Cracker Barrel Is Jumping On The Fast-Casual Profit Chain

Cracker Barrel, the restaurant forever known as "the family vacation rest stop with the delicious waffles," is looking to be more than just a gift shop/pit stop combo of Southern comfort food. Cracker Barrel announced that it will be opening a fast-casual-style restaurant by summer 2016, apparently looking to cash in on the booming success of fast casual concepts like Chipotle and Panera.

The concept is still in the works, so not many other details are known about Cracker Barrel's fast-casual attempt. A menu of chicken and waffle varieties? Build-your-own biscuit sandwiches? Perhaps a Thanksgiving-inspired menu à la Boston Market?

"We believe, and third-party consumer research supports, that the Cracker Barrel brand is the most unique and differentiated brand in full-service dining, with high levels of customer loyalty and satisfaction," Janella Escobar, a Cracker Barrel spokeswoman, said in a statement. "We expect our fast-casual concept to leverage the strength of our brand while providing a different type of guest experience."

We'll be happy as long as there are rocking chairs inside the new fast-casual Cracker Barrel.