Cracker Barrel is altering its iconic and well-known emblem for the primary time in almost 50 years. Sadly, the brand new emblem sucks, and is an element of a bigger development of firms ditching their distinctive qualities and going as broad as attainable to be able to make the road go up. And in some way this new boring emblem, in line with chuds on-line, is additionally an instance of “going woke.” People, it’s a large number on the market.
On August 19, Cracker Barrel introduced that it was ditching its 48-year-old emblem that includes a person sitting subsequent to a barrel. As an alternative, the restaurant that focuses on “Southern consolation meals” has changed the well-known emblem with a brand new one that’s merely a yellow form with the Cracker Barrel title slapped on it. It’s the form of factor that I might whip up in Photoshop in below 5 minutes, although I wouldn’t receives a commission the doubtless tens of hundreds of {dollars} (or extra) that the individuals who really created the brand new emblem acquired.
There’s no means round it: The brand new emblem is boring, bland, and dangerous. Individuals hate it. You don’t should look onerous to seek out loads of individuals on-line sharing unfavourable ideas on the brand new, modernized emblem. It’s additionally half of a bigger, much less talked-about rebrand that has been occurring at Cracker Barrel over the past 12 months or so, with outdated eating places ditching their rustic search for stylish white partitions and fashionable design touches.
“Our story hasn’t modified. Our values haven’t modified,” stated Cracker Barrel’s CMO Sarah Moore. “With ‘All of the Extra,’ we’re honoring our legacy whereas bringing contemporary power, considerate craftsmanship and heartfelt hospitality to our visitors this fall.”
The truth is that Cracker Barrel’s “story” has modified, as a result of it’s now 2025 and it’s a publicly traded firm. At the present time, you may’t simply be a profitable restaurant that grandparents deliver their grandkids to to allow them to share tales from “again in my day…” over giant parts of so-so consolation meals. You’ll be able to’t simply be a worthwhile firm. You must develop. You need to at all times develop. The stockholders demand it. They’ll minimize your head off and substitute you if there isn’t regular, unending progress. Making that line go up is all that issues, and if meaning ditching a basic emblem which may have postpone some youthful eaters, or shedding individuals endlessly, so be it. As an alternative of making an attempt to be one factor for some individuals, Cracker Barrel and different corporations determined to develop have to be many issues to everybody. And in making an attempt to attraction to all, Cracker Barrel has stripped itself of its well-known emblem and distinctive traits, which makes it onerous to justify going there for a meal.
Cracker Barrel, Welcome To The Tradition Warfare
However in fact, additionally as a result of it’s 2025, this emblem change can’t simply be one thing all of us take a look at, shake our heads at, possibly make a number of jokes or feedback about, after which transfer on from. Nope! Altering the emblem has set off a firestorm on-line amongst chuds and weirdos, with considered one of President Trump’s sons complaining in regards to the change for instance of an organization “going woke.”
WTF is fallacious with @CrackerBarrel??! https://t.co/LkYB5N34Qi
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) August 20, 2025
Conservative activist Robby Starbuck posted on Thursday: “Good morning @CrackerBarrel! You’re about to be taught that wokeness actually doesn’t pay.” Over on the Cracker Barrel subreddit, which is a factor even when it has a really tiny group, you could find a wierd combine of individuals complaining about meals whereas sharing memes calling the meals joint “Cucker Barrel.”
“I feel it’s time for the Workers and Prospects to Stand Up. Go Woke Go Broke,” stated one poster. One other individual shared a petition to fireside the CEO of Cracker Barrel over the modifications. The petition had one signature, and the poster had 0 upvotes.
To be clear, I don’t assume Cracker Barrel altering a emblem is “going woke,” no matter that idiotic criticism means as we speak. Nor do I feel it’s an assault on outdated American values. I do, nevertheless, assume Cracker Barrel’s simplified emblem and shift to extra sterile-looking eating rooms are dangerous and irritating. I don’t need all the pieces to be focused to everybody with no distinct traits or options. I’d prefer to have the selection to go to a spot that’s stuffed with old-timey decorations and an enthralling emblem from the ’70s.
Additionally, Cracker Barrel, a number of emblem modifications and a few white partitions aren’t going to trick me or youthful individuals into consuming there. I say lean into your clientele and make the menus cursive and put rotary telephones on every desk that you must use to order your meals. Give these grandparents much more stuff to level at and go, “Oh, I wager you don’t know what that’s!” whereas their younger grandkids roll their eyes. Not all the pieces must attraction to the lots. That’s how you find yourself with boring Marvel films and uninteresting video games which might be overstuffed with each characteristic you may consider. And that appears like a horrible future.