US EditionCracker Barrel Outrage Reveals Psychology Of Brand Betrayal
Cracker Barrel's CEO Julie Feiss Masino leads a $700 million rebrand including DEI initiatives, triggering an 18% stock drop and criticism from both political sides.
- On August 20, 2025, Cracker Barrel, a Southern-themed chain with over 600 restaurants in 44 states, unveiled a modernized logo removing its iconic 48-year-old image.
- The rebrand followed a design trend seen widely in car and fashion logos and aimed to simplify an outdated identity despite sparking intense controversy, especially from right-wing figures.
- Conservative commentators decried the removal of a white folksy man as woke erasure of tradition, while some customers felt betrayed since the logo serves as emotional shorthand for the brand's heritage.
- YouTuber Benny Johnson claimed "They erased the white guy," while Cracker Barrel asserted in a statement that their core principles and essence remain intact.
- The backlash has caused the brand to lose appeal, with its stock tumbling nearly $100 million, signaling broader tensions over cultural identity and modernization in American consumer brands.
15 Articles
15 Articles
John Rich used two words to describe Cracker Barrel's rebrand that stopped executives dead in their tracks - Political Animal News
Much of Corporate America just can’t help themselves. Give them a successful business built on traditional values and they’ll destroy it chasing customers who hate everything about them. And John Rich used two words to describe Cracker Barrel’s rebrand that stopped executives dead in their tracks. The country star drops a "Bud Light" bomb on […]
Finding God in a Cracker Barrel
Hello it’s the weekend. This is The Weekender ☕️ One of the major features of the modern MAGA movement — along with blind loyalty to President Trump and unbridled glee at the prospect of crackdowns led by masked federal troops — is constantly feeling aggrieved and angry about change. Targets of this ire have included museums and colleges that are seen as supposed bastions of “woke” culture, but also brands. The latest business to inspire a righ…
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 67% of the sources lean Right
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
