Cracker Barrel is out with a new logo, and if the restaurant chain's 12% dive in shares on Thursday is any gauge, it's not a very popular one. As CNN reports, the new logo has dropped both the man and the barrel from its signage, opting for just its name against a yellow background that it says is "rooted even more closely to the iconic barrel shape." The move is part of Cracker Barrel's major $700 million overhaul of its restaurants, advertising, and menu.
"Our story hasn't changed," declared the company. But the change drew particular wrath from conservatives worried that the down-home Southern restaurant chain is abandoning its traditional roots, notes Forbes. Count among the outraged Donald Trump Jr., who posted "WTF is wrong with @CrackerBarrel??!" The End Wokeness account went a step further, posting "Cracker Barrel CEO Julie Masino should face charges for this crime against humanity," while others suggested this was a "Bud Light moment."
The New York Times sees the new logo, and the earlier remodeling of restaurants, as something of a "Rorschach test in America's divided political landscape." The chain, "evoking Southern style home cooking and hospitality, and long seen as a white-coded establishment that aligned with conservative social norms, has emerged as a lightning rod for identity politics," writes Ali Watkins. Outkick notes that Cracker Barrel had chief marketing officer Sarah Moore do an interview with Fox Business in an attempt at damage control.
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"It's all about evolution with intentionality," Moore said. "We've been very transparent about making our stores feel brighter, and even more welcoming than they already are, while maintaining that country hospitality and charm that we're known for." But based on early reaction, that might not satisfy the critics.
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