The stock of Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc., tanked in the wake of its new logo redesign, which has prompted accusations that the iconic Southern restaurant franchise has been overtaken by “wokeness.”
The stock of Cracker Barrel, which was founded in 1969, lost nearly $100 million in value — more than 7% — on Thursday after the company removed the famous “old timer” figure and whip-like “K” from its logo, which had been in place since 1977.
The stock cratered to $50.27 per share earlier that day, though its stock regained some of its losses on Friday.
Cracker Barrel CEO Julie Felss Masino went viral on social media in recent days for a clip in which she claimed to “Good Morning America” that the feedback to the logo redesign has been “overwhelmingly positive.”
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
The redesign prompted pushback from prominent figures such as Donald Trump Jr., who tweeted, “WTF is wrong with @CrackerBarrel??!”
Sarah Moore, who serves as Cracker Barrel’s chief marketing officer, recently suggested the “beloved” restaurant chain is seeking to “refresh our brand.”
“Since 1969, Cracker Barrel has greeted guests with a warm welcome and craveable food, but as guest expectations evolve, we’re embarking on an exciting journey to refresh our brand,” she said.
“This is a beloved brand with strong emotional ties, so it was paramount that we selected the right expertise to help us define our evolved identity. This collaborative team plays a key role working with our internal team to craft the next chapter of our brand story — one that resonates with loyal guests while welcoming new ones to our table.”
Author and psychologist Geoffrey Miller suggested Cracker Barrel’s decisions indicate the influx of liberal female influence, which he claimed has overtaken much of corporate America.
“One key thing to understand about marketing executives, market researchers, advertising agency staff, etc is that they tend to be young, female, left-leaning, high-openness, non-religious, often childless novelty-seekers,” he wrote.
“When marketers see an ‘old-fashioned’ logo, brand identity, or retail design, they often feel visceral disgust and embarrassment,” he also said. “They think tradition is cringe, and ‘modernization’ is mandatory. They think ‘the customer is always right’ — unless the customer is a patriotic Christian granddad with [a] Chevy and a concealed carry permit.”
Christian podcaster Jon Harris echoed Miller, suggesting during his Friday podcast that Cracker Barrel’s action is indicative of the modern impulse to centralize and neutralize.
“A lot of these rebrands — people are saying this is woke, and a lot of rebrands are; and the CEO, some people have dug into her history, she’s woke and all this, OK, I got it,” he said, “It’s not just that, though. It’s not just wokeness that’s driving this. This is more than that. It’s modernity.”
Harris said many churches have taken on the same attitude in their attempt at neutral marketing.
“The formula now is that it looks like a strip mall,” he said of many churches. “It looks like it’s a new fast food restaurant. … And then you walk in, you get your coffee, the pictures on the wall look like you’re in a bank. It’s smiling faces and casual people and superficial conversation. And that’s the formula. That’s how you know you’re loved, apparently.”
Competitor restaurant chain Steak ‘n Shake seized the opportunity to accuse Cracker Barrel of rejecting its own heritage.
“Sometimes, people want to change things just to put their own personality on things. At CB, their goal is to just delete the personality altogether. Hence, the elimination of the ‘old-timer’ from the signage,” the company wrote.
“Heritage is what got Cracker Barrel this far, and now the CEO wants to just scrape it all away. At Steak n Shake, we take pride in our history, our families, and American values. All are welcome. We will never market ourselves away from our past in a cheap effort to gain the approval of trend seekers.”
Sometimes, people want to change things just to put their own personality on things. At CB, their goal is to just delete the personality altogether. Hence, the elimination of the “old-timer” from the signage. Heritage is what got Cracker Barrel this far, and now the CEO wants to… pic.twitter.com/Aoml8ZOfuT
— Steak ‘n Shake (@SteaknShake) August 21, 2025
Cracker Barrel’s rebrand comes after the chain has worked closely for the past decade with the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) in an attempt to make its company culture more inclusive and LGBT-friendly, according to FOX Business.
Steve Smotherman, who formerly served as Cracker Barrel’s management and training leader, led the charge of an LGBT employee resource group at the company before going on to serve on the HRC’s Business Advisory Council, according to Upward News.
Last month, attorneys with the nonprofit law firm America First Legal formally requested that the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti investigate Cracker Barrel over its DEI initiatives, which allegedly promote discriminatory practices by providing employment benefits based on race and sex.
Jon Brown is a reporter for The Christian Post. Send news tips to jon.brown@christianpost.com
