The Japan Times - Rebrand of US culture 'fixture' Cracker Barrel sparks backlash

But an attempt to rebrand the storied US chain has sparked a firestorm of opposition online and opened a new front in the culture wars around legacy brands seeking to update their corporate images.

It has also hammered the company's share price, wiping tens of millions of dollars off of its value, and dividing customers and staff.

The chain, which has around 660 US branches, removed from its logo the stylized likeness of Uncle Herschel -- the uncle of founder Dan Evins -- who was shown sitting on a wooden chair in front of the eponymous barrel.

President Donald Trump's son Donald Jr. took to X to demand to know "WTF is wrong with Cracker barrel," quoting a post by the "Woke War Room" account that claimed the chain had "scrapped a beloved American aesthetic and replaced it with sterile, soulless branding."

The new, simplified logo features just the text of the brand name in a rounded-off yellow hexagon.

The furor is just the latest to engulf corporate America, following similar rows when high-end carmaker Jaguar re-branded, removing its iconic "leaping cat" emblem, drawing howls of indignation from core customers, critics and the political right.

At the Cracker Barrel in Mount Arlington, New Jersey, a busy lunch rush largely bustled past the only sizable iteration of the new logo, behind the cash register, with the original still adorning old-timey signage, packaging and menus.

"They're taking away Mr Herschel! Am I gonna miss him? Maybe," said a register operator in the large gift shop who declined to be named. "They're making everything bland."

Her colleague, who was clearing tables, insisted: "Nothing's changing -- just the logo. The food is still the same, the menu is still the same."

- 'Hair-trigger social media' -

Longtime customer Kathy Brondolo was visiting the branch with her husband as they were attending a wedding nearby and said the new logo "doesn't make a difference -- as long as we can see it from the road."

"How can anybody be down on it? Life is change," said the retired social worker, 67, as she and her husband sat on the chain's signature rocking chairs.

Inside the restaurant 45 miles (72 kilometers) west of Manhattan, diners ate vast platters of meatloaf and fried chicken, rounded off with buttermilk biscuits, surrounded by walls covered with antiques and hunting trophies.

Marketing professor David Reibstein at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School said "it is not unusual for a brand to do an occasional refresh. This was not a major shift either."

"The traditions have broken for the traditionalists. Apparently, the issue is the core of Cracker Barrel's customers are traditionalists and they tend to reside mostly in red, conservative states and these are most likely to react. It was almost seen as an abandonment of this segment."

Trump won in 74 percent of counties with a Cracker Barrel in 2024, according to elections analyst Dave Wasserman.

Florida congressman Byron Donalds, a Republican candidate for state governor, wrote on X that he had worked in a Cracker Barrel and had even been baptized in the parking lot of one.

"Their logo was iconic and their unique restaurants were a fixture of American culture. No one asked for this woke rebrand. It's time to Make Cracker Barrel Great Again," he said, echoing Trump's "Make America Great Again" mantra.

Marketing expert Tim Calkins wrote on his blog that "in a world with hair-trigger social media and commentators eager to stir up controversy to drive ratings, this is a dangerous area."

He advised that Cracker Barrel should "stick with the program" -- even as the business contended with a share price down $7 to $54.40 on the week.

"There is no question Cracker Barrel needs some changes and the current moves seem reasonable," Calkins said. "People will likely move on when the next hot issue comes along."

T.Kobayashi--JT