Cracker Barrel Proxy Shows $6,928,561 In Pay For Masino, Though Deno Now Runs The Company
The annual proxy shows $6,928,561 in fiscal 2026 pay for former CEO Julie Masino; David Deno has been CEO since August 2026.
Cracker Barrel's annual proxy, filed Tuesday, lists former President and CEO Julie Masino, who led the company through fiscal 2026, with $6,928,561 in total compensation. The same filing names David Deno as President and CEO since August 2026.
What the proxy says
Shareholders will vote on four items. They include a shareholder proposal and the advisory vote on executive pay, where the board asks for a "FOR" vote.
All nine current directors are nominees. The proxy says Deno is the only one holding a management role, and the other eight were found independent under Nasdaq rules. Each nominee would serve until the 2027 annual meeting if elected.
Bonus targets and the rebranding backlash
The proxy reportedly changed executive bonus targets in response to the customer backlash over the company's logo and remodel rebranding, according to law.com. The same report said retiring general counsel Richard Wolfson earned nearly $1.7 million.
Law.com described the backlash as having disrupted business in a bruising year that preceded Deno's arrival.
Board ties and the business backdrop
Deno previously ran Bloomin' Brands. The proxy shows two sitting directors, Jody Bilney and John Garratt, also have ties to Bloomin' Brands or Yum! Brands-era peers in the restaurant industry.
Fourth-quarter restaurant traffic fell 6.1% year over year, according to a Yahoo Finance report. The stock closed at $56.32 on Tuesday.
The vote on executive pay, and on the shareholder proposal, is where the reported bonus-target changes will meet shareholders.
Correction, October 8, 2026: An earlier version of this story described Julie Masino as Cracker Barrel's CEO; the proxy lists her as its former President and Chief Executive Officer.
Sources
- Cracker Barrel — DEF 14A (2026-10-06) — SEC EDGAR
- Cracker Barrel's Retiring GC Earned $1.7M in Final Year Amid Rebranding Fallout, Sales Slump | Law.com — law.com
- Cracker Barrel (CBRL) Holds Dividend Steady: Pragmatic Capital Discipline or Signal on Growth Ambitions? — Yahoo Finance
- Kraft Foods Group Brands LLC v. Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. et al — law360.com
- Can Cracker Barrel Sustain EBITDA Growth Beyond a $15M Tariff Refund? — Yahoo Finance
- Here Is Why Bargain Hunters Would Love Fast-paced Mover Cracker Barrel (CBRL) — Yahoo Finance
