Cracker Barrel Quietly Axed This Southern New Years Tradition (And Customers Are Furious)

I'm not superstitious, but I do observe one Southern tradition for a financially flush year. I eat black eyed peas, collard greens, and cornbread on New Year's day. According to legend, the peas represent coins, the greens represent cash, and the cornbread represents gold.

This year, fans who planned to rely on Cracker Barrel for their black eyed pea fix might want to start pinching their pennies. The home-style, fast-casual chain indulged the New Year's tradition for years, even offering free black eyed peas as part of its New Year's Day promotions. But this year, the chain quietly axed the beloved side. Fans were not happy. One X user wrote that the chain should fire its CEO. 

The change comes at a tough time for Cracker Barrel. Last summer, the old country store launched a modern rebrand with disastrous results. The chain swapped its old-fashioned Americana interiors for grey, industrial design and removed the image of a man leaning against a barrel from its iconic logo. Fans accused the chain of alienating its base and stripping the store of personality. The backlash was so intense that the brand did a complete 180, reinstating its old logo and firing the design firm behind the change.

"We have a brand reputation issue that we are working through, and that takes rebuilding trust one guest at a time," CEO Julie Felss Masino said in an investor call where she responded to a drop in revenue following the changes. In addition to keeping its old look, the brand promised to re-train kitchen staff and bring back menu favorites like Uncle Herschel's breakfast, Campfire Meals, and chicken and rice. There's no word as to whether black eyed peas will be back on the menu next year, though.

Cracker Barrel's chief marketing officer, Sarah Moore, told Fox News that she's a fan of the dish herself, noting that she makes it "every single year." Still, she couldn't promise that it would come back. "It is something we will continue to look at as we build out our pipeline," she said.

Currently, both black eyed peas and collard greens are missing from the online menu at my local Cracker Barrel. Instead, customers can order "Beans and Greens," a side featuring pinto beans and turnip greens served with corn muffins; a pale imitation. Here's hoping that Cracker Barrel brings back black eyed peas for 2027. The chain could use the good luck.