Why did Cracker Barrel change its logo? Brand refresh plans were announced in 2024

Cracker Barrel, the famous Lebanon-based restaurant chain, is facing massive online backlash for changing its logo and menu.

Updated on: Aug 22, 2025, 10:14:29 IST

By Shuvrajit Das Biswas

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Cracker Barrel finds itself in the middle of a social media storm after it announced a change to its logo along with a menu update in a press release. In fact, the backlash translated to massive blows in the stock market as well.

Cracker Barrel had announced in 2024 that they had plans for a brand refresh (Getty Images via AFP)

Stocks fell as much as 13 percent by midday Thursday, Reuters reported.

However, the plans for a change were a long-time coming, and it has to do with the Lebanon-based food chain trying to revamp its overall look.

Why Cracker Barrel changed its logo?

Cracker Barrel had announced in 2024 that they had plans for a brand refresh after the company saw some diners were slow to return to the restaurant after the Covid-19 pandemic, Wall Street Journal reported. Not only did the chain struggle to regain its 65-plus diners, which includes its loyal customers, but also wanted to attract a young crowd.

Also Read | Cracker Barrel to Aunt Jemima: 5 brands that faced backlash after logo change

Julie Masino, who had stepped in as CEO in 2023, had said in a May 2024 call with investors that the brand was ‘not as relevant’ as they used to be, CBS News had reported. “We're just not as relevant as we once were,” Masino said, noting the company had ‘lost its shine’ and was in the need of a ‘transformation’.

While announcing the new logo, Cracker Barrel said they were also bringing new fall menu options, and there would be a collaboration with country singer Jordan Davis - who would host an event in New York on Thursday.

Cracker Barrel, meanwhile, said that ‘farm fresh scrambled eggs and buttermilk biscuits’ were the inspiration behind the color palette in the new campaign. This is the first time in 48 years that the logo will be text-only without any images. When the chain opened in 1969, it was just the logo with text, but in 1977, the logo was updated to show a man resting by the barrel.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shuvrajit Das Biswas
Shuvrajit has over seven years of experience covering US, India, and world news. An English Literature postgraduate from Jadavpur University, Shuvrajit started off covering entertainment, gaming and all things pop culture. There were brief periods away from the media industry, with short stints in content marketing, ed-tech and academic editing. However, the newsroom beckoned and over the last few jobs, Shuvrajit has exceedingly focused on team functioning as well, including tracking news and assigning tasks, working on everyday breaking news, framing detailed coverage plans, and creating immersive and data-driven stories. In his time as a digital journalist, he has covered a Lok Sabha election, multiple state elections, Union Budgets and award ceremonies. He has also helped in planning content for company event panels in the past. For work, Shuvrajit enjoys dabbling with data visualization, editing tools, and AI chatbots and attempts to incorporate AI workflows in everyday tasks. He is deeply interested in geopolitics, sports, films and music. Prompting is a new fascination for Shuvrajit now. Apart from that, he can be found doom-scrolling, sharing memes, or cheering on his favorite football team.Read More

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