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Cracker Barrel is closing all locations of its sister brand, Maple Street Biscuit Company, the company announced on Monday.
The company said in a press release that it has sold its Maple Street brand and the assets tied to its 35 locations to Biscuit Belly LLC. The remaining 16 locations that were not sold will be closed.
The move comes amid a broader Cracker Barrel sell-off in which is completed a sale-leaseback deal of 26 of its locations. That deal netted the company approximately $77 million in net proceeds, according to Fox Business.
Cracker Barrel said it will use the money to pay down its debts while continuing the operate the 26 locations by leasing them from their new owners.
"These efforts reflect the discipline we bring to managing our business and balance sheet as we position Cracker Barrel for long-term success and shareholder value creation," Julie Masino, president and CEO of Cracker Barrel, said in a statement.
Cracker Barrel, which owned Maple Street Biscuit Company, has sold 35 of the locations to Belly Biscuit LLC, and will close the remaining 16 locations (Getty/iStock)
Concerning Maple Street, Masino said that "divesting Maple Street sharpens our focus on the core Cracker Barrel brand and is expected to improve profitability."
Maple Street represented less than 2 percent of Cracker Barrel's annual revenue, according to the company. Cracker Barrel acquired the company for $36 million in 2019.
During its fourth-quarter 2025 earnings call, Cracker Barrel announced that it planned to close 14 Maple Street locations during the 2026 fiscal year.
Biscuit Belly, which bought the bulk of the Maple Street locations, said the acquisition will allow it to expand more quickly beyond the 15 stores it already operates.
The company said it will convert the Maple Street locations into Biscuit Belly stores over the next 18 to 24 months.
Cracker Barrel completed a sale-leaseback deal involving 26 of its locations in July. The company will continue to operate the 26 restaurants but will lease them from the locations’ new owner (Getty/iStock)
“When we looked at Maple Street’s geography, restaurant footprints and established store-level teams, we saw a unique opportunity to grow intentionally in communities that align with our long-term strategy,” the company said in a statement.
Biscuit Belly, which serves biscuits and other breakfast and lunch offerings, will begin its conversions in the greater Cincinnati and Richmond, Virginia areas. The deal is expected to help the company grow to more than 60 locations by the end of 2028.
Meanwhile, Cracker Barrel's move has, according to the company, placed it on track to meet or exceed the high end of its fiscal year 2026 revenue forecast, according to The Street. The company had previously projected revenue of $3.27 billion to $3.30 billion for the fiscal year ending July 31, 2026.
That's surely welcome news for the company, which took a public lashing a year ago when it announced an unpopular but shortlived change to its logo and restaurant concepts, switching from farmer-centric, old country store aesthetics to a more sleek and modern look in an attempt to win over younger clientele.