The chief executive of Cracker Barrel has said she felt as though she was “fired by America” after the company’s controversial rebrand earlier this year prompted a fierce backlash.
Julie Felss Masino, who became president and CEO in 2023, oversaw plans to modernise the chain’s stores, including removing the iconic Uncle Herschel logo and adopting a minimalist font. The changes were widely criticised as “woke” by conservative figures, including former President Donald Trump and Congressman Byron Donalds.
Speaking on The Glenn Beck Podcast, Masino said the criticism “hurts me, because I don’t want people to be mad at Cracker Barrel.” She insisted the rebrand was intended to improve the customer experience, not to make a political statement. “The notion for some that truly came out of a lot of the work that we were doing on how do we improve food and experience,” she said.
The rebrand proved disastrous for the company, which lost $98 million in a single day as its stock price fell by more than 7%. Cracker Barrel subsequently abandoned the redesign and ended its relationship with the consulting firm Prophet, which had been behind the changes.
Tommy Lowe, the 93-year-old co-founder of Cracker Barrel, also criticised Masino, saying she should focus on food and service rather than altering the logo. “They're trying to modernize to be like the competition. Cracker Barrel doesn't have any competition,” he told WTVF.
Despite the turmoil, the company’s board voted to keep Masino in her role last week.
