Cracker Barrel scrambled Monday to turn down the temperature on its disastrous logo rebranding, promising that the restaurant chain’s values “will never change” after its market worth plunged by nearly $100 million.
The Tennessee-based restaurant chain known for its pancakes, rocking chairs and country store met with outrage after unveiling last week a scaled-down logo that no longer includes a barrel, the man in overalls known as “Uncle Herschel,” or the “Old Country Store” subtitle.
“If the last few days have shown us anything, it’s how deeply people care about Cracker Barrel,” the company said in a Monday statement.
“We’re truly grateful for your heartfelt voices. You’ve also shown us that we could’ve done a better job sharing who we are and who we’ll always be,” the company said.
However, Cracker Barrel said nothing about bringing back the old logo while insisting that Uncle Herschel will remain a part of the Cracker Barrel experience.
“Uncle Herschel will still be on our menu (welcome back Uncle Herschel’s Favorite Breakfast Platter), on our road signs, and featured in our country store. He’s not going anywhere — he’s family,” the statement said.
“While our logo and remodels may be making headlines, our bigger focus is still right where it belongs … in the kitchen and on your plate,” Cracker Barrel said.
As far as critics are concerned, however, Cracker Barrel has for years put too little focus on food and too much on its DEI and LGBTQ initiatives.
“If you think this is just a logo change, you’re wrong,” said conservative corporate activist Robby Starbuck on his Friday podcast.
He said Cracker Barrel “has gone fully woke and now it’s time to expose everything,” citing its sponsorships of Pride Month events; transgender-pronoun trainings; a commitment to “supplier diversity”; rainbow rocking chairs for Pride Month, and support for LGBTQ groups such as the Human Rights Campaign and Out & Equal.
He also pointed to Gilbert Davila, a member of the company’s board of directors since 2020, who runs a DEI consulting firm and previously served as the Walt Disney Company’s vice president of global diversity and multicultural marketing.
“I have to ask again: Does this feel like a man or board or company that actually understands their customers?” Mr. Starbuck asked.
Cracker Barrel has been one of the most loved brands in America for decades… That changed this week with a logo redesign that infuriated the public but… the problem goes MUCH deeper than a logo.@CrackerBarrel has gone fully woke and now it’s time to expose everything.
Here’s… pic.twitter.com/lgkFd0wc2V
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) August 23, 2025
A month before the logo change, America First Legal asked the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti to investigate the company for its “discriminatory diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies.”
“Cracker Barrel rebranded its dedicated DEI website last year from ‘Diversity and Inclusion’ to ‘Culture and Inclusion,’ yet continues to promote the company’s apparently unlawful commitments to provide unique employment benefits to certain races and sexes,” said AFL in a July 21 statement.
Donald Trump Jr. asked on X: “WTF is wrong with Cracker Barrel??!”
Cracker Barrel reportedly lost nearly $100 million in market value in one day last week as the stock price plunged, drawing comparisons to the 2023 Bud Light meltdown over its partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
I am boycotting @CrackerBarrel until they change the logo back and fire the CEO. pic.twitter.com/9VtEyup3aw
— Aaron 🇺🇸 (@TimberHandsFam) August 20, 2025
The company’s revamp has also provided fodder for satirists, including the Babylon Bee, which ran the headline, “Al Qaeda Claims Responsibility for Cracker Barrel Logo Change.”
On the hot seat is Cracker Barrel CEO Julie Felss Masino, who joined the company two years ago and now faces calls to resign, including from competitor Steak ‘n Shake.
“Sometimes, people want to change things just to put their own personality on things,” the sit-down burger chain wrote on X.
“At CB, their goal is to just delete the personality altogether. Hence, the elimination of the ‘old-timer’ from the signage. Heritage is what got Cracker Barrel this far, and now the CEO wants to just scrape it all away,” Steak ’n Shake wrote.
The company founded in 1969 began updating its look last year by, for example, getting rid of the oil lamps, brightening the decor, and replacing twig rockers with leather chairs.
Cracker Barrel said Monday that the changes are intended to ensure that “Cracker Barrel is here for the next generation of families, just as it has been for yours.”
“That means showing up on new platforms and in new ways, but always with our heritage at the heart,” said the statement. “We take that responsibility very seriously. We know we won’t always get everything right the first time, but we’ll keep testing, learning, and listening to our guests and employees. At the end of the day, our promise is simple: you’ll always find comfort, community, and country hospitality here at Cracker Barrel.”
“Uncle Herschel” refers to Herschel McCartney, the uncle of Cracker Barrel founder Dan Evins.
The stock price of Cracker Barrel, which operates about 660 stores, dipped below $54 per share on Monday, down from a year-to-date high of $71.93 on July 23.
