Cracker Barrel released a new boring, soulless, and corporate logo and they are getting spit roasted on social media for it.
Cracker Barrel explained the new logo saying it “is now rooted even more closely to the iconic barrel shape and word mark that started it all."
The change in the logo comes after Cracker Barrel hired Julie Felss Masino to be its new CEO in November 2023. Masino, whose background is in marketing, began to quickly make changes announcing a strategic transformation back in May 2024. Specifically, it claimed its transformation was in “driving relevancy, delivering food and an experience guests love, and growing profitability.” In order to do that it was going to focus “on refining the brand, optimizing the menu, evolving the store and guest experience, winning in digital and off-premise, and elevating the employee experience.” It specifically noted it had “engaged a leading branding agency to refine and strengthen positioning to delight existing and new guests.”
Masino commented on this transformation at the time saying, “I am excited about our strategic transformation plans to drive relevancy, deliver food and experiences guests love, and grow profitability. Cracker Barrel is an iconic brand with an exceptionally strong foundation, and I firmly believe our plans will allow us to capitalize on our strengths and deliver long-term success. Executing this strategy will require increased investment in our business, and we have reduced our dividend so that we can allocate capital to generate organic growth and drive meaningful value creation over time. Our Board, our management, and our teams are excited about our plans and are already hard at work to make them a reality.”
In an interview earlier this week on Good Morning America, Masino claimed feedback from the rebrand has been “overwhelmingly positive that people like what we’re doing.”
She added, “I actually happened to be in Orlando last week with all of our managers. We bring them together every other year and the number one question I get asked, Michael [Strahan] is, ‘How can I get remodel? When can I get a remodel? How do I get on the list?’ Because the feedback and the buzz is so good. Not only from our customers, but from our team members. They want to work in a wonderful restaurant.”
The feedback to the logo has not been “overwhelmingly positive.” In fact, it’s been overwhelmingly negative.
Adam Knox, who claims to be a former employee, wrote, “I’m just going to say this and I used to work there. The newest President and CEO is a total whack job who is abandoning Cracker Barrel’s loyal customers. They want to go there for the old time feel, a return to a simpler time. Not everything needs to be modernized.”
Erik Russell, who also claims to be a former Cracker Barrel employee and brand designer, stated, “As a brand designer that worked at Cracker Barrel for almost 9 years, watching them commit brand suicide is... something.”
Political and culture commentator Jeremy Griggs aka DDayCobra wrote, “He was symbolic of a straight white male with family values. That's why he had to be removed. F**k the people that made this decision.”
One meme account called for a boycott of the company, “Boycott Cracker Barrel until they reinstate the old cracker and his barrel.”
End Wokeness wrote, “Cracker Barrel CEO Julie Masino should face charges for this crime against humanity.”
Mike Engleman wrote, “Remember the old saying, 'If it's not broke, don't fix it? The new Cracker Barrel CEO did just that. Woke DEI promotion, no doubt after you listen to her explain, lol.”
iAnonPatriot announced he’s boycotting the restaurant until Masino is removed as CEO, “This is the CEO of Cracker Barrel that changed their OG logo.. I’m done eating there until this woman is gone.”
Benny Johnson simply wrote, “Cracker Barrel completely changed their iconic logo for the first time in 47 years... and it's absolutely horrible. When will they learn?”
Matt Van Swol declared, “You disappointed the entire country. This is what you took from us.”
DesireeAmerica4 wrote, “Cracker Barrel didn’t just lose its logo. It lost its soul. Under a CEO more obsessed with DEI quotas than country charm, they’ve: – Scrubbed the iconic logo – Remodeled 70+ stores into sterile showroom knockoffs – Pledged $700 million to erase every trace of what made it feel like home – And according to a civil rights complaint, they're openly discriminating against white employees This isn’t modernization. It’s extermination of Americana, of warmth, of memory. Congratulations, Cracker Barrel. You’re now Woke Barrel. Nobody asked for this.”
She added, “They stripped away the Americana vibe people grew up on. This isn’t nostalgia, it’s another ‘refined’ corporate disaster pretending to be history.”
What do you make of Cracker Barrel’s redesign?
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"Driving, optimizing, evolving, elevating, positioning, excited, transformation...ETC" are all woke terms oft-used as corporate excuses for becoming soulless.
When you see those, run.
I knew they were in trouble as soon as I saw the glasses.