660 company-owned Cracker Barrel Old Country Store locations across 43 states pass to a new operator on August 10, 2026. David Deno takes the chief executive and board seats that date; Julie Masino vacates both simultaneously and stays in an advisory capacity through October 9, 2026. Cracker Barrel (Nasdaq: CBRL) disclosed the succession in an 8-K filed July 27, 2026, following what independent Chairman Carl Berquist described as a comprehensive search process.
Deno's operating resume
Deno brings more than four decades of restaurant and retail experience to Lebanon, Tenn. The most recent stop: CEO of Bloomin' Brands (Nasdaq: BLMN) from 2019 to 2024, a five-year run that followed seven years as Bloomin' Brands' Executive Vice President and CFO, from 2012 to 2019. That CFO tenure covered the company's initial public offering.
Before Bloomin' Brands, Deno logged 15 years in senior operations and finance positions at Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM) and Pizza Hut, holding the CFO and COO titles at Yum! Brands and the CFO title at Pizza Hut before Yum! acquired the chain. He also served as President of Asia and CFO of the International Division at Best Buy and began his career at Burger King Corporation. He currently holds board seats at Krispy Kreme, Inc. and Panera Brands.
The transition structure
Masino's advisory period runs August 10 to October 9, 2026. The 8-K discloses no compensation terms for Deno and no severance arrangement for Masino. Berquist, in prepared remarks attached to the filing, credited Masino with "leadership and commitment" without tying those words to any operational or financial metrics from her tenure.
What Deno inherits
Cracker Barrel has run a fully company-owned model since the first location opened in Lebanon, Tenn. in 1969. All 660 stores sit on the company's own books across 43 states. No franchise buffer absorbs unit-level underperformance; it flows directly to the P&L. The board's stated rationale for the hire is Deno's track record across Bloomin' Brands, Yum! Brands, and Pizza Hut. He sits in the chair August 10.