Cracker Barrel in freefall as brand's woke makeover likened to Dylan Mulvaney Bud Light fiasco

Daily Mail UK ^ | August 22, 2025 | EMMA SALETTA

[Morgana]

Cracker Barrel's new logo has sparked a social media firestorm, with many comparing the restaurant chain's rebrand to Bud Light's infamous Dylan Mulvaney campaign.

Memes featuring Mulvaney alongside the 'new' Cracker Barrel logo have gone viral on X since the chain revealed its redesign Tuesday.

Some show the transgender influencer in mocked-up Cracker Barrel staff uniforms, while others recycle images from her 2023 Bud Light promotion — swapping beer cans for the barrels dropped from the logo.

That now-infamous campaign triggered a boycott of Bud LIght that cost parent company Anheuser-Busch more than $1 billion in sales.

Now critics warn Cracker Barrel could face the same fate. On Thursday alone, the company shed nearly $100 million in market value.

'Go Woke, Go Broke. The biggest blunder since the Bud Light/Dylan Mulvaney fiasco. They might as well declare bankruptcy right now and save some time,' an X user wrote.

The redesign — the chain’s first in 48 years — removes the iconic old man leaning on a barrel as well as the pinto bean shape behind the name, a nod to one of the original side dishes offered when Cracker Barrel opened in 1969.

Critics say the changes stripped away the brand’s character and charm. The rebrand comes as the company overhauls its 650 restaurants nationwide, swapping rustic southern-style interiors for a modern look.

That shift, too, has sparked backlash, with customers complaining the chain is 'just turning into any other restaurant.'

The chain’s name itself comes from barrels once used to deliver crackers to country stores, which later doubled as makeshift tables for community gatherings.

'This rebrand says nothing about history or tradition and everything about marketing consultants making quick money,' one Reddit user wrote.

---

TOPICS: Business/Economy
KEYWORDS: budlight; crackerbarrel; dei; juliefelssmasino

[Wiser now]

Our local Cracker Barrell is across the street from a Bob Evans.
At 5pm, Cracker Barrell is packed, and Bob Evans is empty.
“Eat local” is difficult here. The locally owned restaurants are all breakfast places that close at 2 pm. The nearest local place that serves dinner is 30 miles away.