Cracker Barrel to pay outgoing CEO’s security costs, $4.6M in exit fees after failed rebrand attempt: reports - New York Post

What the report says

The New York Post, citing regulatory filings and reports from Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal, reported that Cracker Barrel will pay security costs for outgoing CEO Julie Felss Masino after her departure, with the duration left to the board’s judgment of what is reasonably needed. Masino is scheduled to leave the CEO role on Aug. 10, remain as an adviser into the fall and depart the company in October. The Journal also reported she is set to receive $4.6 million in exit payments over two years.

The Lebanon, Tennessee-based restaurant chain is moving leadership after a widely criticized brand overhaul. The Post said the effort, led under Masino, sought to modernize stores and alter the company logo by removing the Uncle Herschel figure, but was quickly reversed after backlash from customers and public criticism that included President Trump. The article says the controversy coincided with declines in the company’s stock and store sales, though analysts recently described Masino’s exit as unexpected because the business had begun to recover from 2025 declines.

Cracker Barrel’s incoming CEO, David Deno, is being offered a $1 million annual salary, $465,000 in relocation support to Nashville, a corporate apartment and twice-monthly travel to his St. Petersburg, Florida, home for up to six months, according to the Journal as cited by the Post. The Post said Cracker Barrel did not answer its questions about how much has already been spent on Masino’s security.

The reported security arrangement comes amid broader concern about threats to high-profile executives. The Post cited recent corporate security examples and expert commentary indicating that post-employment protection for CEOs is unusual, but companies have been reassessing executive safety risks.