

We call that having Monopoly Control, and it is one the things acquirers look for in a company to buy.

#Maple street biscuit company calories cracker
Why some employees broke down in tears when Moore shared the news of Cracker Barrel’s acquisition.The one interview question Scott Moore uses to determine the fit of a potential hire.There is a lot more in today’s episode including: Maple Street had an entire dictionary of words they used, which collectively rolled up into a brand and ultimately a culture which is what Cracker Barrel found hard to compete against. Restaurant businesses have back-office people who order food and pay invoices, but instead of referring to headquarters in a generic way, Moore calls it “The Family Support Team.” Own the words describing the way you do things: at Maple Street, Moore talks about “gracious service,” which is about treating customers with grace.He refers to employees as “family members” and customers as “guests.” In a nod to the vision Moore had for making his stores a community hub, he refers to store managers as “community leaders.” Own your employee titles: the people in charge of bringing the Maple Street brand to life are the employees, but Moore was careful not to call them that.Instead of a generic fried chicken biscuit you could get from any old fast-food chain, they offered “The Squawking Goat.” Instead of generic-sounding vegetarian biscuit, Maple Street offers “The Iron Goat” (think spinach and goat cheese on a biscuit).


To fund the growth, he put his house up as collateral on a bank loan and personally signed a guarantee that, had Moore failed, would have left him penniless.Īs it turns out, the gamble paid off when the restaurant chain Cracker Barrel acquired Maple Street in November 2019 for $36 million in an all-cash transaction.Ĭracker Barrel didn’t just buy a biscuit company. Emboldened by their early results, Moore wrote a business plan for a massive expansion, which called for building 25 locations across the southeastern United States in just 18 months. Moore invested a chunk of his life savings in the first restaurant, and it was a success. To read a transcript of this episode, click here. They called it The Maple Street Biscuit Company and offered what they refer to as “comfort food with a modern twist.” When Scott Moore’s job as a VP at Winn-Dixie was eliminated in 2012, he decided to start a restaurant with his friend Gus Evans in Jacksonville, Florida.
