Armstrong & Getty On Demand – “I Don't Eat Values” (August 26, 2025)

Episode Overview

This episode features Jack Armstrong solo-hosting as Joe Getty vacations in the UK. Jack navigates producing the show from his car due to a massive traffic incident, sharing a blend of personal stories and topical news. Major discussions center on the controversial Cracker Barrel remodel and the concept of businesses going “woke,” as well as substantial coverage of global politics—especially the Russia-Ukraine war—with expert guest Justin Logan of the Cato Institute. Other segments include current headlines, a critique of corporate culture, and a lighthearted debate about dog ownership and Cracker Barrel nostalgia.

Main Segments & Timestamps

Opening/Traffic Debacle & Setting the Stage (00:00–04:12)

• Jack details his chaotic morning: forced to host solo and broadcasting from his car due to a fatal traffic accident on his route (“I’m solo today because Joe’s on vacation… I leave the house extra early… and the GPS goes to all red.” – Jack, 00:37).
• Katie reports, “It started with a motorcycle and a semi, and then a third vehicle got involved… all lanes got blocked… it stopped.” (02:12)

Cracker Barrel Controversy & “Wokeness” Accusations (04:13–11:29)

The Redesign

• Jack discusses his surprise over widespread podcast and radio attention to Cracker Barrel's remodeling.
• Describes the remodeled locations as, “It looks like a McDonald’s… just booths and very minimal…” (04:25–04:41).
• Katie laments, “They took away everything we love about it, right?” (04:42).

Nostalgia & Cultural Sensitivity

• Discussion of the classic “peg game” once calling those who did poorly “ignoramus”—now replaced by more encouraging, less judgmental language: “Four, try even harder next time… No reason to be embarrassed. Try again.” (06:09–06:25).
• Jack’s take: “For decades… you’ve been calling people who can’t do the little triangle peg game an ignoramus. Everybody’s been fine with it… Now you’ve got to say keep trying. You’ll do okay, sport.” (06:31).
• Katie adds the logo change, noting, “They took the little white guy… off of it, and they’re claiming they were trying to get rid of another white figure.” (07:37).
• Jack is skeptical: “If their concern was that then once again that would be reacting to something that didn’t exist… There were not marches in the streets.” (08:01)

Business Impact

• “They lost a ton of money in the last week since this news came out…” (08:51)
• Concern that remodeling (especially switching to booths) will negatively impact Cracker Barrel’s unique family-gathering vibe.

On Cracker Barrel’s Apology

• Jack critiques the company’s non-apology after backlash: “The worst kind of apology you can ever give somebody—‘Sorry I hurt your feelings.’” (10:27)
• Katie calls it: “That’s up there with ‘Sorry you feel that way.’” (10:27)

Headlines & News Roundup (11:52–19:10)

DeSantis vs Newsom on California’s “Number One” Status (11:52–12:34)

• Clip of Ron DeSantis listing California’s negative “number ones,” e.g., “homelessness… public defecation…” (11:52)
• “I can’t think of another state with a crap map… in San Francisco.” – Katie (12:34)

Current Headlines by Katie Green (14:39–18:54)

• Highlights include stories on Trump, legal/political news, Israel-Gaza, the National Guard, woke language at Columbia Law, DNC expenditures for Kamala Harris, and a study linking purpose to less dementia.
• Satirical headline: “John Bolton eludes FBI by blending into a herd of walruses.” (19:10)

International Affairs: Russia-Ukraine Peace Process (20:28–31:46)

Guest: Justin Logan, Cato Institute

• On the peace process: “This round is more or less dead… On the central issue, the two sides are really far apart. Ukrainians want security guarantees… Russians want large chunks of Ukrainian territory.” (21:03)
• On diplomacy: “In this case, the Russians are brutally, gradually, incrementally winning, and they know it… Fighting is serving our interests, so we’re going to keep fighting.” (24:08)
• Big-picture consequences: “Cynical realists like me think that’s always the way international politics has been…” (26:10).
• U.S. & European roles: “Europeans are pulling and begging and pleading for the United States to commit to defend Ukraine… but we’re not going to commit troops ourselves. And that is the same bad deal Americans have been getting out of Europe for the past 65 or 70 years.” (28:44)
• Favorite quote highlighted: “Why are we the 500 million expecting the 300 million of the United States to protect us from 140 million?” – Jack quoting Donald Tusk, Poland (29:41)

Jack’s Reaction

• “That’s a smart guy, you know, and maybe part of the reason I think he’s so smart is I agree with what he’s saying.” (30:53)

Corporate Culture & Cracker Barrel: Feedback, Denial & Disconnect (32:50–38:52)

Cracker Barrel's Response to Backlash

• Michael reads Cracker Barrel’s PR statement: “What has not changed and what will never change are the values this company was built on… hard work, family, and scratch-cooked food…” (34:52)
• Michael’s rebuke: “I don’t eat values. I eat food.” (34:52)

CEO Disconnect

• Audio of CEO highlighting “overwhelmingly positive” feedback and enthusiasm for the remodel from employees.
• Jack and Michael criticize CEOs being misled by compliment-chasing subordinates: “People who survive in companies say yes to everything and everybody knows that… as far as being out of touch with the customers, that I don’t quite get, man.” (36:46–38:04)

Symbolism Changes

• “The little old white guy sitting next to the barrel is Uncle Herschel. He will still be on the menu as… ‘he’s not going anywhere.’ He’s family.” – Katie (38:07)
• “They hid him somewhere on the menu away from the logo.” – Michael (38:18)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “There’s no such thing as a minor motorcycle wreck... Every wreck on a motorcycle is horrifying.”—Joe Getty (02:25)
• “If you get it down to three pegs, you’re not so smart. Four pegs or more, you’re an ignoramus. That’s what it used to say.”—Jack (05:38)
• “Sorry I hurt your feelings means… you should have reacted differently to what I said.”—Jack (10:30)
• “I don’t care. I’m just not gonna get baited into all of these outrageous authoritarian… If you like that story, listen to something else.”—Joe (16:37)
• “I do have to acknowledge under Gavin Newsom’s leadership, California, they are number one in a lot of things… number one in public defecation.”—Ron DeSantis (11:52)
• “Why are we the 500 million expecting the 300 million of the United States to protect us from 140 million?” — [Jack quoting Donald Tusk] (29:41)
• “I don’t eat values. I eat food.” — Michael (34:52)
• “People who survive in companies say yes to everything and everybody knows that.”—Michael (37:33)

Podcast’s Tone & Style

• Candid, irreverent, and skeptical; Jack and crew mock PR-speak, corporate decisions, and “woke” accusations, while able to pivot to serious expert discussions without losing their banter.
• Strong streak of nostalgia, skepticism about “change for change’s sake,” and willingness to call out both right and left-wing cultural overreactions.

Additional Topics (Sprinkled Throughout)

• The importance of honest feedback up and down the chain, both in business and in media (“If I have one message today, you, the boss, need to know that the people underneath you are not being honest about your ideas.”—Michael, 39:08).
• Light-hearted banter about overfeeding pets and generational responsibility
• Promotion of upcoming guests—promise of more on AI tools for daily life and international affairs.

Summary

A quintessential Armstrong & Getty episode blending personal mishaps, cultural critique, and global affairs. The Cracker Barrel “woke” controversy offers a comedic focal point, contrasting nostalgia with modern sensitivity, while expert analysis on global politics roots the show in substantive real-world issues. Candid discussions on leadership and honesty in organizations double as a meta-commentary on both business and media. (As ever: “I don’t eat values. I eat food.”)