Topline
Cracker Barrel will return to its “Old Timer” logo, the American restaurant chain announced Tuesday, reverting to the previous logo after a minimalist redesign received widespread backlash, including from President Donald Trump.
Key Facts
Cracker Barrel thanked customers in a tweet for providing opinions on its new logo, adding, “We said we would listen, and we have. Our new logo is going away and our ‘Old Timer’ will remain.”
Cracker Barrel added its restaurants are “about serving up delicious food, warm welcomes, and the kind of country hospitality that feels like family,” touching on the Southern feel critics accused it of abandoning with its new logo.
The company’s new logo solely featured its name and removed the old logo’s barrel and Uncle Herschel, the man leaning on the barrel, who was set to continue being featured in menus and Cracker Barrel stores despite the change, according to the chain.
Cracker Barrel’s return to its old logo comes after days of backlash from critics and just hours after Trump said it “should go back to the old logo” and “admit a mistake based on customer response (the ultimate Poll).”
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Crucial Quote
“Congratulations ‘Cracker Barrel’ on changing your logo back to what it was. All of your fans very much appreciate it,” Trump said in a Truth Social post Tuesday, encouraging the company to “Make lots of money and, most importantly, make your customers happy again!” Trump earlier in the day said “They got a Billion Dollars worth of free publicity if they play their cards right. Very tricky to do, but a great opportunity.”
How Did Cracker Barrel’s Stock React?
Cracker Barrel shares boomed 5.7% in after-hours trading Tuesday. The stock price dropped more than 7% last Thursday as the backlash intensified into a cultural flashpoint, though the redesign announcement had been made two days earlier.
Key Background
Cracker Barrel said when revealing its new logo it was “rooted even more closely to the iconic barrel shape and word mark that started it all,” referring to the company’s original text-only brand from 1969. Right-wing figures like Donald Trump Jr. and lawyer Rogan O’Handley blasted the new logo, with the president’s son agreeing with a post from another user who said Cracker Barrel CEO Julie Felss Masino “scrapped a beloved American aesthetic and replaced it with sterile, soulless branding.” Cracker Barrel, which is in the process of remodeling some locations with more modern aesthetics, initially defended its decision to change the logo, saying it was a “call-back to the original” and Uncle Herschel “remains front and center in our restaurants and on our menu.”
Further Reading
Trump Says Cracker Barrel Should ‘Go Back To The Old Logo’ As Company Rebrand Sparks Backlash (Forbes)