Cracker Barrel to restore old logo amid right-wing rebrand controversy

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The Cracker Barrel chain will return to its old logo after a brief attempt last week at a streamlined rebrand at the Southern food chain prompted widespread anger among conservatives online and criticism from President Donald Trump.

“We thank our guests for sharing your voices and love for Cracker Barrel,” Cracker Barrel said in a statement on X. “We said we would listen, and we have. Our new logo is going away and our ‘Old Timer’ will remain. At Cracker Barrel, it’s always been – and always will be – about serving up delicious food, warm welcomes, and the kind of country hospitality that feels like family.”

“As a proud American institution, our 70,000 hardworking employees look forward to welcoming you to our table soon,” the company added.

President Trump celebrated the announcement in a post on Truth Social.

“Congratulations ‘Cracker Barrel’ on changing your logo back to what it was,” the president wrote. “All of your fans very much appreciate it. Good luck into the future. Make lots of money and, most importantly, make your customers happy again!”

The controversy began last week, when the chain rolled out a new logo that dropped its “Uncle Herschel” mascot, depicting an older man leaning against a barrel.

Some conservatives claimed the change was because the longstanding Southern chain had suddenly gone “woke.”

“[W]e must break the Barrel,” conservative activist Chris Rufo declared Thursday. “It’s not about this particular restaurant chain – who cares – but about creating massive pressure against companies that are considering any move that might appear to be ‘wokification.’ The implicit promise: Go woke, watch your stock price drop 20 percent, which is exactly what is happening now.”

“She is destroying a great American brand,” MAGA influencer Benny Johnson told CNN of Cracker Barrel’s CEO, claiming the logo change had “erased the white guy” from the company’s branding.

Soon, the Trump administration joined the pile-on.

“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 his social media site Truth Social earlier on Tuesday.

“They got a Billion Dollars worth of free publicity if they play their cards right,” he added. “Very tricky to do, but a great opportunity. Have a major News Conference today. Make Cracker Barrel a WINNER again.”

The Republican Party posted on X on Tuesday morning it was time to “Make Cracker Barrel Great Again!”

The Trump administration then posted a play on the logo controversy on X featuring a cartoon Donald Trump leaning against a barrel next to a sign reading ‘America First’ in the brand’s signature brown and orange colors, along with the caption, “Go woke, go broke.”

The Department of Energy then added to the image in its own post, overlaying the mock-up with a black oil barrel, a reflection of the administration’s “drill, baby, drill” ethos of promoting fossil fuel production.

Prior to today’s logo announcement the Tennessee-based chain conceded it had done a poor job with debuting the updated logo.

“If the last few days have shown us anything, it’s how deeply people care about Cracker Barrel. We’re truly grateful for your heartfelt voices,” the company wrote in a statement Monday. “You’ve also shown us that we could’ve done a better job sharing who we are and who we’ll always be.”

“The things people love most about our stores aren’t going anywhere: rocking chairs on the porch, a warm fire in the hearth, peg games on the table, unique treasures in our gift shop, and vintage Americana with antiques pulled straight from our warehouse in Lebanon, Tennessee,” the company added.

Prior to the logo controversy the company had been struggling with diminishing revenues and plunging stock prices.

Following the announcement it was reverting to its old logo, Cracker Barrel stock was trading up over 6 percent late Tuesday but it remains down nearly 10 percent from its position at the beginning of the month.

Outside of Cracker Barrel, the Trump administration has shown an unusual willingness to directly dictate the affairs of major U.S. companies.

The White House negotiated a 10 percent stake in struggling U.S. chip maker Intel and has sought foreign revenues from the sale of Nvidia and AMD chips to China.