After backing away from a controversial logo rebrand loudly opposed by many right-wing influencers, Cracker Barrel additionally quietly made adjustments to its website this week.
The Tennessee-based roadside restaurant chain deleted a devoted “Pride page” and scrubbed references to worker useful resource teams, together with its LGBTQ+ and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging teams, from one other a part of its website.
“On behalf of Cracker Barrel’s LGBTQ+ Alliance & DEIB Team, we want to celebrate YOU for being YOU. It is our greatest Mission to ensure that Pleasing People means ‘all people,’” Cracker Barrel’s now-deleted Pride web page learn, in keeping with a NCS overview of the Wayback Machine.
The URL now redirects to the corporate’s “Culture and Belonging” page, which has additionally been revised, in keeping with the Wayback Machine. The new model speaks extra broadly about firm tradition however not lists its worker useful resource teams, which had been publicly seen as just lately as Tuesday, in keeping with the archive.
In an announcement to NCS, a Cracker Barrel spokesperson mentioned the website updates mirrored the removing of outdated content material.
“In connection with the Company’s brand work, we have recently made updates to the Cracker Barrel website, including adding new content and removing out-of-date content,” the spokesperson mentioned. “Several months ago, the Company also made changes to our Business Resource Groups that now focus all sponsorships or events on our corporate giving initiatives: addressing food insecurity, supporting community needs through food, and reducing food waste.”
The website adjustments come after Cracker Barrel confronted days of intense backlash, primarily from right-wing influencers, after the corporate unveiled a new minimalist logo final week, which removed a picture of its well-known barrel and “Old-Timer” determine.
The controversy made all of it the way in which to the Oval Office. On Tuesday, President Donald Trump weighed in, agreeing that the corporate ought to revert to its outdated logo.
That identical day, Cracker Barrel introduced it could not move forward with its rebrand.
The adjustments to Cracker Barrel’s website come after Robby Starbuck, a distinguished anti-DEI influencer, posted a screenshot of Cracker Barrel’s “Pride page” on social media.
“Cracker Barrel still proudly has their LGBTQ+ and DEI page on their website and they haven’t said that they’ll end funding for all ages pride events,” Starbuck wrote. “They don’t deserve your money for fixing the logo.”
After the adjustments to the chain’s website, Starbuck declared “a total victory” on social media.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic, the restaurant chain has struggled to recover, with Cracker Barrel’s inventory (CBRL) shedding greater than half its worth over the previous 5 years. Shares ticked up earlier this week after the corporate scrapped its rebrand however dropped as soon as once more on Thursday.