In our first Executive Spotlight of the year Loyalty360 CEO Mark Johnson dives into an energizing conversation with Amy Barnett, the Vice President of Digital Experience and Loyalty at Cracker Barrel, as part of the Leaders in Customer Loyalty Series . From spearheading a loyalty program that now drives 30% of Cracker Barrel’s sales to shaping an iconic brand’s transformation in today’s rapidly evolving dining landscape, Amy reveals her playbook for success.
This interview is packed with fresh insights on harnessing the "power couple" of first- and third-party data, leveraging generative AI for personalization, and shaking up outdated technology strategies. Plus, Amy shares her career secrets, her passion for mentorship, and the advice she’d give to the next generation of loyalty professionals. Don’t miss this dynamic conversation with one of the industry's most dynamic leaders, she’ll leave you inspired and ready to level up your customer loyalty strategy!
Read the excerpt below and listen to the entire interview wherever you get your podcasts.
Mark Johnson: Can you please provide us with a little bit of background on your role at Cracker Barrel?
Amy Barnett: I'm the Vice President of Digital Experience and Loyalty, and in the Cracker Barrel world, that means that I manage the digital ecosystem, which includes the website. So, when you come to
CrackerBarrel.com , we lead product development, product prioritization, the UX, the UI, and the user experience.
When you download our app, it’s inclusive of our digital guest experience in the app, which is not just a rewards app but also a menu and restaurant app.
The other two pieces of the business I manage are the Rewards Program, which launched about 18 months ago, and guest experience. It’s important to me to think about "Capital L" Loyalty, which means it’s so much more than the rewards program and the data we collect. It’s about evolving the entire brand experience, rooted in data and insights, to enhance customer experience across both our stores and digital properties. Our goal is to extend customer lifetime value and get our guests to come back and want more.
Mark: How does Cracker Barrel work to meet the evolving needs and expectations of today’s customers and guests?
Amy: That’s a great question, and it’s such a timely one. As of January 14th, 2025, you’ve probably read in the press or seen Julie [Woodhouse, CEO of Cracker Barrel] discussing our brand transformation.
Like any amazing brand, we are evolving. Cracker Barrel is embracing its history, heritage, and the iconic experience we’re known for while adapting to today’s guest feedback and the changing restaurant dynamic. Since 2020, the industry has shifted, from dietary preferences and budget concerns to flavor trends and how guests engage with brands.
We’re actively listening to guest feedback across many mediums, which drives this transformation. That’s a big part of why I’m here—to provide the data foundation and insights to help Cracker Barrel continue evolving.
Mark: You’ve done an amazing job launching a very successful customer loyalty program while also evolving the store and food offerings. How does the customer loyalty program help meet these evolving guest needs?
Amy: It plays a very significant part. Julie has shared publicly that 30% of our sales now come through the rewards program. That’s a huge amount of first-party data in our customer data platforms (CDPs).
We complement that with third-party data, which I like to call the "power couple" of data. First-party data shows us what customers do within our walls, while third-party data gives us a broader view of consumer behavior across the industry. We can look at macro trends like where guests are dining for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and combine that with what we know about them through first-party insights.
This data blend drives transformation in everything from retail merchandise selection to food value offerings. For example, it’s January, so everyone is in "value mode." You can’t turn on your TV without seeing value meals promoted, and we’re no different.
Mark: For those who don’t know, you have a storied history in customer loyalty. What is it about loyalty programs that has kept you in this industry for so long?
Amy: How blessed are we, Mark, to be in this ever-changing industry?
I’ve always been drawn to data and technology. Early in my career, I saw the beautiful blend between technology, data, and marketing. That intersection keeps evolving, from the advent of the World Wide Web to today’s advanced data platforms and tools.
What I love most is that the core principles—understanding consumer behavior and staying true to the customer—haven’t changed. What has changed is how we gather, analyze, and act on that data. It’s dynamic and exciting, and it never gets boring.
Also, this industry is still very relationship-based, even with all the technology we use. That human aspect keeps me passionate about what I do.
Mark: You’ve launched and enhanced several customer loyalty programs. What’s your secret to success?
Amy: My secret weapon is the combination of data-driven insights with a strong creative communications plan.
Data and insights need to form the foundation of any loyalty program, but you also need great creative strategies to connect with your customers emotionally and communicate effectively. For example, if you’re not on the Cracker Barrel email list, you should check it out—it’s very strong!
Another secret is to continually evaluate your technology stack. Technology shouldn’t be static. Be willing to test, learn, and pivot to better tools when necessary. It’s easy to get married to outdated technology, but that can hold you back.
Mark: If you could ask one question to someone else running a customer loyalty program, and they had to answer it, what would you ask?
Amy: How are you using Generative AI? It’s such a hot topic right now. At Cracker Barrel, we’re exploring Gen AI in areas like customer service, personalization, content creation, and fraud prevention. It’s exciting, but the challenge is using it safely and effectively.
Mark: What’s the best work advice you’ve ever received?
Amy: Two pieces stand out: There is no room in business to take things personally. The sooner you can remove your feeling that somebody is directing something at you personally, the more mature and the higher emotional intelligence you will have.
The other piece of advice, which is directly in our space, is one of the hardest lessons I learned early in my career. I had a huge program, and my analytics team held out too small of a control cell. It did not give us the read of the entire two years of work that we had done because our control group was too small to actually read the results.
Mark: So, make sure you have the right size control group
Amy: That’s right.
Mark: What’s the biggest difference between working on the agency side versus the brand side?
Amy: Great question. On the agency side, you get incredible breadth of experience. You work on different industries, learn from creative directors, process directors, and technology teams, and you’re constantly exposed to new challenges.
On the brand side, it’s all about depth. You own the entire journey—from strategic conception to execution, measurement, and improvement. While you don’t get the same breadth, you gain a deep understanding of how everything works within the business.
For me, it’s been about blending the two. My agency background gave me the tools to partner strategically with teams, but now, on the brand side, I get to take ownership and see projects through from start to finish.
Mark: What do you value most about the Loyalty360 community?
Amy: What you’ve built, Mark, is incredible. You’ve created a safe space where loyalty professionals can share best practices and learn from one another. Every single person in our space on any day has like 25 jobs. We're financial analysts, we are operation specialists, we're analysts, you name it. We are a little bit of all of those things. You have brought so many like -minded professionals together in a community for us to have a safe place to learn from each other and brainstorm. We are sharing KPIs, we are sharing best practices with technology or how we're using Gen AI. We're not stealing this from each other. What we're doing is evolving the guest experience to be better at the end of the day.
Mark: We like to end these with some words of wisdom for your marketers or customer loyalty professionals who may not be as tenured as you and I are. What are some things they should be considering with regard to their growth, helping them develop effective customer loyalty strategies and elevating the customer experience?
Amy: So there's two things. One is curiosity and ask the question. If you need to know, don't be afraid to ask. Be curious, explore, probe because, guaranteed, if somebody newer has a question, chances are, it's probably bringing new insight or new thought to something. So be curious and maintain your curiosity, honestly, throughout your whole career. Never stop being curious. Always be a learner, always be observant. The second one is courage. Have the courage to use your voice. One of the pieces of advice I got very early on was “It can be overwhelming to sit in a room of executives who know each other or have worked together for years and as somebody newly in that room, newly sitting around that table, have the courage to use your voice.” People, you're there, you've earned your way there. We want to hear from you, especially those of you who are just starting your career or learning. We're hiring you, we put you in a position, so be curious, continue to ask the questions and have the courage to use your voice, speak out.
Watch the full interview here.
Listen to the podcast here.