TLDR
- Cracker Barrel reversed its controversial logo redesign after President Trump and customers demanded the company bring back its original “Uncle Herschel” logo
- Stock jumped about 7% in premarket trading Wednesday following the announcement to revert to the old logo
- The new minimalist logo lasted less than two weeks after being unveiled on August 19, causing immediate customer backlash
- Shares fell more than 14% last week when the rebrand was announced, with customers calling it “brand suicide”
- Trump posted on Truth Social that the company should “go back to the old logo” and could get “a billion dollars worth of free publicity”
Cracker Barrel stock surged in premarket trading Wednesday after the restaurant chain announced it would abandon its controversial logo redesign.
The company reversed course on its rebrand just eight days after unveiling the new look.
Shares rose about 7% in premarket trading following the announcement. The stock had closed more than 6% higher on Tuesday after President Trump weighed in on the controversy.
“We thank our guests for sharing your voices and love for Cracker Barrel,” the company said in a statement. “We said we would listen, and we have. Our new logo is going away and our ‘old timer’ will remain.”
The drama began on August 19 when Cracker Barrel unveiled the fifth evolution of its logo. The new design featured a minimalist look that removed the image of Uncle Herschel, the familiar figure seated next to a wooden barrel.
Customer reaction was swift and harsh. Social media users called the change “brand suicide” and demanded the company restore the original logo.
“Put the grandpa back on the logo,” read one Instagram comment. Another user wrote, “I won’t go back till you switch the logo to the old one.”
The backlash hit the company’s stock price hard. Shares fell more than 14% last week after the rebrand announcement.
On August 20, the stock closed at $59.02. By midday August 21, prices had plummeted to $50.76 before recovering slightly to $54.80 by day’s end.
Presidential Pressure
President Trump entered the fray on Tuesday morning with a post on Truth Social. He called on Cracker Barrel to revert to its old logo and “admit a mistake based on customer response.”
“They got a billion dollars worth of free publicity if they play their cards right,” Trump wrote. “Very tricky to do, but a great opportunity. Have a major News Conference today. Make Cracker Barrel a WINNER again.”
The president’s intervention came after his son Donald Trump Jr. had criticized the logo change on social media. Trump adviser Alex Bruesewitz also weighed in against the rebrand.
Quick Reversal
CEO Julie Felss Masino had defended the new logo on August 25, saying it was designed for “today and tomorrow.” That timeline proved overly optimistic.
By Monday evening, the company was already backtracking. Cracker Barrel posted on Instagram that it “could’ve done a better job sharing who we are and who we’ll always be.”
The company assured customers that Uncle Herschel was “not going anywhere” and would remain on menus and road signs. But that wasn’t enough to calm the backlash.
The rebrand was part of a broader campaign called “All the More.” It included new menu items and restaurant remodels with an “enhanced brand look and feel.”
Despite the logo controversy, the company maintained that guests and staff were “overwhelmingly positive” about the restaurant changes. The logo proved to be a different story.
The quick reversal represents a rare victory for customer feedback over corporate rebranding efforts. The company’s stock has gained nearly 40% over the past year despite this recent turbulence.
Cracker Barrel’s headquarters in Lebanon, Tennessee, about 30 miles east of Nashville, became the center of a national debate over corporate identity. The 70,000-employee company ultimately chose to listen to its customers over its marketing team.
