Cracker Barrel is growing its fast-casual biscuit upstart, Holler & Dash—but don't expect an expansion blowout just yet. The plan calls for opening just a single additional unit, not far from the prototype.
Unlike that first store, the second unit will remain open through dinner.
The concept features biscuit sandwiches and Southern flavors. Any changes in the menu for the second store were not revealed.
Cracker Barrel announced yesterday after releasing its quarterly earnings that it will open the second Holler & Dash late this summer.
Cracker Barrel CEO Sandy Cochran said in a follow-up conference call with analysts that her team is pleased with the performance of the first Holler & Dash. “While we’re excited about this brand, I want to emphasize we do not expect it to have a meaningful impact on our financial results for the next one to two years,” she said.
The original Holler & Dash location, opened in March outside of Birmingham, Ala., has been met with positive guest reception thus far, said Cochran. So for the next store, the company isn’t venturing too far. And it’s sticking to its prime demographic of millennials; the new unit will be located in Tuscaloosa on the University of Alabama campus.
Why a college town? “We continue to seek locations that allow us to bring our biscuit house concept to the urban core and reach a younger, millennial audience,” says Holler & Dash COO Mike Chissler. So unlike the Birmingham site that closes daily at 2 p.m., this location will cater to the student schedule and expand beyond normal brunch hours, staying open until 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.
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