After right-wing backlash, Cracker Barrel says it will get rid of its new logo
By Ramishah Maruf, CNN
New York (CNN) — After days of intense backlash, most recently from President Donald Trump, Cracker Barrel is scrapping its new minimalist logo.
“We thank our guests for sharing your voices and love for Cracker Barrel. We said we would listen, and we have. Our new logo is going away and our ‘Old Timer’ will remain,” the company said in a statement.
“At Cracker Barrel, it’s always been – and always will be – about serving up delicious food, warm welcomes, and the kind of country hospitality that feels like family. As a proud American institution, our 70,000 hardworking employees look forward to welcoming you to our table soon.”
Last week, Cracker Barrel received a barrage of criticism when it unveiled its modernized logo, which got rid of the namesake barrel and the “old-timer” figure. Some loyal fans feared the 56-year-old chain was drifting too far from its bucolic roots, and the company’s shares (CBRL) nosedived more than 12% days after the announcement.
Trump congratulated the company on its reversal Tuesday.
“All of your fans very much appreciate it. Good luck into the future. Make lots of money and, most importantly, make your customers happy again!,” he said on Truth Social.
A deputy White House chief of staff posted on X that he received a call from Cracker Barrel earlier on Tuesday, saying “they thanked President Trump for weighing in on the issue.”
On Monday, the struggling country-themed restaurant chain and roadtrip staple signaled that it had messed up with the minimalist logo, saying, “We could’ve done a better job sharing who we are and who we’ll always be.”
The company noted that its “old-timer” figure would return, a major point of contention online. Many people over the years believed the company’s ambassador Uncle Herschel was the figure seen leaning against the barrel in the logo. (The company refers to the figure as “our old-timer” in the logo created by Nashville designer Bill Holley on a napkin in 1977.)
Hours before before Cracker Barrel walked back the minimalist logo, Trump posted on Truth Social that Cracker Barrel should return to its previous logo.
“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 in a Truth Social post Tuesday.
After Cracker Barrel announced its initial logo change last week, a social media firestorm began and the debacle quickly became another culture war topic stoked by right-wing influencers.
The drama was a setback for the chain’s $700 million transformation plan. The 56-year-old chain has new TV commercials, a redesigned menu and several new fall-themed foods.
“The way we communicate, the things on the menu, the way the stores look and feel … all of these things came up time and time again in our research as opportunities for us to really regain relevancy,” said Cracker Barrel CEO Julie Felss Masino in 2024.
Shares of Cracker Barrel rose more than 3% in after-hours trading Tuesday upon the announcement.
“They got a Billion Dollars worth of free publicity if they play their cards right,” Trump continued on Tuesday. “Very tricky to do, but a great opportunity. Have a major News Conference today. Make Cracker Barrel a WINNER again.”
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