Cracker Barrel is officially waving the white flag after a disastrous attempt to “modernize” its brand sent customers into open revolt.
It comes after the “woke” rebrand and the resulting backlash tanked the company’s market value.
The Southern-style restaurant chain announced Tuesday that it is suspending all remodeling efforts and walking back its new minimalist look.
The new look had swapped out the classic Americana décor and the beloved “Uncle Herschel” character for sleek, white walls and black chairs.
The Cracker Barrel rebrand gets even worse than the new logo.
Here's the new interior.
I don't care that the floor looks like bricks.
I hate this. https://t.co/4pXCSwe2FB pic.twitter.com/VmYCW3gKzx— Brick Suit (@Brick_Suit) August 20, 2025
“We heard clearly that the modern remodel design does not reflect what you love about Cracker Barrel,” the company admitted in a statement.
“We had tested this design in only four out of 660 locations, and we won’t continue with it.
“The vintage Americana you love will always be there — 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.”
The retreat comes just weeks after the company’s logo change triggered fierce backlash and a $100 million hit to its market value.
Shares fell by more than 7% in the immediate fallout, a clear sign that longtime customers were not buying into the chain’s makeover.
President Donald Trump even weighed in and mocked the rebrand.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 4, 2025
Trump quickly took a victory lap after the company announced its retreat.
The president pointed to the backlash as proof that companies should listen to their customers rather than marketing consultants.
In late August, Trump wrote on Truth Social:
“Cracker Barrel should go back to the old logo, admit a mistake based on customer response (the ultimate Poll), and manage the company better than ever before…
“Make Cracker Barrel a WINNER again.
“Remember, in just a short period of time I made the United States of America the ‘HOTTEST’ Country anywhere in the World.
“One year ago, it was ‘DEAD.’ Good luck!”
Trump’s warning proved prescient.
Cracker Barrel confirmed Tuesday it will preserve its traditional country-store look that has defined the chain since its founding.
Even the company’s co-founder, Tommy Lowe, blasted the logo change and leadership’s direction under CEO Julie Felss Masino.
At 93, Lowe did not mince words: he called the abandoned logo “crazy,” “a bland nothing,” and “pitiful” in a Nashville news interview.
“It was just a country store for country people, and that’s what it is today,” Lowe said, stressing that corporate leadership had forgotten the roots that made Cracker Barrel successful in the first place.
“They just don’t understand.”
For now, customers can rest easy knowing their next visit to Cracker Barrel will still include the old rocking chairs, wood fireplaces, and Americana décor, not the stripped-down, soulless, cookie-cutter look that nearly turned the chain into just another faceless brand.
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