Cracker Barrel Drops New Logo After Social Media, Trump Pressure. Shares Jump.

Cracker Barrel recently changed its logo, removing the man sitting at a barrel. (Courtesy Cracker Barrel)

Cracker Barrel will drop its new logo and bring back a beloved brand figure, bowing to pressure from President Donald Trump and an outcry on social media about its recent corporate changes.

The homestyle restaurant chain said its new logo would “go away” and its “old timer” would stay. The move comes just hours after Trump said it should return to its old logo and admit its mistake, weighing in after days of criticism by customers that became an internet sensation.

Shares of Cracker Barrel jumped more than 7% in after-hours trading.

“Cracker Barrel should go back to the old logo, admit a mistake based on customer response (the ultimate Poll), and manage the company better than ever before,” the president posted on his Truth Social account on Tuesday morning.

“We thank our guests for sharing your voices and love for Cracker Barrel,” the company said Tuesday evening. “We said we would listen, and we have.”

Created with Highcharts 9.0.1Cracker Barrel Old Country StoreSource: FactSetAs of Aug. 26, 3:50 p.m. ET

Created with Highcharts 9.0.1Aug. 202550515253545556575859$60

Before the about-face, company brand experts compared the controversy to the uproar from some consumers after Bud Light’s promotion with transgender social media influencer Dylan Mulvaney in 2023. The promotion prompted a boycott of Bud Light, forcing Anheuser-Busch into damage control mode.

Like Bud light, Cracker Barrel ended up alienating their core customer base, said David E. Johnson, CEO of Strategic Vision PR Group in Atlanta. The president chiming in on the matter will “just keep the story in the news.”

Cracker Barrel, founded in 1969 in Lebanon, Tenn., announced on Aug. 19 that the fifth evolution of its logo is “now rooted even more closely to the iconic barrel shape and word mark that started it all.” The new logo eliminated the image of a man sitting in a chair next to a barrel.

The removal of that man – founder Dan Evins’ Uncle Herschel—sparked a loud and indignant backlash, particularly among conservatives.

Donald Trump Jr., the president’s eldest son, posted on X: “WTF is wrong with @CrackerBarrel??!” reposting an account that said CEO Julie Felss Masino “scrapped a beloved American aesthetic and replaced it with sterile, soulless branding.”

The whole idea behind the move was to appeal to a broader set of diners, perhaps those new to the chain, which is known for its Southern comfort food. Cracker Barrel posted a lengthy rebuttal to the criticism on its website saying it “could’ve done a better job sharing who we are and who we’ll always be.”

The chain assured people that certain aspects of its locations wouldn’t be changing, including the rocking chairs on the porch, the fireplaces, the peg games, and the gift shop.

“Uncle Herschel will still be on our menu (welcome back Uncle Herschel’s Favorite Breakfast Platter), on our road signs and featured in our country store. He’s not going anywhere – he’s family,” the company said before reversing its logo decision.

Johnson said that if Cracker Barrel’s rebrand was a “colossal mistake,” the company’s response to critics was even worse, missing out on a chance to tell customers why they had made the change. As a hospitality company, “you want all of your stakeholders to buy in,” he said.

Trump returned to his social media account Tuesday night to congratulate Cracker Barrel on the decision. “All of your fans very much appreciate it. Good luck into the future,” he said.

Write to Janet H. Cho at janet.cho@dowjones.com