• by Tanya Gazdik , 8 hours ago

Shares of Cracker Barrel Old Country Store rose 4% Wednesday morning after the restaurant chain said it would keep its original logo amid widespread backlash. 

The new logo was already being rolled out on menus in some locations (see photo) and it’s unclear if those would also be scrapped, possibly at considerable expense.

“The company has faced criticism from social media users and even President Donald Trump,” according to CNBC. “The switch occurred just hours after Trump weighed in on the rebranding, writing on social media ‘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.’” 

Representatives of the company called Donald Trump and—in the words of Deputy White House Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich—“thanked President Trump for weighing in on the issue of their iconic ‘original’ logo. They wanted the President to know that they heard him,” according to The Bulwark.

The company also issued a statement on its website and on social media. 

“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,” according to the 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.”

Trump congratulated the company in another social media post later Tuesday evening after the announcement that the original logo would remain.

“The company said last week that it was adopting a ‘fresh’ new look, moving away from its logo featuring ‘Old Timer,’ as the man leaning against a big barrel was sometimes referred to, before many on social media criticized the plan,” according to The New York Times. “Cracker Barrel’s new, streamlined logo ignited a backlash from those criticizing the chain for its so-called ‘wokeness.’ The chain had been the target of similar criticism from conservatives in recent years for its embrace of Pride celebrations and its LGBTQ employee alliance."

The company said in a statement on Monday that it “could’ve done a better job” sharing the news of its rebrand with its customers, some of whom criticized the new logo as “soulless” on social media.

“Cracker Barrel’s slide into a rebranding debacle began with a phone call at 4:30 p.m. on May 16, 2024,” according to Fox Business News. “That day, Cracker Barrel’s new CEO, Julie Felss Masino, got on the phone with investors and unveiled the details of a 'strategic transformation plan' her board of directors had approved. The first of ‘five pillars’ in the plan would be ‘refining and ‘evolving the brand across all touchpoints.’”

Over the next months, Masino and her board of directors dismissed at least four warnings by a top investor, Sardar Biglari, that the rebranding was "obvious folly," filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission reveal.

There has been no announcement whether Masino or Cracker Barrel CMO Sarah Moore, who joined the company in July 2024, are facing any disciplinary measures related to the controversy. A fake CMO said he was fired, but it was a hoax, according to Snopes. 

The “old timer” on the logo was the muse of one of the restaurant chain’s founders.

“Uncle Herschel was Cracker Barrel Old Country Store’s founder Dan Evins’ real uncle, the younger brother of Evins’ mother,” according to the Cracker Barrel website. “He helped shape not only Cracker Barrel’s image but also its values. … Uncle Herschel was a wealth of knowledge about what rural America’s old country stores were really like. He was a salesman for Martha White Flour Company for 32 years, traveling the rural South calling on many towns’ general stores.”