Research Article
BibTex RIS Cite
Year 2019, Volume: 7 Issue: 2, 258 - 276, 16.12.2019
https://doi.org/10.30519/ahtr.537204

Abstract

References

  • Bringing the Cracker Barrel Look to Life (n.d.). Cracker Barrel. Retrieved February 6, 2019, from https://crackerbarrel.com/about/bringing-the-cracker-barrel-look-to-life
  • Cracker Barrel Old Country Store® Opens New Store in North Las Vegas, Nevada. (2016). Cracker Barrel. Retrieved April 2, 2018, from https://crackerbarrel.com/newsroom/news-releases/2016/oct/north-las-vegas-opening
  • Cracker Barrel Opens New Store in Morganton. (2015). Cracker Barrel. Retrieved April 2, 2018, from https://crackerbarrel.com/newsroom/news-releases/2015/jul/cracker-barrel-opens-new-store-in-morganton
  • Crang, M. (2005). Analysing qualitative materials. In R. Flowerdew & D. Martin (Eds.), Methods in Human Geography: A Guide for Students Doing a Research Project (pp. 218-232). New York: Pearson Education Limited.
  • Csurgó, B., & Megyesi, B. (2016). The role of small towns in local place making. European Countryside, 8(4), 427-443. https://doi.org/10.1515/euco-2016-0029
  • Cuba, L., & Hummon, D. M. (1993). Constructing a sense of home: place affiliation and migration across the life cycle. Sociological Forum, 8(4), 547-572. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01115211.
  • DeLyser, D. (1999). Authenticity on the ground: Engaging the past in a California ghost town. Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 89(4), 602-632.
  • DeBres, K., & Sowers, J. (2009). The emergence of standardized, idealized, and placeless landscapes in Midwestern main street postcards. The Professional Geographer, 61(2), 216-230. https://doi.org/10.1080/00330120902736062.
  • Echtner, C. M. (1999). The semiotic paradigm: Implications for tourism research. Tourism management, 20(1), 47-57.
  • Frequently Asked Questions (n.d.). Cracker Barrel. Retrieved April 2, 2018, from https://crackerbarrel.com/connect/faqs.
  • Fowler, A. R., & Lipscomb, C. A. (2010). Building a sense of home in rented spaces. International Journal of Housing Markets and Analysis, 3(2), 100-118.
  • Goss, J. (1992). Modernity and postmodernity in the retail landscape. In K. Anderson & F. Gale (Eds.), Inventing Places: Studies in Cultural Geography (pp. 159-177). Melbourne: Longman Cheshire Pty Limited.
  • Harner, J., & Kinder, F. (2011). Placelessness in a deregulated city: University Village in Colorado Springs. Urban Geography, 32(5), 730-755. https://doi.org/10.2747/0272-3638.32.5.730
  • Hough, M. (1990). Out of Place; Restoring Identity to the Regional Landscape. West Hanover, Massachusetts: Yale University Press.
  • Korusiewicz, M. (2015). Places in placelessness - notes on the aesthetic and strategies of place-making. Argument Biannual Philosophical Journal, 5(February), 399-413.
  • Knudsen, D. C., & Rickly-Boyd, J. M. (2012). Tourism sites as semiotic signs: A critique. Annals of Tourism Research, 39(2), 1252-1254.
  • Lau, R. W. (2011). Tourist sights as semiotic signs: A critical commentary. Annals of Tourism Research, 38(2), 711-714.
  • Lau, R. W. (2014). Semiotics, objectivism and tourism: An anti-critique. Annals of Tourism Research, 44, 283-284.
  • Mehmetoglu, M., & Dann, G. (2002). Atlas/ti and content/semiotic analysis in tourism research. Tourism Analysis, 8(1), 1-13.
  • Muñoz, C. L., & Wood, N. T. (2009). A recipe for success: Understanding regional perceptions of authenticity in themed restaurants. International Journal of Culture, Tourism, and Hospitality Research, 3(3), 269-280. https://doi.org/10.1108/17506180910980564.
  • Nelson, V. (2017). An Introduction to the Geography of Tourism. London: Rowman & Littlefield.
  • Pennington, J. W., & Thomsen, R. C. (2010). A semiotic model of destination representations applied to cultural and heritage tourism marketing. Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism, 10(1), 33-53.
  • Phillips, J., Walford, N., & Hockey, A. (2011). How do unfamiliar environments convey meaning to older people? Urban dimensions of placelessness and attachment. International Journal of Ageing and Later Life, 6(2), 73-102.
  • Relph, E. (1976). Place and Placelessness. London: Pion.
  • Relph, E. (1981). Rational Landscapes and Humanistic Geography. Totowa: Barnes and Noble Books.
  • Rose, G. (2016). Visual Methodologies: An Introduction to the Interpretation of Visual Materials. London: Sage Publications.
  • Saussure, F. (1998). Nature of the linguistic sign. In D. H. Richter (Ed.), The Critical Tradition: Classic Texts and Contemporary Trends (pp. 832-835). Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s Press.
  • Shao, Y., & Lui, B. (2017). Place attachment assessment system in contemporary urbanism. Procedia Engineering, (198), 152-168. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2017.07.079.
  • Song, C. M., & Jeon, H. Y. (2018). A semiotic study of regional branding reflected in the slogans of Korean regions. Social Semiotics, 28(2), 230-256.
  • Tuan, Y. (1977). Space and Place: The Perspective of Experience. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
  • Williamson, J. (1978). Decoding Advertisements: Ideology and Meaning in Advertising. London: Marion Boyers.
  • Wood, N. T., & Muñoz, C. L. (2007). ‘No rules, just right’ or is it? The role of themed restaurants as cultural ambassadors. Tourism and Hospitality Research, 7(3/4), 242-255. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.thr.6050047.
  • Zelinsky, W. (2011). Not yet a Placeless Land: Tracking an Evolving American Geography. Amherst and Boston: University of Massachusetts.
  • Zimmerbauer, K. (2011). From image to identity: Building regions by place promotion. European Planning Studies, 19(2), 243-260. https://doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2011.532667.

The Paradox of Cracker Barrel: A Case Study on Place and Placelessness

Year 2019, Volume: 7 Issue: 2, 258 - 276, 16.12.2019
https://doi.org/10.30519/ahtr.537204

Abstract

Cracker Barrel restaurants are a
fixture across the interstate landscape of the United States. These sites
cultivate a strong sense of place through careful theming, generating a
distinct sense of rural America and nostalgia for home. At the same time, the
uniformity of Cracker Barrel speaks to the notion of placelessness, the
eradication of unique local features and homogenization of experience. Cracker
Barrel is thus simultaneously placeless and placefull. This research explores this paradoxical notion by utilizing
semiotic analyses in an analysis of user-generated Yelp! photos of Cracker
Barrels across the country. It is clear from this analysis that the number and
wide variety of artifacts vary surprisingly little from store to store.
Together, this uniformity and intentional theming help successfully create a
sense of place for Cracker Barrel stores as a rural American, 19th century
“home-away-from-home.”

References

  • Bringing the Cracker Barrel Look to Life (n.d.). Cracker Barrel. Retrieved February 6, 2019, from https://crackerbarrel.com/about/bringing-the-cracker-barrel-look-to-life
  • Cracker Barrel Old Country Store® Opens New Store in North Las Vegas, Nevada. (2016). Cracker Barrel. Retrieved April 2, 2018, from https://crackerbarrel.com/newsroom/news-releases/2016/oct/north-las-vegas-opening
  • Cracker Barrel Opens New Store in Morganton. (2015). Cracker Barrel. Retrieved April 2, 2018, from https://crackerbarrel.com/newsroom/news-releases/2015/jul/cracker-barrel-opens-new-store-in-morganton
  • Crang, M. (2005). Analysing qualitative materials. In R. Flowerdew & D. Martin (Eds.), Methods in Human Geography: A Guide for Students Doing a Research Project (pp. 218-232). New York: Pearson Education Limited.
  • Csurgó, B., & Megyesi, B. (2016). The role of small towns in local place making. European Countryside, 8(4), 427-443. https://doi.org/10.1515/euco-2016-0029
  • Cuba, L., & Hummon, D. M. (1993). Constructing a sense of home: place affiliation and migration across the life cycle. Sociological Forum, 8(4), 547-572. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01115211.
  • DeLyser, D. (1999). Authenticity on the ground: Engaging the past in a California ghost town. Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 89(4), 602-632.
  • DeBres, K., & Sowers, J. (2009). The emergence of standardized, idealized, and placeless landscapes in Midwestern main street postcards. The Professional Geographer, 61(2), 216-230. https://doi.org/10.1080/00330120902736062.
  • Echtner, C. M. (1999). The semiotic paradigm: Implications for tourism research. Tourism management, 20(1), 47-57.
  • Frequently Asked Questions (n.d.). Cracker Barrel. Retrieved April 2, 2018, from https://crackerbarrel.com/connect/faqs.
  • Fowler, A. R., & Lipscomb, C. A. (2010). Building a sense of home in rented spaces. International Journal of Housing Markets and Analysis, 3(2), 100-118.
  • Goss, J. (1992). Modernity and postmodernity in the retail landscape. In K. Anderson & F. Gale (Eds.), Inventing Places: Studies in Cultural Geography (pp. 159-177). Melbourne: Longman Cheshire Pty Limited.
  • Harner, J., & Kinder, F. (2011). Placelessness in a deregulated city: University Village in Colorado Springs. Urban Geography, 32(5), 730-755. https://doi.org/10.2747/0272-3638.32.5.730
  • Hough, M. (1990). Out of Place; Restoring Identity to the Regional Landscape. West Hanover, Massachusetts: Yale University Press.
  • Korusiewicz, M. (2015). Places in placelessness - notes on the aesthetic and strategies of place-making. Argument Biannual Philosophical Journal, 5(February), 399-413.
  • Knudsen, D. C., & Rickly-Boyd, J. M. (2012). Tourism sites as semiotic signs: A critique. Annals of Tourism Research, 39(2), 1252-1254.
  • Lau, R. W. (2011). Tourist sights as semiotic signs: A critical commentary. Annals of Tourism Research, 38(2), 711-714.
  • Lau, R. W. (2014). Semiotics, objectivism and tourism: An anti-critique. Annals of Tourism Research, 44, 283-284.
  • Mehmetoglu, M., & Dann, G. (2002). Atlas/ti and content/semiotic analysis in tourism research. Tourism Analysis, 8(1), 1-13.
  • Muñoz, C. L., & Wood, N. T. (2009). A recipe for success: Understanding regional perceptions of authenticity in themed restaurants. International Journal of Culture, Tourism, and Hospitality Research, 3(3), 269-280. https://doi.org/10.1108/17506180910980564.
  • Nelson, V. (2017). An Introduction to the Geography of Tourism. London: Rowman & Littlefield.
  • Pennington, J. W., & Thomsen, R. C. (2010). A semiotic model of destination representations applied to cultural and heritage tourism marketing. Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism, 10(1), 33-53.
  • Phillips, J., Walford, N., & Hockey, A. (2011). How do unfamiliar environments convey meaning to older people? Urban dimensions of placelessness and attachment. International Journal of Ageing and Later Life, 6(2), 73-102.
  • Relph, E. (1976). Place and Placelessness. London: Pion.
  • Relph, E. (1981). Rational Landscapes and Humanistic Geography. Totowa: Barnes and Noble Books.
  • Rose, G. (2016). Visual Methodologies: An Introduction to the Interpretation of Visual Materials. London: Sage Publications.
  • Saussure, F. (1998). Nature of the linguistic sign. In D. H. Richter (Ed.), The Critical Tradition: Classic Texts and Contemporary Trends (pp. 832-835). Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s Press.
  • Shao, Y., & Lui, B. (2017). Place attachment assessment system in contemporary urbanism. Procedia Engineering, (198), 152-168. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2017.07.079.
  • Song, C. M., & Jeon, H. Y. (2018). A semiotic study of regional branding reflected in the slogans of Korean regions. Social Semiotics, 28(2), 230-256.
  • Tuan, Y. (1977). Space and Place: The Perspective of Experience. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
  • Williamson, J. (1978). Decoding Advertisements: Ideology and Meaning in Advertising. London: Marion Boyers.
  • Wood, N. T., & Muñoz, C. L. (2007). ‘No rules, just right’ or is it? The role of themed restaurants as cultural ambassadors. Tourism and Hospitality Research, 7(3/4), 242-255. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.thr.6050047.
  • Zelinsky, W. (2011). Not yet a Placeless Land: Tracking an Evolving American Geography. Amherst and Boston: University of Massachusetts.
  • Zimmerbauer, K. (2011). From image to identity: Building regions by place promotion. European Planning Studies, 19(2), 243-260. https://doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2011.532667.
There are 34 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Tourism (Other)
Journal Section Research Article
Authors

Meredith Gregory This is me 0000-0002-0223-8448

Caitlin Finlayson 0000-0003-3611-9970

Publication Date December 16, 2019
Submission Date March 8, 2019
Published in Issue Year 2019 Volume: 7 Issue: 2

Cite

APA Gregory, M., & Finlayson, C. (2019). The Paradox of Cracker Barrel: A Case Study on Place and Placelessness. Advances in Hospitality and Tourism Research (AHTR), 7(2), 258-276. https://doi.org/10.30519/ahtr.537204


Follow us on our journal's social media account

 social-network-fb-logo-facebook-icon.png