Topline
Conservatives have raged against restaurant chain Cracker Barrel on social media after the brand unveiled a new text-only logo that drops the man and the barrel, with some accusing the company of going “woke” and abandoning its country roots.
Cracker Barrel is replacing a logo that included a man and a barrel with a text-only version. (Photo by Tim Boyle/Getty Images)
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Key Facts
Cracker Barrel announced its brand redesign on Monday, stating in a press release the new logo is “rooted even more closely to the iconic barrel shape and word mark that started it all,” referring to Cracker Barrel’s original text-only logo in 1969.
The new logo arrives about a year after the company embarked on a brand refresh, through which it has reportedly redesigned dozens of restaurants to give them a brighter and more modern feel to attempt to attract new customers.
But some conservative social media users had strong reactions to the new logo, including Donald Trump Jr., who posted on X Wednesday night: “WTF is wrong with @CrackerBarrel??!”
Trump made his post in response to another user who blamed Cracker Barrel’s CEO Julie Felss Masino, stating she “scrapped a beloved American aesthetic and replaced it with sterile, soulless branding” while also criticizing the company for its diversity, equity and inclusion commitments.
Cracker Barrel shares fell more than 11% on Thursday as of 10 a.m. EDT.
Cracker Barrel has not yet responded to backlash to its redesigned logo (Forbes has reached out for comment).
Cracker Barrel’s new logo.
Cracker Barrel
Chief Critics
Many popular right-wing X accounts united against Cracker Barrel, including End Wokeness, an account with nearly 4 million followers that frequently torches brands for going “woke.” “Cracker Barrel CEO Julie Masino should face charges for this crime against humanity,” End Wokeness posted Wednesday night, garnering 50,000 likes. Country singer John Rich, a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump, said on X Wednesday night: “Will you go to Cracker Barrel now that it’s going woke? This could be a ‘Bud Light’ moment in the making…” referencing the 2023 conservative-led boycott against beer company Bud Light after it briefly collaborated with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. Benny Johnson, a conservative political commentator who has 5.5 million subscribers on YouTube, posted a video Wednesday night alleging Cracker Barrel has gone “woke,” slamming Masino as an “insufferable left-wing elitist” and calling the revamp the “destruction of a great American brand.”
Why Is Cracker Barrel Revamping Its Look?
Cracker Barrel announced plans for a brand refresh last year in response to some diners being slow to return to the restaurant after the Covid-19 pandemic. The Wall Street Journal reported the restaurant had struggled to regain its 65-plus diners, among its most loyal customers, and hoped to also attract a younger crowd. Masino, who stepped in as CEO in August 2023, said in a call with investors in May 2024 the brand is “just not as relevant as we once were.” Masino said the chain would roll out new menu items and remodel restaurants to feature a “different color palette, updating lighting, offering more comfortable seating and simplifying decor and fixtures.” The Journal reported in May Cracker Barrel had remodeled four restaurants, with plans to remodel an additional 25 to 30 of its 660 locations by the end of this summer. Masino claimed in an interview with Good Morning America on Tuesday she has received positive feedback on the remodelings from customers and store managers. In the announcement of its new logo Monday, Cracker Barrel announced new fall menu options and a collaboration with country singer Jordan Davis, who will host an event in New York City on Thursday. “Our story hasn’t changed. Our values haven’t changed,” Cracker Barrel’s chief marketing officer Sarah Moore said, adding the company is “honoring our legacy while bringing fresh energy, thoughtful craftsmanship and heartfelt hospitality to our guests this fall.”
Key Background
This isn’t the first time Cracker Barrel has faced right-wing outrage. In 2023, the restaurant chain faced backlash during Pride Month after it made posts on social media celebrating its LGBTQ customers. The Texas Family Project, a conservative organization, said in a post on X: “We take no pleasure in reporting that @CrackerBarrel has fallen,” which became a widely memed phrase. The company had openly supported Pride Month for several years, and still maintains a commitment to LGBTQ customers on its website, though the company faced controversy in the 1990s for urging locations in a company memo to not hire people “whose sexual preference fails to demonstrate normal heterosexual values.”
Further Reading
Cracker Barrel CEO announces ‘All the More’ campaign with Jordan Davis, hints at menu innovation (ABC News)