The new Cracker Barrel brand is seen on a menu contained in the restaurant on Aug. 21, 2025 in Homestead, Florida.
Joe Raedle | Getty Images
Shares of Cracker Barrel Old Country Store plummeted roughly 10% on Thursday after the restaurant unveiled its new brand earlier this week as half of a bigger model refresh.
The new brand removes the picture of a person leaning in opposition to a barrel that was prominently featured within the unique, abandoning simply the phrases “Cracker Barrel” in opposition to a yellow background. The phrase “old country store” has additionally been eliminated.
The firm mentioned the colours within the brand had been impressed by the chain’s scrambled eggs and biscuits.
The change is a part of a “strategic transformation” to revitalize the model that began again in May 2024. Under that mission, Cracker Barrel’s model refresh consists of updates to visible components, restaurant areas and meals and retail choices.
Cracker Barrel’s outdated and new brand.
Courtesy: Cracker Barrel
Cracker Barrel said in March that the refresh will nonetheless keep the model’s “rich history of country hospitality” and “authentic charm that has made the brand a beloved destination for generations of families.”
“We believe in the goodness of country hospitality, a spirit that has always defined us. Our story hasn’t changed. Our values haven’t changed,” Chief Marketing Officer Sarah Moore mentioned in a media launch.
However, many social media customers have criticized the new brand, particularly these in conservative circles. The president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., amplified a post on Wednesday suggesting that the emblem change was led by CEO Julie Felss Masino to erase the American custom side of the branding and make it extra common, as a approach of leaning into variety, fairness and inclusion efforts.
Conservative activist Robby Starbuck added his commentary on Thursday, writing in a post on social media site X, “Good morning @CrackerBarrel! You’re about to learn that wokeness really doesn’t pay.”
The firm has a comparatively small market cap of about $1.2 billion in contrast with different restaurant chains.
Customers have additionally complained on social media concerning the inside redesign of many Cracker Barrel eating places, saying the new decor favors a extra sterile and trendy type over its tried-and-true nation really feel.
On the restaurant’s newest earnings name in June, Masino mentioned Cracker Barrel had accomplished 20 remodels and 20 refreshes. She mentioned the corporate shall be sharing extra details about the transforming initiative in September.
“Employees had given us great feedback about working in those newly remodeled and refreshed stores and guests continue to tell us that they’re lighter, brighter, more welcoming and they’re enjoying them,” Masino mentioned on the decision.
Cracker Barrel isn’t the one inventory to see giant swings based mostly on political social media posts.
Earlier this month, shares of American Eagle soared after Trump posted that an advert that includes Sydney Sweeney, which confronted vital social media pushback from the left, was “the ‘HOTTEST’ ad out there.”
Back in 2023, Anheuser-Busch InBev confronted heavy criticism from conservatives after a collaboration between Bud Light and social influencer Dylan Mulvaney, who’s transgender.
