Cracker

Cracker Barrel is changing its iconic and famous logo for the first time in nearly 50 years. Sadly, the new logo sucks, and is part of a larger trend of corporations ditching their unique qualities and going as broad as possible in order to make the line go up. And somehow this new boring logo, according to chuds online, is also an example of “going woke.” Folks, it’s a mess out there.

On August 19, Cracker Barrel announced that it was ditching its 48-year-old logo featuring a man sitting next to a barrel. Instead, the restaurant that specializes in “Southern comfort food” has replaced the well-known logo with a new one that is simply a yellow shape with the Cracker Barrel name slapped on it. It’s the kind of thing that I could whip up in Photoshop in under five minutes, though I wouldn’t get paid the likely tens of thousands of dollars (or more) that the people who actually created the new logo received.

There’s no way around it: The new logo is boring, bland, and bad. People hate it. You don’t have to look hard to find plenty of people online sharing negative thoughts on the new, modernized logo. It’s also part of a larger, less talked-about rebrand that has been happening at Cracker Barrel over the last year or so, with old restaurants ditching their rustic look for chic white walls and modern design touches.

“Our story hasn’t changed. Our values haven’t changed,” said Cracker Barrel’s CMO Sarah Moore. “With ‘All the More,’ we’re honoring our legacy while bringing fresh energy, thoughtful craftsmanship and heartfelt hospitality to our guests this fall.”

The reality is that Cracker Barrel’s “story” has changed, because it is now 2025 and it’s a publicly traded company. In this day and age, you can’t just be a successful restaurant that grandparents bring their grandkids to so they can share stories from “back in my day…” over large portions of so-so comfort food. You can’t just be a profitable company. You have to grow. You must always grow. The stockholders demand it. They’ll cut your head off and replace you if there isn’t steady, never-ending growth. Making that line go up is all that matters, and if that means ditching a classic logo that might have put off some younger eaters,  or laying off people endlessly, so be it. Instead of trying to be one thing for some people, Cracker Barrel and other companies desperate to grow must be many things to everyone. And in trying to appeal to all, Cracker Barrel has stripped itself of its famous logo and unique characteristics, which makes it hard to justify going there for a meal.

Cracker Barrel, Welcome To The Culture War

But of course, also because it is 2025, this logo change can’t just be something we all look at, shake our heads at, maybe make a few jokes or comments about, and then move on from. Nope! Changing the logo has set off a firestorm online among chuds and weirdos, with one of President Trump’s sons complaining about the change as an example of a company “going woke.”

WTF is wrong 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 learn that wokeness really doesn’t pay.” Over on the Cracker Barrel subreddit, which is a thing even if it has a very tiny community, you can find a strange mix of people complaining about food while sharing memes calling the food joint “Cucker Barrel.”  “I think it’s time for the Employees and Customers to Stand Up. Go Woke Go Broke,” said one poster. Another person shared a petition to fire the CEO of Cracker Barrel over the changes. The petition had one signature, and the poster had 0 upvotes.

To be clear, I don’t think Cracker Barrel changing a logo is “going woke,” whatever that idiotic complaint means today. Nor do I think it’s an attack on old American values. I do, however, think Cracker Barrel’s simplified logo and shift to more sterile-looking dining rooms are bad and frustrating. I don’t want everything to be targeted to everyone with no distinct traits or features. I’d like to have the choice to go to a place that is filled with old-timey decorations and a charming logo from the ’70s.

Also, Cracker Barrel, a few logo changes and some white walls aren’t going to trick me or younger people into eating there. I say lean into your clientele and make the menus cursive and put rotary phones on each table that you have to use to order your food. Give those grandparents even more stuff to point at and go, “Oh, I bet you don’t know what that is!” while their young grandkids roll their eyes.  Not everything needs to appeal to the masses. That’s how you end up with boring Marvel movies and dull games that are overstuffed with every feature you can think of. And that sounds like a terrible future.

Source link