President Trump joined the growing calls for Cracker Barrel to ditch its rebrand and bring back the traditional folksy logo, saying there could be a “great opportunity” for the company amid the torrent of bad publicity.
“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,” said Mr. Trump in a Tuesday post on Truth Social.
“They got a Billion Dollars worth of free publicity if they play their cards right. Very tricky to do, but a great opportunity,” he continued before offering game-plan advice.
“Have a major News Conference today. Make Cracker Barrel a Winner again,” he said. “Remember, in just a short period of time I made the United States of America the ‘Hottest’ Country anywhere in the World. One year ago, it was ‘Dead.’ Good luck!”
The restaurant chain saw its stock price plummet last week after unveiling the new streamlined logo, which simply says “Cracker Barrel” and no longer includes a barrel, the man in overalls known as “Uncle Herschel,” or the “Old Country Store” subtitle.
The 56-year-old company sought to mitigate the damage Monday with a statement assuring customers that its values “will never change,” despite moving to modernize its homespun look by remodeling its store decor and revamping its logo.
“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,” said the Cracker Barrel statement. “We love seeing how much you care about our ‘old timer.’ We love him too.”
As it turns out however, the triangular peg game is also getting a makeover designed to spare the feelings of its most sensitive customers.
Instead of its message saying that solving the game in three tries means “you’re just plain dumb” – and four tries makes you an “eg-no-ra-moose” – the game now says, “no reason to be embarrassed, try again.”
🚨 BREAKING: Cracker Barrel’s Bold Rebrand Continues to Tank Their Business! 🚨
In their latest stroke of genius, they’ve “woke-ified” the iconic peg game to coddle the feelings of those who can’t outsmart a piece of wood.
Old Peg Game: “Leave four or mor’n you’re just plain… pic.twitter.com/W5CsCLt50O
— John T. Williams (@johnwilliams4ms) August 26, 2025
A Cracker Barrel spokesperson defended the changes, telling Country Living that the “peg game is still the same peg game our guests have known and loved for years, and some may look visually different now, but the rules and fun remain completely unchanged.”
Conservative corporate activist Robby Starbuck said the rebrand comes after years of Cracker Barrel executives pushing DEI initiatives and partnering with LGBTQ groups on Pride Month celebrations, including rainbow rocking chairs and Pride flags at the company’s headquarters.
He also noted that board member Gilbert Davila owns a DEI consulting firm and oversaw DEI efforts at Disney before coming to Cracker Barrel.
Cracker Barrel CEO Julie Felss Masino, who took the helm in 2023, alarmed the pancake-eating faithful last year when she discussed plans to update the restaurants, saying, “we’re just not as relevant as we once were.”
Founded in 1969, Cracker Barrel operates about 660 restaurants nationwide. The chain is known for its country store and Southern-style comfort food, including pancakes, country-fried steak, and chicken-fried chicken.
