Creative Director

Why Cracker Barrel

What is it like to work at Cracker Barrel? It feels like...

• Care Beyond The Table At Cracker Barrel, we are a team. From the moment you join Cracker Barrel, you should feel cared for, confident in your role and like you belong.

• Opportunities To Fill Your Cup Here at Cracker Barrel, we believe in providing opportunities for growth and development and setting you up for success within our walls and beyond. From day one, you'll have hands-on, role-specific training and the ability to engage in peer-to-peer learning.

• A Warm Welcome For five decades, we have focused on creating a Pleasing People brand that inspires a "home away from home" feeling for each other and our guests. We work hard to inspire a sense of belonging that continually motivates our teams from the newest to the most tenured employees.

Serving Up The Care And Career You Crave.

What You'll Do

Will spearhead the creative vision and execution of brand identity, marketing campaigns, and customer experiences. This role requires a leader with a keen eye for design and storytelling, coupled with the operational acumen to lead an internal agency function. The Director Creative will collaborate across departments (marketing and beyond) to ensure the brand is consistently and authentically represented while driving customer engagement and business growth.

Creative Strategy & Leadership

• Develop and implement a cohesive creative strategy aligned with the brand's mission and goals.
• Lead creative development for branding, marketing materials, menus, digital campaigns, in-restaurant experiences, packaging, merch, internal needs, and special projects.
• Partner with external agencies on concept creation for seasonal promotions, new menu launches, and events.
• Stay ahead of industry trends, ensuring the brand remains fresh, innovative, and competitive.

Team Leadership & Collaboration

• Manage and inspire a team of producers, designers, photographers, and freelancers
• Partner with VP Marketing Communications to build a business case and plan for team expansion, attracting top creative talent to Cracker Barrel.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, creativity, and accountability across the creative team and broader organization.

Operational Execution

• Translate creative ideas into actionable plans that meet budgetary and time constraints.
• Develop systems and processes to streamline workflows and optimize creative output.
• Ensure consistency and quality across all brand touchpoints, from digital platforms to physical locations.

Customer Experience & Brand Identity

• Shape in-restaurant design elements, from ambiance to branded materials, ensuring a cohesive customer journey.
• Maintain and evolve the brand's voice, visual identity, and storytelling across channels.
• Collaborate on packaging, signage, and other customer-facing materials to enhance the brand experience.
• Oversee digital content development to support web, app and Cracker Barrel Rewards applications inline with digital and brand templates.

What You'll Need

Experience and Education:

• Bachelor's degree in Design, Marketing, Communications, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
• 7+ years of experience in creative leadership, preferably in the restaurant, hospitality, or retail industry.

Knowledge and Skills:

• Proven ability to develop and execute innovative marketing and branding strategies.
• Strong leadership skills with experience managing cross-functional teams and external vendors.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to present and advocate for creative ideas.
• Operational mindset with a focus on delivering results within deadlines and budgets.
• Proficiency in design software and familiarity with digital marketing trends.
• Comprehensive understanding of brand identity development and maintenance.
• Expertise in restaurant, hospitality, or retail marketing strategies and trends.
• Strong grasp of storytelling principles and their application across mediums.
• Familiarity with digital marketing platforms, including social media, email marketing, and web design.
• Knowledge of design software and tools (e.g., Adobe Creative Suite, Canva).
• Insights into consumer behavior and customer experience optimization.
• Awareness of budget management and project cost forecasting.
• Ability to conceptualize and guide high-impact creative projects from ideation to execution.
• Balancing creativity with a results-oriented mindset to meet business objectives.
• Excellent verbal and written communication, including presenting creative ideas and receiving feedback constructively.
• Strong interpersonal skills for working with cross-functional teams (e.g., marketing, operations, HR, culinary).
• Ensuring all creative outputs align with brand standards and are of the highest quality.
• Ability to pivot strategies in response to market trends or operational needs.

Environment and Working Conditions:

• Must be present at our in-house content studio facility at least 3 out of 5 working days a week.

What's In It For You

• Compensation and Bonuses: Competitive Annual Salary | Annual Bonus Opportunities

• Care for Your Well-being: Medical, Rx, Dental and Vision Benefits on Day 1| Life Insurance and Disability Coverage | Paid Vacation/Employee Assistance Program

• Growth and Development: Business Resource Groups | Tuition Reimbursement | Professional Development

• Invest in Your Future: 401k Plan with Company Matching Contributions at 90 Days | Employee Stock Purchase Program

• Even More to Look Forward To: 35% Discount on Cracker Barrel Food and Retail Items

About Us

For more than 50 years, we have committed to serving up a sense of warmth and hospitality across hundreds of stores across the country. We believe in providing opportunities for growth and development for our 70,000 plus team members and take pride and comfort in that enduring Cracker Barrel hospitality. It's something our employees and guests can count on now and into the future as we welcome new employees, guests, and experiences. Just like uncovering a delightful find in our stores, there is potential for discovery and fulfillment in every job at Cracker Barrel.

Pursue The Career You CraveApply Now

Cracker Barrel is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants are considered for all positions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, genetic information, national origin, age, marital status, medical condition, disability or any other class expressly protected by law.