Cracker Barrel just won its own backlash

When Cracker Barrel’s ho-hum logo redesign unexpectedly became a target of online conservative ire last week, that probably felt like trouble for the brand. But to the contrary, it became an opportunity. After drawing a shocking amount of attention—even President Trump weighed in—the new design has been withdrawn. And Cracker Barrel, a brand that hadn’t generated much excitement in years, could emerge as the biggest winner of its own backlash.

The backdrop for this remarkable turn of events was thoroughly familiar: a dusty, decades-old brand looking to refresh its image to make itself more relevant to a new generation of customers. While not a bad business, Cracker Barrel has been treading water: In its fiscal 2024 year, its revenue was $3.4 billion, up 0.8% from the prior year, with net income of $40.9 million, down from $78.5 million. Earlier this year, Cracker Barrel shares dipped as low as $34, from upwards of $175 in 2021.

The simplified logo was part of a broader $700 million transformation plan designed to modernize the restaurant chain. The goal was to brighten and streamline the restaurant, which is known for its homey aesthetic of wood paneling and bric-a-brac wall decor as well as a gift shop full of tchotchkes.

A reported 40 or so of its 660 locations have been decluttered and brightened up to varying degrees. Some customers have found the results colder and less welcoming, while others have been more open to the update, but there was hardly a pitched battle online or anywhere else about Cracker Barrel’s nascent glow-up.

The reception to the new logo was different. The existing one dates back to 1977, and it’s not exactly an exemplar of crisp, modern design. Next to the Cracker Barrel wordmark, there’s a bold-stroke rendering of an older man in overalls leaning on a barrel. That’s “Uncle Herschel” (named after the founder’s uncle), otherwise known as, simply, “the Old Timer.” Below that the phrase “Old Country Store” is tacked on like an afterthought. 

It didn’t seem like a shocking provocation when Cracker Barrel announced it was stripping this down to a slightly simplified version of the wordmark, sans the man and his barrel. If the chain was looking to court younger diners, losing the older guy from the logo doesn’t seem like a radical or “woke” decision. But that’s how some right-leaning online observers took it—or perhaps made it. 

Donald Trump Jr. weighed in with an exasperated “WTF” on X, and conservative activist Robby Starbuck called the redesign “a slap in the face.” As more MAGA fans piled on, the company’s share price fell more than 10%, to about $55, generating headlines about the erasure of $100 million in market value.   

Finally the hubbub awakened the inner design critic of the senior Trump—the one who might have other priorities, such as reorganizing world trade or making good on promised peace deals. “Cracker Barrel should go back to the old logo, admit a mistake based on customer response (the ultimate Poll), and manage the company better than ever before,” the president wrote on Truth Social. “They got a Billion Dollars worth of free publicity if they play their cards right.”

He may be exaggerating, but Trump isn’t wrong about the free publicity. Two weeks ago you probably could not have described the Cracker Barrel logo off the top of your head, or known that Uncle Herschel even existed. In a matter of days, the Old Timer has become borderline iconic.

No wonder Cracker Barrel welcomed the advice to walk away from a redesign that looked less modern than timid and generic. “We said we would listen, and we have,” the company announced. “Our new logo is going away and our ‘Old Timer’ will remain.” 

In the short term, the brand can skip a less-than-dazzling redesign while still enjoying the possibilities of a drastically reenergized original logo. And since the online backlash was basically one-sided—there didn’t seem to be any progressive demand to commit to the new type treatment or replace the Old Timer with George Soros—there’s little immediate downside. (The share price is now about where it was before the redesign was announced.)

The longer-term picture is a little murkier. Cracker Barrel still needs to attract new customers, not just bolster its image with loyal ones. And according to the White House, the company’s leadership called and “thanked President Trump for weighing in on the issue,” a decision that overtly leans into partisanship. Cracker Barrel’s next move has to be figuring out how to springboard off this weird episode to advance the streamlining and updating it needs to expand its appeal. Old timers may be important to hang on to, but the future depends on newcomers.