Cracker Barrel Questions Qualifications, Motives Of Biglari And Cooley In Bids For Board Seats

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. ("Cracker Barrel" or the "Company") (Nasdaq: CBRL) today sent a letter from Sandra B. Cochran, President and Chief Executive Officer, to shareholders strongly urging them to reaffirm their support for the Company and its exceptional performance over the past year by voting for the Company’s highly qualified slate of nominees to the Board of Directors at the Annual Meeting on November 15, 2012.

In the letter, Ms. Cochran urged shareholders to reject two self-nominated candidates – Sardar Biglari and Phil Cooley – who the Company believes may be attempting to gain creeping control of Cracker Barrel. She noted that Mr. Biglari, after failing to gain a Board seat last year, has returned with Mr. Cooley to seek two Board seats, engaging in what the Company views as intemperate rhetoric, an unknown agenda, and a record of poor corporate governance.

Ms. Cochran wrote: “Mr. Biglari remains inexplicably insistent in his campaign against Cracker Barrel and our Board’s nominees – despite the addition of seven new directors in the past 18 months, our accomplishments on key financial and operational objectives and a 68.4% appreciation in the value of the Company’s shares since the initiation of our strategic priorities announced in September of last year.” ¹

She concluded: “Your Board of Directors strongly believes that electing Mr. Biglari or Mr. Cooley to our Board would be contrary to your best interests at precisely the point when our business is showing strong performance based on a robust business plan that we continue to successfully implement. We urge you to support all ten of your Board’s nominees.”

Text of Letter from Ms. Cochran to Cracker Barrel Shareholders:

October 18, 2012

Dear Cracker Barrel Shareholders:

We are pleased that on November 15, 2012, you will have the opportunity to reaffirm your support for Cracker Barrel Old Country Store and our exceptional performance over the past year by voting for our highly qualified slate of Board nominees at our annual meeting.

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