The US restaurant chain Cracker Barrel has apologized to fans who were angered when it announced a new logo recently – but it is sticking with the change.
“If the last few days have shown us anything, it’s how deeply people care about Cracker Barrel. We’re truly grateful for your heartfelt voices,” the company said Monday in a statement on its website. “You’ve also shown us that we could have done a better job sharing who we are and who we’ll always be.”
Cracker Barrel had taken heat in recent days when it announced a simplified logo featuring only the chain’s name. Gone was the picture of an older man in overalls leaning against a barrel. The words “Old Country Store” were also removed.
The change was part of a wider rebrand, which has seen Cracker Barrel update its cluttered, antique-filled restaurants with lighter paint and modern furniture.
Many on social media, including Donald Trump and the president’s son Donald Trump Jr, criticized the new logo, with some threatening to boycott unless it was changed back.
“Cracker Barrel should go back to the old logo, admit a mistake based on customer response (the ultimate Poll), and manage the company better than ever before,” Trump wrote on Tuesday on social media. “They got a Billion Dollars worth of free publicity if they play their cards right. Very tricky to do, but a great opportunity. Have a major News Conference today. Make Cracker Barrel a WINNER again.”
Sensing an opening, the rival chain Steak n’ Shake called the new logo “a cheap effort to gain the approval of trend seekers”.
“Heritage is what got Cracker Barrel this far, and now the CEO wants to just scrape it all away,” Steak n’ Shake said in a statement on X.
Cracker Barrel shares have dropped more than 10% since the new logo was introduced on 18 August.
On Monday, the Lebanon, Tennessee-based company emphasized that many things about Cracker Barrel won’t change, including the rocking chairs on its front porches as well as the vintage Americana and antiques scattered throughout its restaurants.
Cracker Barrel also said it will continue to honor Uncle Herschel – the older man in the former logo, who represents the uncle of Cracker Barrel’s founder – on its menu and on items sold in its stores.
But Cracker Barrel said it also wants to make sure that the business stays fresh and attracts a new generation of customers.
“That means showing up on new platforms and in new ways, but always with our heritage at the heart,” the company said in a statement.
The company said it will also keep testing, learning and listening to its employees and customers.
Cracker Barrel shares fell less than 1% to close at $54.26 a share on Monday.
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