Cracker Barrel Retreats From Rebrand Amid Culture-War Backlash
Aug/27/2025
Cracker Barrel has scrapped its streamlined new logo after a storm of criticism, reinstating the “Old Timer” design featuring the iconic figure leaning on a barrel. The reversal came after a week of social-media uproar, boycotts, and even commentary from Donald Trump, who urged a return to tradition. Shares, which had dropped more than 12% during the controversy, rebounded 3% on the news. Chief executive Julie Felss Masino, hired in 2023 to modernize the chain’s 660 restaurants, had argued that rebranding was part of a broader turnaround strategy that had already delivered four straight quarters of same-store sales growth. Yet the furore underscored how even small changes can ignite political skirmishes in today’s polarized marketplace, where companies such as Bud Light and Target have also stumbled. For Cracker Barrel, the episode is both a setback in its efforts to appeal to younger diners and a reminder of the brand’s deep ties to heritage—ties it alters at its peril.
