Cracker Barrel Barrels Toward Disaster With Hideous Marketing Move

[Hol]

If it ain’t broke, break it.

That seems to be the Cracker Barrel motto. The restaurant announced a new creative campaign Aug. 18, including a new logo, debuting “a refreshed look and feel” that “positions the iconic American brand for the future.”

If this is the future, it’s really boring. Gone, from the logo, is the man reclining in a chair. Gone, too, is the barrel. Forget about crackers.

The new logo simply reads, “Cracker Barrel,” parked in a soft, six-sided shape. It features no illustrations. The typeface is slightly sleeker.

NEW: Cracker Barrel reveals new logo, CEO Julie Felss Masino says
people love their new rebrand.

“Honestly, the feedback’s been overwhelmingly positive that people like what we’re doing,” Masino told GMA while discussing the overall rebrand.

This logo is depressing. pic.twitter.com/EZVpWLv4Bg

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) August 20, 2025​

…

Cracker Barrel isn’t alone in this approach.

MSNBC will soon be My Source News Opinion World (MS NOW). As if that changes anything.

Car company Jaguar ditched the jaguar and adopted an annoyingly round typeface. That’s the least of the company’s marketing misfires, in fairness, but it’s still pretty bad. The old logo connotes sleekness, speed, luxury. The new logo could belong to a language learning app. Or a wildlife education program for kids.

Cracker Barrel Barrels Toward Disaster With Hideous Marketing Move

Cracker Barrel announced a new creative campaign on Aug. 18, including a new logo

dailycaller.com

 

[Tall Timbers]

Logos need to be identifiable. If you see a logo and you have no clue what company it attaches to, then it's probably not a good logo. Some logos become more identifiable than the company name. That's a good logo. If you see IBM in any logo most if not all of us are immediately aware of the company that logo represents. IBM is enough, we might not even know what those letters represent (International Business Machines), but it successfully represents the company. With some logos I see nowadays, I have no clue what company it represents.

 

[Hol]

It seems that Cracker Barrel is going woke.

I haven’t paid close attention, but I see headlines about them going in that direction.

 

[AnyMinute]

Not about Cracker Barrel but speaking of blunders, our local Walmart did some backpedaling recently.
A few years ago they eliminated most of the check out lanes and installed mostly self check out and a few new tiny checkout lines with miniature conveyor belts and no room to easily maneuver your cart. The self checkout lines often stretched down the food isles and they rarely worked properly.
I noticed a couple of weeks ago that they tore out everything and brought back new full size lanes, only a few self check out registers and are hiring checkers.
At the service desk they said the changes came because enough locals were vocal about it and complained to corporate.

 

[mattfivefour]

They were also being robbed blind by people at the self checkouts.

 

[Tall Timbers]

Not about Cracker Barrel but speaking of blunders, our local Walmart did some backpedaling recently.
A few years ago they eliminated most of the check out lanes and installed mostly self check out and a few new tiny checkout lines with miniature conveyor belts and no room to easily maneuver your cart. The self checkout lines often stretched down the food isles and they rarely worked properly.
I noticed a couple of weeks ago that they tore out everything and brought back new full size lanes, only a few self check out registers and are hiring checkers.
At the service desk they said the changes came because enough locals were vocal about it and complained to corporate.

I've been in a couple of Wal*Marts where they transitioned to almost all self checkout but the way the floor plan was organized was about the worst case scenario. There was one entry chute and the self-checkout stations stretched out a long ways in both directions. It was near impossible to see if a station was available, and if you saw one that wasn't being used and walked the 50 or hundred feet to it only to find that station wasn't working I guess your only option would be to get in line again. I prefer self-checkout myself, but the way those stores was organized was just horrible.

 

[mattfivefour]

Cracker Barrel is definitely going woke. But that's not their biggest problem. Their food is. Much of it contains highly processed foods such as pressed meat rather than natural meats. For example their turkey dinners at Thanksgiving were actually turkey roll and the meat in their chicken noodle soup and their chicken dumpling meal are pressed chicken not the real chicken chunks they used to serve. Plus they are ripping out all of the historical knick knacks and photos and posters. And the list goes on. Our neighborhood Cracker Barrel used to be packed almost all the time. Not so much anymore. And following a few terrible meals we will never eat there again.

 

[Tall Timbers]

I've had some good biscuits at Cracker Barrel, that's about all I can say for their fare. Don't know if they're still making fresh biscuits or pulling them from the freezer now.

 

[Tall Timbers]

And following a few terrible meals we will never eat there again.

When restaurants chains make the poor decision to replace good food with more profitable food they don't seem to realize their company killing mistake and add more bad decisions on top of that one until they finally cease to exist.

 

[Baby Yoda]

Have never eaten at one but know people like their current logo with the old-timey feel. It's a shame about their processed food.

 

[dwb]

For example their turkey dinners at Thanksgiving were actually turkey roll

Yes, their Thanksgiving dinners are awful. (Except for the dressing)

I like Cracker Barrel, but will not go back because of the changes. There was nothing racist about anything, no need to change.

 

[Ghoti Ichthus]

Logos need to be identifiable. If you see a logo and you have no clue what company it attaches to, then it's probably not a good logo. Some logos become more identifiable than the company name. That's a good logo. If you see IBM in any logo most if not all of us are immediately aware of the company that logo represents. IBM is enough, we might not even know what those letters represent (International Business Machines), but it successfully represents the company. With some logos I see nowadays, I have no clue what company it represents.

They have to be unique, as well. The Honda logo has been "modernized" and looks a lot like the Hyundai logo

Copycats and imitations are bad for both the original and the knock-offs

 

[Andy C]

Its sad they felt they needed a change which now seems to be costing them financially.

When I lived in NC, I would take my older brother to Cracker Barrel for breakfast a few times a month. It was always good food. I never ate any other menu item other than breakfast, so I cant comment on their lunches or dinners.

 

[Andiamo]

Their breakfasts are still pretty good. Everything else has been going downhill with both quality and selection and there is a serious lack of consistency with their gravy.
Their “country-chic” rebranding and decor is stupid. Trying to switch their clientele to the left, I do believe…big mistake. Those people are all getting avocado toast at First Watch.