The De-Southernification of Cracker Barrel
🥞 Uncle Hershel's Shell Game · How the mayor controlled transit conversation · Analyzing D7 · Much more!
Good afternoon, everyone. Jerod delivers the last word on Cracker Barrel... How the mayor controlled the transit conversation... Analyzing D7... And much more!
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Cracker Barrel was the South. Now it’s just another victim of the coastal expert class.
From Jerod Hollyfield
Contrary to recent conventional wisdom, woke-ism is not the cause of Cracker Barrel’s long-term problems and increasing alienation from its base. It’s merely the most obvious symptom. From its rise in the 70s to the early 2000s, Cracker Barrel became an authentic Third Space inseparable from the identities of many middle and working class Southerners because it was more than a business.
Its very existence was built on flouting the cold corporate signifiers of fast food chains and the sit-down restaurants that always made smalltown Southerners a little uncomfortable. It wasn’t punk rock, but it fully embraced the renegade ethos of Cash, Haggard, Lynn, and Parton–a little bit outlaw, but with a downhome dedication to the truth of Southern life–one that has clearly resonated with multiple generations. Until now.
Unlike Parton, who has approached her Dollywood empire and licensing to brands from Duncan Hines to Lodge with a sense of Southern subversiveness, Cracker Barrel has fully embraced the corporate status quo. Beyond current CEO Julie Felss Masino, who, as we previously reported, apparently was still living in Los Angeles this time last year, slick corporate figures in the mold of the former Starbucks and Taco Bell exec occupy every seat on the company’s board.
Most of its members hail from Pennsylvania or coastal cities like Los Angeles. Those from the region such as former Wal Mart exec Gisel Ruiz and former Dollar General President John Garratt joined after tenures at utilitarian Southern companies that Cracker Barrel used to strive to avoid emulating at every turn. Such corporate types are nomads–just as happy in Kansas City or Nashville as Boston as long as they can increase the length of their LinkedIn profiles and mentions in The Wall Street Journal.
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🖋️ Edited by Megan Podsiedlik.
🚇 How The Mayor Controlled The Transit Conversation In light of new information uncovered by the Nashville Business Journal revealing that the mayor’s office requested to postpone discussions with the Boring Company about the Music City Loop until after O’Connell’s transit referendum passed, it's worth looking at the other areas conversations were suppressed during the rollout of Choose How You Move.
Emily Evans, the former councilmember who headed the Committee to Stop an Unfair Tax, which unsuccessfully sued Mayor O’Connell and Metro over the “Choose How You Move” campaign, says the mayor's office and the council suppressed debate about the transportation improvement plan leading up to November’s vote: “On the record, Delicia Porterfield says you got an email about asking questions that suggests you weren't supposed to ask questions.” Evans also pointed out that the mayor’s office, council members, and other Choose How You Move advocates “positioned the referendum as an affordable housing solution, which the courts have now said you can't use the money for that.”
You may recall that during its three readings in the council, the legislation that placed the transit referendum on last November’s ballot passed unanimously on final reading without ever having been discussed on the floor.
🏈 Titans NFL Roster Cuts The Titans made their cuts this week and have since signed back 15 players to their practice squad. According to official reports, they rounded out their 17 man squad by picking up offensive lineman Clay Webb, who was with the Broncos throughout training camp, and defensive back Sam Webb who was waived by the Raiders. None of the Titans’ cuts or waived players were signed to another team’s active roster, which speaks volumes to what the rest of the league thinks of the overall strength of Music City’s franchise.
🗳️ Analysing D7 The fact that the state hasn’t held a special election to fill a vacated congressional seat in 37 years could make the race for District 7 unpredictable for candidates hoping to strategically target voters leading up to election day. According to State Affairs, there’s not much data to go off of as early primary voting approaches in three weeks. While conventional wisdom and factoring in the short timeline may lend the upper hand to the candidate with the most name recognition and money to send out mailers, the emerging influence of right-wing grassroots activism in Tennessee has opened up the possibility for multiple outcomes.
DEVELOPMENT
- Persian cuisine restaurant slated for city’s west side (Post)
- Midtown commercial building fetches $1.6M (Post)
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THINGS TO DO
View our calendar for the week here and for more recs, click here.
📅 Visit our On The Radar list to find upcoming events around Nashville.
🎧 On Spotify: Pamphleteer's Picks, a playlist of our favorite bands in town this week.
👨🏻🌾 Check out our Nashville farmer's market guide.
TONIGHT
🎸 Cole Ritter & The Night Owls @ The Basement, 7p, $12.85, Info
🎸 Elvie Shane @ Exit/In, 8p, $27.37, Info
🎙️ Anderson East @ Ryman Auditorium, 8p, $40+, Info
🪕 The Cowpokes @ Acme Feed & Seed, 12p, Free, Info
🍀 Live Irish Music @ McNamara’s Irish Pub, 6p, Free, Info
🎸 Kelley’s Heroes @ Robert’s Western World, 6:30p, Free, Info
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Today's newsletter is brought to you by Megan Podsiedlik (Nashville), Jerod Hollyfield (Crowd Corner), Camelia Brennan (Local Noise), and Davis Hunt (everything else).