#customer-backlash

#customer-backlash

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It's astounding to think that a single hot dog cart turned into Costco's iconic food court. The food court has developed a cult-like following thanks to great deals on pizza, hot dogs, sandwiches, and more. There have been a fair amount of changes to its menu over the years with some items disappearing for good after only a brief stint.

Let's not beat around the bush: Panera Bread has had a rough time of it lately. Even one-time loyal customers will probably agree that there are some things that you should just avoid ordering when you do go to Panera, and honestly, it's a surprisingly long list. That's not a great look for any restaurant, but it wasn't always this way.

First, changes to the search landscape, which have companies thinking about visibility and LLM citations over SERPs and clicks, are seen as brand marketing efforts. But brands also made news by taking actions that seem to go against their brand values or upset customers. Southwest Airlines, which for years touted "Bags fly free" started charging for checked bags. Cracker Barrel tried to update its logo and faced a backlash from its customer base that threw the brand into national politics.

"If the last few days have shown us anything, it's how deeply people care about Cracker Barrel. We're truly grateful for your heartfelt voices,"

Users didn't care for the excuses, with many taking to Reddit and Trustpilot to express their dissatisfaction as what they viewed as "poor form," "gaslighting," and profoundly bad business.