety of the American people.”

Spanberger’s representatives did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

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Jalloh entered the United States illegally in 2012, according to DHS, and immigration officials lodged an immigration detainer against him in 2020, whereupon he was granted a final order of removal by a judge who said he could be removed to any country other than Sierra Leone. 

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Protesters, using whistles to alert neighborhoods to ICE activity, face off with Minneapolis police officers in Minneapolis Jan. 24, 2026.  (Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images)

DHS indicated that ICE cooperation to ensure Jalloh’s deportation is evident after a case Fox News covered in December when a criminal illegal alien from El Salvador, Marvin Morales-Ortez, 23, allegedly killed a man just a day after Fairfax County jail officials let him go. 

The immigrant from El Salvador had been in custody on charges of malicious wounding and brandishing a gun, but police released him after the Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, led by George Soros-backed prosecutor Steve Descano, dropped the charges. 

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Fox News Digital reached out to the Fairfax County Sheriff’s office to inquire about why the man had not been handed over to ICE. 

The sheriff’s office said, “ICE was aware of Morales-Ortez’s incarceration and elected not to seek a judicial warrant to ensure he remained in custody.

Marvin Morales-Ortez, who is living in the country illegally, was released from Fairfax County custody and then allegedly committed a murder the next day. (Fairfax County Police Department/Getty Images)

“The Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office follows all local, state and federal laws when determining whether a person is subject to release from the ADC,” the sheriff’s office told Fox News Digital at the time. “Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is automatically notified any time a person is booked into the ADC.”

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The same sheriff’s office did not get back to Fox News Digital’s media inquiry for this story on DHS urging officials to cooperate with federal officials. 

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Illegal immigrant arrested after showing up to Florida Border Patrol office for contract IT work

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Illegal immigrant arrested after showing up to Florida Border Patrol office for contract IT work

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FIRST ON FOX: An illegal immigrant who reported to a U.S. Border Patrol site in Florida to perform some Information technology contractual work was arrested when authorities were made aware of his citizenship status, officials said. 

Angel Camacho, a Venezuelan citizen, reported to a USBP center in Dania Beach, Florida, Jan. 6 to do some IT work when U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials began vetting him, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told Fox News Digital. 

During its investigation, it was revealed Camacho was in violation of U.S. immigration laws, authorities said. 

Angel Camacho reported to a Florida U.S. Border Patrol center to perform contractual work when he was arrested, a Department of Homeland Security official said.  (Getty Images )

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“CBP vets all external visitors before allowing them to enter secure facilities to ensure safety and operational integrity,” DHS Deputy Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement. 

“During the vetting process, CBP uncovered this individual was a tourist visa overstay in the country for over five years.”

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This photo shows a U.S. Border Patrol patch on a border agent’s uniform in McAllen, Texas, Jan. 15, 2019. (Suzanne CordeiroAFP via Getty Images)

Camacho was arrested and transferred to ICE custody, Bis said. 

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His criminal history includes theft and resisting a Florida Highway Patrol officer, officials said. Federal authorities have nabbed several illegal immigrants in the process of trying to obtain employment in law enforcement and education. 

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One Sierra Leone citizen was recently arrested as he was training to become a Pennsylvania corrections officer. 

Another illegal immigrant, Ian Roberts, served as the former superintendent of Iowa’s largest district, Des Moines Public Schools, before he was arrested by ICE. 

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