Marni Rose McFall is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on internet trends, U.S. politics and popular culture. She has covered fashion, culture, art and music extensively. Marni joined Newsweek in 2024 from Frasers Group and had previously written for Cosmopolitan, Schon, The Fall and Voir Fashion. She is a graduate of The University of Edinburgh. You can get in touch with Marni by emailing [email protected].

Cracker Barrel has responded to backlash over its logo change.

“Our values haven’t changed,” the restaurant told Newsweek in a statement shared over email. “The heart and soul of Cracker Barrel haven’t changed.”

Why It Matters

Logo changes, branding and advertising choices have become hot-button issues for companies in recent years, as they often go on to signal the onset of online culture wars.

The Southern country-themed restaurant chain, which was founded in 1969, recently changed its logo for the first time in 48 years. When the restaurant first opened, it had a text-only logo. The restaurant’s name originates from a time in the 19th century when people would socialize around a barrel full of crackers in a country store.

The logo was updated in 1977 to the one that many recognize today, with a man resting by a barrel. The restaurant said in a press release that the new logo is “[r]ooted even more closely to the iconic barrel shape and wordmark that started it all.”

Backlash to the recent move, which comes as part of a $700 million rebrand, was swift, with criticism from conservative figures online being loudly directed at the brand. On the other side of the coin, many took to social media to ridicule the backlash.

One social media user wrote online, “Why would they remove the cracker & the barrel?”, in a post that has been viewed 16 million times as of reporting.

Collin Rugg, co-owner of the Trending Politics website, described the logo as “depressing,” in a post viewed on X over 9 million times, while Byron Donalds, a Republican representative for Florida, wrote on X in a post viewed over 3 million times, “No one asked for this woke rebrand. It’s time to Make Cracker Barrel Great Again.”

Cracker Barrel’s statement continued, “Uncle Herschel remains front and center in our restaurants and on our menu. He is the face of ‘The Herschel Way,’ the foundation of how our 70,000 plus employees provide the country hospitality for which we are known.”

While many were outraged about the rebrand, others took to social media to ridicule the backlash. This list includes the official press office for California Governor Gavin Newsom, who wrote in a post on X, mimicking the style of President Donald Trump, “WHAT IS WRONG WITH CRACKER BARREL?? KEEP YOUR BEAUTIFUL LOGO!!! THE NEW ONE LOOKS LIKE CHEAP VELVEETA “CHEESE” FROM WALMART, THE PLACE FOR “GROCERIES” (AN OLD FASHIONED TERM)!!! “FIX IT” ASAP! WOKE IS DEAD!! THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER. — GCN.”

What People Are Saying

Cracker Barrel said in a statement shared with Newsweek over email: “Cracker Barrel has been a destination for comfort and community for more than half a century, and this fifth evolution of the brand’s logo, which works across digital platforms as well as billboards and roadside signs, is a call-back to the original and rooted even more in the iconic barrel shape and word mark that started it all back in 1969.”

Thomas Murphy, a professor of practice in Clark University’s School of Business shared a comment on the rebrand with Newsweek over email: “The desire to rebrand is typically driven by either a major change in consumer behaviors or a brand dramatically changing who they want to be going forward. In the case of Cracker Barrel they appear to be staying consistent with the products and experience they provide to the market. Their reason for making changes is the evolution of a younger audience who may not relate as much to the original brand.”

The official X account for The Democrats: “We think the Cracker Barrel rebrand sucks too.”

Chris D. Jackson, a political strategist who worked on the Biden campaign: “For everyone whining about Cracker Barrel—remember this: when Joe Biden left office, the old logo was still there. It was Trump’s weakness that let the change happen. Never would’ve happened under 46.”

What’s Next

Whether Cracker Barrel will be negatively impacted by the rebrand beyond internet discourse remains to be seen.