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Cracker Barrel new logo row: Why Lebanon-based chain is facing backlash; CEO responds
Cracker Barrel, famous Lebanon-based restaurant chain, is facing severe backlash on social media over its new logo and menu updates
Cracker Barrel, famous Lebanon-based restaurant chain, is facing severe backlash on social media over its new logo and menu updates. On Wednesday, the chain announced the changes, saying the new logo is ‘now rooted even more closely to the iconic barrel shape and word mark that started it all’. This is the first time in 48 years that the Cracker Barrel logo will be text-only with no images.
The chain, which opened in 1969, had a logo with just text before, but in 1977, it updated the image to show a man resting by the barrel.
In a press release, Cracker Barrel noted that ‘farm fresh scrambled eggs and buttermilk biscuits’ were the inspiration behind the color palette in the new campaign. The company is running an ‘All the More’ campaign that ‘positions the iconic American brand for the future’.
“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. With ‘All the More,’ we’re honoring our legacy while bringing fresh energy, thoughtful craftsmanship and heartfelt hospitality to our guests this fall,” Sarah Moore, chief marketing officer of Cracker Barrel, said in a statement.
However, social media backlash followed the makeover.
“The CEO of Cracker Barrel is as woke as they come. She is destroying a once great American brand,” pro-Trump adviser Alex Bruesewitz wrote on X, platform formerly known as Twitter.
“This logo is depressing,” another person added. “Now why would they remove the cracker & the barrel?” a third one tweeted.
Cracker Barrel CEO responds
The CEO of the company, Julie Felss Masino, explained the changes in an interview with Good Morning America.
“People like what we're doing. Cracker Barrel needs to feel like the Cracker Barrel for today and for tomorrow -- the things that you love are still there. We need people to choose us, and we want people to choose us,” she said.
Masino added that at a recent on-site meeting in Florida, the 'No 1 question I got asked was, 'How can I get a remodel, when can I get a remodel and how do I get on the list?'"
