President Donald Trump has thrown a haymaker at Cracker Barrel, slamming their recent logo redesign as a misstep that’s costing them dearly with loyal customers and investors alike.
According to Newsmax, at the heart of this controversy is Cracker Barrel’s decision to ditch the iconic “Uncle Herschel” image from their logo as part of a $700 million modernization push, a move that’s sparked fierce debate and a steep drop in stock value, while drawing sharp criticism from politicians and patrons who cherish the chain’s southern heritage.
For 55 years, Cracker Barrel has been a staple of Americana, with its “Uncle Herschel” figure leaning on a barrel as a symbol of southern comfort and tradition.
Recently, the company unveiled a new logo, stripping away that beloved image in a bid to modernize under CEO Julie Felss Masino’s leadership.
The response was swift and brutal, with stock prices tumbling to $56.83 as of Tuesday morning, down nearly 22% from a high of $71.93 just over a month ago.
That slide has wiped out hundreds of millions in market value, shrinking the company’s market cap to $1.22 billion—a staggering 19% drop that signals investor fury over the rebrand.
Enter President Trump, who didn’t mince words, declaring, “Cracker Barrel should go back to the old logo, admit a mistake based on customer response.”
His point cuts to the core: why fix what wasn’t broken, especially when the “ultimate poll” of customer opinion is screaming for a reversal?
Trump sees a silver lining, suggesting this could be “a great opportunity” to turn the tide if Cracker Barrel plays it smart with a major news conference to win back trust.
Other voices echoed Trump’s sentiment, with Donald Trump Jr. bluntly asking, “WTF is wrong with @CrackerBarrel??!”
Such raw frustration isn’t just social media noise; it reflects a deeper concern that the chain is abandoning its identity for a bland, unnecessary redesign that critics like Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida call out as an unwanted “woke rebrand.”
Even rival Steak ‘n Shake took a swipe, accusing Cracker Barrel of “deleting the personality altogether,” a jab that stings when you consider how much heritage matters to diners seeking that down-home feel.
Cracker Barrel’s leadership, under fire, issued a statement titled “A Promise to Our Guests,” admitting they “could’ve done a better job” explaining the shift.
They’ve pledged to keep “Uncle Herschel” on menus and signage inside stores, but for many, that’s a half-measure when the logo itself—the face of the brand—has lost its soul.
CEO Masino insists they’re “evolving while staying true to our roots,” but with mixed reactions at the local level, where some employees and customers shrug off the drama while others decry the change, it’s clear the company is on shaky ground.
Marketing experts point out that Cracker Barrel’s leadership is walking a tightrope, trying to balance modernization with tradition, as Wharton professor David Reibstein noted, “The traditions have broken for the traditionalists.”
That’s the rub: in chasing a new image with a $700 million plan, have they alienated the very folks who made them a “fixture of American culture,” as Rep. Donalds described?
The company says it’s “listening, testing, and learning,” but with a $280 million loss in market value and sharp words from figures like California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office comparing the rebrand to “cheap Velveeta cheese' from Walmart, the road to recovery looks daunting.
