sc13da207428021_09012011.htm
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE 13D
(Rule 13d-101)
INFORMATION TO BE INCLUDED IN STATEMENTS FILED PURSUANT
TO § 240.13d-1(a) AND AMENDMENTS THERETO FILED PURSUANT TO
§ 240.13d-2(a)
(Amendment No. 2)1
CRACKER BARREL OLD COUNTRY STORE, INC.
(Name of Issuer)
Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share
(Title of Class of Securities)
Sardar Biglari
Biglari Holdings Inc.
175 East Houston Street, Suite 1300
San Antonio, Texas 78205
(210) 344-3400
with copies to:
Steven Wolosky, Esq.
Olshan Grundman Frome Rosenzweig & Wolosky LLP
Park Avenue Tower
65 East 55th Street
New York, New York 10022
(212) 451-2300
(Name, Address and Telephone Number of Person
Authorized to Receive Notices and Communications)
(Date of Event Which Requires Filing of This Statement)
If the filing person has previously filed a statement on Schedule 13G to report the acquisition that is the subject of this Schedule 13D, and is filing this schedule because of §§ 240.13d-1(e), 240.13d-1(f) or 240.13d-1(g), check the following box ¨.
Note: Schedules filed in paper format shall include a signed original and five copies of the schedule, including all exhibits. See § 240.13d-7 for other parties to whom copies are to be sent.
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1 The remainder of this cover page shall be filled out for a reporting person’s initial filing on this form with respect to the subject class of securities, and for any subsequent amendment containing information which would alter disclosures provided in a prior cover page.
The information required on the remainder of this cover page shall not be deemed to be “filed” for the purpose of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Act”) or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section of the Act but shall be subject to all other provisions of the Act (however, see the Notes).
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NAME OF REPORTING PERSON
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CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP
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(a) o
(b) o
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SEC USE ONLY
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SOURCE OF FUNDS
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CHECK BOX IF DISCLOSURE OF LEGAL PROCEEDINGS IS REQUIRED PURSUANT TO ITEM 2(d) OR 2(e)
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CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION
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NUMBER OF SHARES BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON WITH
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7
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SOLE VOTING POWER
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SHARED VOTING POWER
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9
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SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER
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SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER
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11
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AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON
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12
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CHECK BOX IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (11) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES
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o
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13
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PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (11)
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TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON
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NAME OF REPORTING PERSON
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2
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CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP
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(a) o
(b) o
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SEC USE ONLY
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SOURCE OF FUNDS
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5
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CHECK BOX IF DISCLOSURE OF LEGAL PROCEEDINGS IS REQUIRED PURSUANT TO ITEM 2(d) OR 2(e)
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¨
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CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION
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NUMBER OF SHARES BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON WITH
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7
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SOLE VOTING POWER
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SHARED VOTING POWER
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SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER
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10
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SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER
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AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON
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12
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CHECK BOX IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (11) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES
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o
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13
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PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (11)
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TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON
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NAME OF REPORTING PERSON
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2
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CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP
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(a) o
(b) o
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SEC USE ONLY
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SOURCE OF FUNDS
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5
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CHECK BOX IF DISCLOSURE OF LEGAL PROCEEDINGS IS REQUIRED PURSUANT TO ITEM 2(d) OR 2(e)
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¨
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CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION
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NUMBER OF SHARES BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON WITH
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7
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SOLE VOTING POWER
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8
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SHARED VOTING POWER
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9
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SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER
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10
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SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER
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11
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AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON
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12
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CHECK BOX IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (11) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES
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o
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13
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PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (11)
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14
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TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON
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1
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NAME OF REPORTING PERSON
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2
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CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP
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(a) o
(b) o
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3
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SEC USE ONLY
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4
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SOURCE OF FUNDS
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5
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CHECK BOX IF DISCLOSURE OF LEGAL PROCEEDINGS IS REQUIRED PURSUANT TO ITEM 2(d) OR 2(e)
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¨
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6
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CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION
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NUMBER OF SHARES BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON WITH
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7
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SOLE VOTING POWER
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8
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SHARED VOTING POWER
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9
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SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER
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10
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SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER
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11
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AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON
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12
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CHECK BOX IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (11) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES
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o
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13
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PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (11)
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14
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TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON
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The following constitutes Amendment No. 2 to the Schedule 13D filed by the undersigned. Such Schedule 13D is hereby amended as follows:
Item 4. Purpose of Transaction.
Item 4 is hereby amended to add the following:
On September 1, 2011, Biglari Holdings delivered a letter (the “Nomination Letter”) to the Secretary of the Issuer nominating Sardar Biglari for election to the Board of Directors of the Issuer at its 2011 annual meeting of stockholders.
Concurrent with the delivery of the Nomination Letter, Mr. Biglari delivered a letter to the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Issuer. A copy of Mr. Biglari’s letter is attached as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 7. Material to be Filed as Exhibits.
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99.1
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Letter, dated September 1, 2011.
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SIGNATURE
After reasonable inquiry and to the best of his knowledge and belief, each of the undersigned certifies that the information set forth in this statement is true, complete and correct.
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(Date)
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BIGLARI HOLDINGS INC.
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By:
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Name:
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Sardar Biglari
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Title:
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Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
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BIGLARI CAPITAL CORP.
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By:
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Name:
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Sardar Biglari
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Title:
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Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
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THE LION FUND, L.P.
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By:
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BIGLARI CAPITAL CORP., its General Partner
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By:
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Name:
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Sardar Biglari
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Title:
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Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
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SARDAR BIGLARI
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ex991to13da207428021_090111.htm
Exhibit 99.1
BIGLARI HOLDINGS INC.
175 EAST HOUSTON STREET, SUITE 1300
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS 78205
TELEPHONE (210) 344-3400
FAX (210) 344-3411
SARDAR BIGLARI, CHAIRMAN
September 1, 2011
Mr. Michael A. Woodhouse
Chairman and CEO
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc.
P.O. Box 787
Hartmann Drive
Lebanon, Tennessee 37088
Dear Mike:
As of today, Biglari Holdings has submitted formal notice under Cracker Barrel’s Bylaws to nominate me to the Company’s Board of Directors at the upcoming annual meeting. We had wanted to avoid what would be a costly and distracting endeavor. Although we are the largest stockholder of Cracker Barrel with an ownership of 9.3% of the outstanding common stock — a multiple of the amount of stock owned by all the directors combined — you have been unwilling to address our concerns and unwilling to place us on the board. Not only did you not invite us, but you rejected the idea and then made an ersatz settlement offer so that others would perceive you as reasonable when in reality you have been unreasonable. In fact your offer was disingenuous. In your settlement offer you afforded us the opportunity to present names of individuals for consideration to the board…provided that these nominees were “unaffiliated with Biglari Holdings or any other restaurant company.”
Let’s contrast those stipulations to the three attributes that the Board laid out in the proxy statement regarding director qualifications that your Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee assesses when nominating directors at the Company’s annual meeting:
Leadership Experience. We believe that directors with experience in significant leadership positions over a long period of time, especially chief executive officer positions, provide the Company with strategic thinking and multiple perspectives.
Financial Experience. We believe that an understanding of finance and financial reporting processes is important for our directors.… In addition, accurate financial reporting and auditing are critical to our success and developing shareholder confidence in our reporting processes that are required by the U.S. federal securities laws.
Industry Experience. As a company that relies upon the strength of our brand, we seek directors who are familiar with the restaurant and retail industries.
Let us attempt to reconcile the Board’s and your diametrically opposed statements on the requirements for board membership. The Board has decided and declared that the incoming directors should be conversant with the restaurant industry. On the other hand, your offer explicitly defined a telling restriction on prospective nominees that they be unaffiliated with “any other restaurant company.” Either you are seeking directors retired from the restaurant industry who are under the age of 75 (per Cracker Barrel’s governance guidelines), or you are simply searching for excuses to avoid placing your largest stockholder on the Board and in the process contradicting yourself. After all, unlike all other directors on the Cracker Barrel Board, I am the only one who is a CEO of a NYSE-listed company (Leadership Experience), have an extensive professional investment record (Financial Experience), and have exhibited management and turnaround experience in the restaurant industry (Industry Experience). It would appear my qualifications do meet the Committee’s requirements and exceed those of any current member of the Board.
Yet the Board rejects us even though not a single one of its members has outlaid any considerable money in order to own substantial amounts of company stock; in other words, Board members have no real skin in the game. Their lack of ownership naturally explains why they’re spending our money on a proxy fight would not pain them. But it pains us because we are in effect paying over $9 for every $100 you spend. In fact, your actions prove to us that now is the hour to place real owners in the boardroom to deliver real value for all owners.
Sincerely,
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/s/ Sardar Biglari
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Sardar Biglari
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