Posted on 09/09/2025 9:33:34 AM PDT by xxqqzz
Cracker Barrel on Tuesday abruptly suspended its restaurant remodels and promised to keep its cherished “old country store” vibe following a furious backlash that forced the chain to walk back plans for a new logo that cut out its beloved “Uncle Herschel.”
The announcement was made a day after The Post reported that Cracker Barrel workers were upset with CEO Julie Felss Masino, claiming she gutted kitchen jobs, slashed hours to avoid offering health insurance, and now passes off frozen, microwaved food as “homestyle cooking.”
The backlash erupted alongside the chain’s logo fiasco, forcing an embarrassing reversal after customer outrage and even criticism from President Trump.
Cracker Barrel froze its restaurant remodels after testing modernized designs in only four of 660 locations.
In a statement titled “Your Old Country Store is Here to Stay,” the chain assured customers that if their restaurant hasn’t been remodeled yet, “you don’t need to worry, it won’t be.”
“We heard clearly that the modern remodel design does not reflect what you love about Cracker Barrel,” the restaurant said on its web site.
“We had tested this design in only four out of 660 locations, and we won’t continue with it. Of course, we will continue to invest in our restaurants to make sure that they are in good shape and meet your expectations.”
The company vowed that its “vintage Americana…will always be here – the rocking chairs on the porch, our fireplaces and peg games, unique treasures in our gift shop and antiques pulled straight from our warehouse in Lebanon, Tennessee.”
“We want you to have a warm, welcoming space for friends and family to gather and enjoy our craveable food and country hospitality,” the company said.
Before logo fiasco, Cracker Barrel had quietly started serving day-old biscuits, microwaved meatloaf: employees
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
We went to a Cracker Barrel once about twenty years ago. Never saw a reason to go back. Still don’t.
I don’t know. They got more publicity than they ever had before and many people went to the restaurant to eat before it got changed.
Just get the food tasting as good as it did fifteen years ago. That’s it. Nothing more.
I eat at restaurants that have quality food, not because of the decor. Cracker Barrel needs to improve their food quality by cooking items on site instead of reheating them. Take the money that was earmarked for decor “upgrades” and put it into food preparation. Make Cracker Barrel Great Again (MCBGA).
Many people like Cracker Barrel. I believe the problems they were having was a drop in the quality of both the food and the service.
Beat me to it.
Intel spent over 1B with a logo change.
Didn’t make a bit of difference.
I figured any chain restaurant would primarily utilize frozen, pre-made items no matter their claims of “home style” cooking.
They all get the same stuff from Sysco or US Foods, just market it and present it differently.
Too late, never going back
For example everyone says that the New Coke thing in the 80s or early 90s was the biggest marketing disaster ever, it was so bad that they had to bring back the old Coke recipe. Except they didn't bring back the old recipe, they brought back the old recipe with a key change: cane sugar out, high fructose corn syrup in. I an 100% of the belief that this was the whole point, they never wanted the new coke recipe, they just needed to switch to high fructose corn syrup in a way that people wouldn't notice and they did that perfectly. So it was a major marketing coup, not a disaster.
But I don't think this is true for Cracker Barrel. This CEO came in and immediately started talking about updating the brand, she talked about making the menu more modern with lower fat items, making the decor more modern, etc. The menu stuff went over like a lead balloon so she walked that back. But here we are, she never gave up her dream of making it a place she wouldn't be embarrassed to tell people at parties that she worked at. Now she knows the sting of total humilation, worked out well for her.
Those are my remaining demands.
I am glad you noticed that about old coke and coke classic as they called it. I had a friend who bought up a lot of the old coke and we did a taste test after they brought it back and it was definitely different. It wasn’t until years later I learned about the corn syrup, I just knew it was different.
I don’t think Cracker Barrel planned this disaster, just that it did give them more publicity and made some people like me go there to see it before it changed.
Woke female CEO’s are killing off brands all the time. You think they would learn...
“Just get the food tasting as good as it did fifteen years ago. That’s it. Nothing more.”
Bingo.
Too late, they will never recover.
Are you a Communist?
Just kidding lol
There is a DEI lgbtq person there as well who is very influential. He needs to go as well.
“Meet Gilbert Davila, one of the board members for Cracker Barrel,” Starbuck wrote, posting a screenshot of Davila’s profile on Cracker Barrel’s website. The anti-woke investigator continued to summarize Davila’s record, writing, “He’s led a DEI strategy firm since 2010 AND he was a VP working on ‘Diversity’ at Disney. That’s his experience. He also pushes for DEI in advertisements. Cracker Barrel is infested with DEI & wokeness.”
“Cracker Barrel is so cooked,” Starbuck quipped, posting a screenshot of an LGBT Pride event sponsored by Cracker Barrel this year. The company’s description said, “In the Cracker Barrel spirit of hospitality and belonging, we call it ‘bringing the front porch to Pride.’” Starbuck also noted, “Another little known fact: Cracker Barrel was a Nashville Pride sponsor.” He asked consumers, “Do you want your $ to fund Pride events when you go to” Cracker Barrel?”
https://washingtonstand.com/article/cracker-barrel-faces-backlash-over-woke-agenda-and-redesign
Their new radio ad campaign is pretty condescending. “Don’t worry, all you hillbillies, everything is just the same!” Another miss by the ad division.
Agreed.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.