Cracker Barrel gets pushback after logo and brand change
Cracker Barrel changed its logo, removing the man sitting next to a barrel, and removing “Old Country Store” at the bottom of the logo. The new logo looks like a barrel with “Cracker Barrel” written in it. In addition to the logo change, Cracker Barrel made changes to the interior of many of their establishments. Instead of having the country and gift shop interior look, the company shifted to a more modern look. This action received pushback on social media.
From CNBC:
The new logo removes the image of a man leaning against a barrel that was prominently featured in the original, leaving behind just the words “Cracker Barrel” against a yellow background. The phrase “old country store” has also been removed.
The company said the colors in the logo were inspired by the chain’s scrambled eggs and biscuits.
The change is part of a “strategic transformation” to revitalize the brand that started back in May 2024. Under that mission, Cracker Barrel’s brand refresh includes updates to visual elements, restaurant spaces and food and retail offerings.
Cracker Barrel said in March that the refresh will still maintain the brand’s “rich history of country hospitality” and “authentic charm that has made the brand a beloved destination for generations of families.”
“We believe in the goodness of country hospitality, a spirit that has always defined us. Our story hasn’t changed. Our values haven’t changed,” Chief Marketing Officer Sarah Moore said in a media release.
However, many social media users have criticized the new logo, especially those in conservative circles. The president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., amplified a post on Wednesday suggesting that the logo change was led by CEO Julie Felss Masino to erase the American tradition aspect of the branding and make it more general, as a way of leaning into diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.
Additional Reading:
McCadden, A. (2025, August 21). Cracker Barrel shares plummet after pushback on new logo, brand refresh. CNBC. Link.
Category: Society
I remember when they were always tied up with lawsuits for not liking gay people.
I will say, though, they are one on continually highest volume restaurant chains out there.
Old people, families and kids on vacation on the interstate!
That may be a past tense statement soon.
Howard Johnson’s had it all, for decades,
until father founder Howard handed it all over to his son.
The downfall through the 70s was astonishing.
“Ho-Jo’s” was once the place to stop, eat and stay!
Now, most Hojos are used for using drugs and/or ladies of the evening
They actually gave me a choice at MEPS, stay with the rest of the guys the night before going to Basic at the Portland HoJo’s, or spend one last night at home. No brainer for me, I spent one last night with family and friends.
My family never saw the appeal.
The marketing genius that came up with this idea is second only to they guy that came up with “New Coke” in stupidity. “Soooo let’s take an excellent product that everyone knows and loves, change it, and tell them it’s better. They’ll love it!” Asshat.
New Coke.
I forgot about that!
Does anybody remember Stuckeys? Or stand alone A&W restaurants?
A&W never ceased to exist, they have almost 500 stores. I don’t have one near me but when I see one I stop in for a couple of chili dogs and and some root beer. My younger son loved the place.
Stuckey’s went under but is now coming back. The founder’s grand daughter purchased the brand and is trying to stage a come back. They are currently exclusively in the South and Mid-West and don’t have many stores.
I don’t know if Stuckey’s will make it in Texas, as Buckee’s has up-scaled what Stuckey’s used to do & be like.
Buc-ee’s has capitalized on being the Wal mart of travel stops!
Correct. A&W never ceased to exist per say, as they are now in gas stations and truck stops, I mean, travel centers. Not exactly stand alone.
Being an ex-OTR Driver, I miss the old School truck stops. Back then you’d get your fuel, a shower, then go to the Drivers-Only dining room for some chow and conversation before hitting the sleeper to rest up. In today’s “Travel Stops” it’s “Hurry up, get in, spend your money, now get out, NEXT!”
Same here. I stopped somewhere in east wilderness Wyoming, and had a ham, egg and pancake breakfast. Small truckstop, huge portions of food. Eggs and hash browns on one plate, ham on another and pancakes on their own plate. I was ready to take a nap after eating that, and I had just woke up and showered. I took what I couldn’t eat of the ham and put it in my fridge. Was able to make a couple sandwiches out of it. If I remember correctly, all food served there was locally grown, including the ham.
Some A&W’s are conjoined with KFC restaurants.
I worked the Houston A&W drive in on Bellair Blvd back in my HS days
I do remember! Stuckey’s pecan rolls, A&W onion rings were the best in history. And Howard Johnson’s.
**Pecan rollllllllllllsssss**
Yes. I can even remember traveling coast-to-coast before interstates–on two-lane “highways”. What I had for dinner yesterday—–not so much.
I grew up as the interstate highways were being built. Still mostly 2 lane, glimpses of the new road, occasionally using them for short periods and back to 2 lanes. Roadside parks with picnic tables so mom and dad could feed the kids lunch and burn up some energy after being cooped up in the car.
We took a family Vacation to California when I was a kid in a station wagon with the grandparents. We had to stop at every Stuckey’s on I40 on the way there…!!!
They put Taco Bell into Cracker Barrel and I didn’t like it. This has been going on for a while and the push back has been hard. Now the stock is tanking. I haven’t owned stock in them in a while so I don’t care but it is shame.
If you want to send the CEO an EMail and share your feelings; JFMasino@gmail.com
I prefer Texas Road House over Cracker Barrel by a wide margin for my corporate chow. If it is just me and the GF traveling by car we can sit in the bar and don’t have to wait for a table. The food is a lot better and there isn’t a big gap in the prices that there once was.
Our local Texas Road House was a bit too crowded and loud for Mrs. GB and me.
But the food was acceptable.
I get in the mood for loud sometimes, especially if I have been riding all day and am going to throw a couple of beers and a steak back before bed.
When I did my first visit to Texas Roadhouse, I asked, where is the Brisket, no Brisket. I haven’t ate their in a couple of years since the covid deal where they took the peanuts off of the tables. I keep getting emails from them since I gave them my email address. I keep putting it off going there. Less crowded now without the Snowbirds down here.
Wednesday is Texas Roadhouse New York strip steak special. 11 Oz i believ w/ 2 sides for 13 or 14 bucks. I guess it depends on if who is manning (womaning?) the grill if the steaks are done well.
Pushback? Their stock dropped 12% 😆
They lost like $100 million + in value like THAT. Probably just the beginning of the hurt they’re about to go through.
Fucking idiots.
This is a company that was named Cracker Barrel and then removed the cracker barrel from it’s logo (along with Uncle Hershel).
But the stock has been down for as long as this has been going on, which was last year. But as they continue down this path the resistance has grown. A lot of companies sensitive to the core customers, some are tone deaf. These are the later.
It worked so well for Aunt Jemima, Uncle Ben’s, Land O’Lakes, etc… White Castle, you’re next…
Except Uncle Hershel was a real person and an uncle to the founder. He was a goodwill ambassador and called the “soul of the company”. Now they are just another sell out soulless corporate entity.
https://www.crackerbarrel.com/about/uncle-herschel#:~:text=Herschel%20spent%20many%20workdays%20traveling,would%20have%20them%20treat%20us.
Uncle Hershel knew more about marketing than the whole corporate staff does now.
Remember the movie Big, with Tom Hanks, when the toy marketing people had all the double blind tests to make toys that no one wanted? And Tom Hanks character said “I don’t get it?” Well, here we are again….
Big (1988) – Josh Doesn’t Get It Scene (3/5) | Movieclips
Don’t forget Bud Light!
New logo done cut out the core audience/market:
https://creators.yahoo.com/lifestyle/story/this-is-the-real-reason-cracker-barrels-new-logo-is-such-a-fail-according-to-a-creative-director-204701321.html
Affluent White Female Liberal (AWFL) in action.
Girl bosses seem rather adept at making bad decisions.
Look at Mary Barra at GM.
Oh, the memes have been glorious on this one.
I’m glad you mentioned it…..
Happy Friday Ya’All and I can’t wait to watch how this SHIT on a SHINGLE/Biscuit breakfast special pans out.
Don’t ketch teh GHEY!!
And Joey…
And Fartbongo….
And the way the NFL has been of late and don’t even get me started about what NFL stands for these days….
Nutty Fa**ots Leaping
and finally this one made me spittake, fortunately not on my desk and keyboard…
Teh ghey one is were their bright-idea guy really wanted to go.
Another banger…
Damn, but Sydney is HOT.
Yes, please!
I didn’t understand the connection until I researched roles that Ms Sweeney had played. When I saw this video before, I didn’t realize that it is her.
Things I knew about Sydney Sweeney before the AE kerfuffle:
1. Who?
After the AE kerfuffle:
1. She is blonde with blue eyes and that makes her a Notzee.
2. Rumor has it she’s a Republican
3. She appears to have a nice set of Cracker Barrels.
4. Her brother is a recently-promoted USAF staff sergeant.
What, no “Caucasian Barrel” ones?
Maybe the next move is to placate the NAACP types by renaming it “Honky barrel”?
You would think they’d be placated already with it being called “cracker barrel “.
And not to be too mean, I’ll just finish up with this……
Heck yeah!
Damn! Damn! Damn!!!!
And she’s pulling her t-shirt tighter from behind.
Damn! Damn! Damn!!!
Yeah, I’m going to own this….when I was wrong I was wrong…SS is not “in your face” stunning like some women, but in a more “au natural”, wholesome way, so I was wrong….11/10…she’s kinda…growing on me….
I knew you would see the light at some point.
And just like that, another was converted. Hallelujah!
That heartless wench! Must… resist…
Resistance is futile!
Amy klobachers opinion on perfect tiddys and ugly women.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1958294967153258702
Thanks for that D-rat witch doing some truth telling.
Some of the pictures here are better, but this is CBRL’s bottom line right now.
Educate me.
I understand the green/red line, but what are the blue spikes under that?
I believe those are daily shares traded bought/sold transaction volume.
Correct.
And it’ll lose out to Denny’s or IHOP then. Smooth move there, woke boss!
That would truly be the bottom of the barrel.
…cut out their main audience/market:
https://creators.yahoo.com/lifestyle/story/this-is-the-real-reason-cracker-barrels-new-logo-is-such-a-fail-according-to-a-creative-director-204701321.html
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.
Anyone else remember Marie Calander’s? They went under, but I think there may be a few still around.
Used to be one on damn near every corner in Utah.
Another one bites the dust.
Go woke and go….the thing.
This is so deeply amusing…..and ironic…kinda….
Okay, that’s two in one day Chip!
He won’t remember.
Matt Mitchell’s take: https://youtube.com/shorts/SJlROcAVBp4?si=grvDPmj6XIhJJcb7
“strategic transformation”
Otherwise known as the “we’re going broke, do something, anything, even if it’s wrong” corporate philosophy.
I’ll stick to Waffle House
IMHO the new logo looks as sterile as a McGunk franchise of today versus what they were in the 70s and 80s!
The corporate idiots refuse to learn that woke kills businesses, but they’re as stupid as their idiot commie college Professors who told them that socialism/communism WILL work if given one more chance, thus they see going woke as the same.
Just ask ol’ Bud Lite:
$94mil per day loss and counting!
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/cracker-barrel-loses-94-million-203057114.html
Here ya go….
The “new” CB logo in comparison with the old IMO is much like the modern-day McGunk franchises compared to what they were in the 70s and 80s, they went from lively to sterile, nowadays much like a prison cafeteria.
And the hits just keep comin’:
https://www.outkick.com/culture/cracker-barrel-made-another-quiet-change-itll-make-your-blood-boil
More on why the new logo sux… forgot core customers:
https://www.yahoo.com/creators/lifestyle/story/this-is-the-real-reason-cracker-barrels-new-logo-is-such-a-fail-according-to-a-creative-director-204701321.html
And this too: woke girlboss done change language on peg board game with woke language as well:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/cracker-barrels-changed-language-famous-202225397.html
Cracker Barrel girlboss may be cryin’ uncle:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/cracker-barrel-announces-return-old-230123150.html
Resurrecting a dead post …