Brand On the Run: Cracker Barrel

Back in the day, PR practitioners said any publicity is good publicity. In today’s hyper-connected and mega-politicized environment, that’s no longer the case.

Exhibit A: Cracker Barrel and its decision to update its menu, the look of its stores and its logo – especially the latter, in which a seated older gentleman wearing overalls and leaning on a barrel has vanished.

Reactions to the logo update ranged from “who cares?” to “we do – a lot!”  (And on Wall Street, the chain’s shares took a real pounding.) Brand experts say alienating those who are passionate about a brand can hurt a company the most.

The brand’s old logo. Photo: jetcityimage/iStock by Getty Images

And at least one competitor couldn’t pass up the chance to pile onto Cracker Barrel’s woes. Posting on X, Steak ’n Shake said, “Heritage is what got Cracker Barrel this far, and now the CEO wants to just scrape it all away. At Steak ‘n Shake, we take pride in our history, our families and American values. All are welcome. We will never market ourselves away from our past in a cheap effort to gain the approval of trend seekers.”

The nation’s top newspapers also covered the controversy. The New York Times’ story bore this headline/deck: “Cracker Barrel’s New Modern Logo and Aesthetic Become a Political Rorschach Test: Nostalgic fans of the interstate staple lamented the loss of its country kitsch, while some conservatives blamed ‘wokeness’ for the sleek redesign.” In a similar vein The Washington Post’s story was topped by “Critics deride Cracker Barrel’s new logo as ‘sterile,’ ‘soulless’ and ‘woke’.”

Hundreds of readers posted comments about such stories, including this one on the Post website from NotSafeToUseRealName:

“It’s as if someone specifically requested a redesign that evokes absolutely nothing and appeals to no one while avoiding any hint of it being related to anything involving food or dining. Between this and the MS NOW logo it’s been quite a week for awful graphic design failures.”

Thus far, at least, Cracker Barrel officials are standing behind the brand’s new look. On ABC’s “Good Morning America.” CEO Julie Felss Masino said that feedback on the change “has been overwhelmingly positive.” She added, “Cracker Barrel needs to feel like the Cracker Barrel for today and for tomorrow.”

Time – and especially a few quarterly earnings reports – will tell if the changes have accomplished that goal.