For nearly half a century, Cracker Barrel’s iconic logo was as recognizable as the biscuits and rocking chairs that made the chain a Southern staple. But this week, the company tossed all of that history out the window, unveiling a rebrand that immediately sparked outrage from loyal customers and brand experts alike.
The change marks the first major redesign in 47 years, and to put it bluntly — it’s a disaster. A former Cracker Barrel brand designer who spent almost nine years with the company called it “brand suicide,” while longtime customers lit up social media calling the new look “cheap,” “soulless,” and “unrecognizable.”
As a brand designer that worked at @CrackerBarrel for almost 9 years, watching them commit brand suicide is… something pic.twitter.com/b99pCymvyN
— 𝐄𝐫𝐢𝐤 𝐑𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐥 (@rikoruss31) August 20, 2025
But the backlash isn’t just about the aesthetics. Revelations are surfacing that Cracker Barrel has been quietly embracing the full suite of DEI and “woke” corporate policies. Few knew, for example, that the chain was a sponsor of Nashville Pride, raising questions about whether diners’ money is being funneled into causes that have nothing to do with hashbrown casserole or country store candy.
The controversy points back to the company’s leadership. CEO Julie Felss Masino has been accused of steering the beloved restaurant into the ditch of woke politics, prioritizing virtue signaling over customers and brand loyalty. Side-by-side comparisons circulating online show the pride and craftsmanship of the original logo’s creator against the faceless, “DEI committee-approved” version that just rolled out.
And then came the real gut punch: Cracker Barrel’s stock price tumbled this morning, reflecting investors’ lack of confidence in the new direction. As one critic put it, “Good morning, Cracker Barrel — you’re about to learn that wokeness really doesn’t pay.”
A brand once synonymous with tradition and family dining is now facing an identity crisis of its own making. Whether Cracker Barrel will survive its flirtation with corporate progressivism remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: alienating your customer base in the name of “inclusivity” is a recipe for disaster.
Natalie Dagenhardt is an American conservative writer who writes for Right Journalism! Natalie has described herself as a polemicist who likes to “stir up the pot,” and does not “pretend to be impartial or balanced, as broadcasters do,” drawing criticism from the left, and sometimes from the right. As a passionate journalist, she works relentlessly to uncover the corruption happening in Washington. She is a “constitutional conservative”.
The post Cracker Barrel Changes Logo as Revelations Surface About Company’s DEI ‘Woke’ Policies — What Happened This Morning Is a Nightmare appeared first on Right Journalism.
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