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

Correction: The original version of this article stated that Cracker Barrel removed black eyed peas from the menu in 2025 — they were actually removed in 2021.

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.

Cracker Barrel used to be a place where people could get their black eyed pea fix. 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 in 2021, the chain quietly axed the beloved side. And though the chain made the change five years ago, fans are still not happy. One black eyed pea-loving X user wrote in January 2026 that the chain should fire its CEO. 

Perhaps the chain should consider reintroducing the black eyed peas for good luck, because it's been a tough time for Cracker Barrel lately. 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 ever be back on the menu, 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.