1.
Listen to the outside or die slowly. Cracker Barrel fought activists and ignored shifting demographics for 20 years — by the time they reacted, the damage was done.
2.
Your strategic advantage becomes your anchor. Those big 10,000-sq-ft interstate stores with gift shops were gold in the '80s — today they're fixed-cost nightmares no one wants to staff or visit.
3.
Corporate structure kills execution. Managers reporting KPIs to HQ cut corners. Owner-operators with skin in the game (like Texas Roadhouse) protect quality because it's their money.
