Topline
Cracker Barrel said Tuesday it would drop plans to remodel its restaurants to give them a brighter and more modern feel, another rollback in a whirlwind few weeks of controversy for the restaurant chain after it debuted and quickly abandoned a new logo in August.
Cracker Barrel ditched plans to remodel its restaurants and use a new logo. (Photo by Tim Boyle/Getty Images)
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Key Facts
Cracker Barrel said in a statement titled “We Hear You” it had so far remodeled four locations as part of a plan to modernize its restaurants, but will no longer continue renovations at any more of its 660 locations.
“The vintage Americana you love will always be here,” the company said, including its rocking chairs and porches, fireplaces, gift shops and peg games.
The company said last year it would embark on a three-year brand refresh plan in response to declining sales, which included its now-abandoned, text-only new logo that sparked widespread controversy, and its restaurant remodelings, which aimed to transform the chain from its old country feel to a brighter, more modernized space.
Cracker Barrel CEO Julie Felss Masino said in a Good Morning America interview in August the remodels would include new booth seating and brighter paint and lighting, but said the stores would retain elements like rocking chairs and antique decor on the walls.
In the Good Morning America interview, host Michael Strahan asked whether Cracker Barrel would abandon its remodeling plans if customer feedback was negative, to which Masino said feedback had been “overwhelmingly positive,” claiming Cracker Barrel store managers wanted their stores to be remodeled.
Why Did Cracker Barrel Remodel Some Restaurants?
Cracker Barrel said in a message to shareholders last year it would embark on a brand refresh to “return Cracker Barrel to growth and profitability,” one part of which was to remodel its restaurants. The Wall Street Journal reported in May the remodeling plan was part of an effort to reach new, younger diners, as Cracker Barrel’s core demographic of over-65 diners had been slow to return to dining after the pandemic. The company claimed the four remodeled locations had seen an uptick in traffic, the Journal reported. In a July 2024 interview with CNBC, Masino said guests were “loving” the remodels, calling the restaurants “lighter, brighter, fresher,” but with “still the warm hospitality, still the food that I love.”
Why Did Cracker Barrel Ditch Its New Logo?
Cracker Barrel unveiled a new minimalist, text-only logo last month, which dropped the man leaning on a barrel from its older logo. The company said the updated logo was “rooted even more closely to the iconic barrel shape and word mark that started it all,” referring to the company’s original, text-only logo from 1969. But the logo sparked backlash, stoked by some right-wing leaders, including President Donald Trump and his son, Donald Trump Jr. The president, in an Aug. 26 post on Truth Social, said the company should “go back to the old logo” and “admit a mistake based on customer response (the ultimate Poll), and manage the company better than ever before.” Later that day, Cracker Barrel announced it would return to its previous logo. “We said we would listen, and we have. Our new logo is going away and our ‘Old Timer’ will remain,” the company said in a statement. The company’s shares jumped nearly 6% in after-hours trading after it ditched the new logo.
Further Reading
Cracker Barrel Updates Menu, Decor. Some Miss Its Country Charm. (Wall Street Journal)
Cracker Barrel Bringing Back ‘Old Timer’ Logo Following Immense Backlash (Forbes)
Trump Says Cracker Barrel Should ‘Go Back To The Old Logo’ As Company Rebrand Sparks Backlash (Forbes)