Cracker Barrel's board huddled to consider options after a botched rebranding campaign kicked up a culture war-fueled maelstrom nearly a year ago, with even President Trump weighing in. Some directors asked Chief Executive Julie Masino if she was still up for managing a company through a controversy that had also threatened her own security, according to people familiar with the matter.

Julie Masino quietly blessed efforts to find her successor as she publicly charted a path out of the controversial rebranding. Cracker Barrel announced in July that Julie Masino would depart this month, succeeded by restaurant industry veteran David Deno. The board began exploring succession options after the botched rebranding campaign caused the company's valuation to plunge, and an activist campaign targeted board directors.

Under her separation agreement, Cracker Barrel agreed to pay Masino $4.6 million over a two-year period and continue providing benefits. The departure marks the end of a turbulent chapter for the restaurant chain, which faced intense public scrutiny and investor pressure following the ill-fated rebranding effort.