Cracker Barrel CEO Julie Masino is facing calls for her resignation after a disastrous rebrand wiped nearly $100 million off the company's stock value. The chain debuted a new logo for the first time in 48 years, replacing its legendary mascot Uncle Herschel with a simplified yellow hexagon, sparking outrage among customers and staff alike.
Employees have taken to the review site Glassdoor to criticise Masino, who earns $1 million a year. A crew member in Minnesota posted: 'To the CEO Julie Masino, stop cutting our hours. We are making less pay for more work when we are understaffed because you suck at bringing this dead company from its grave. Stop lowering your food quality. No it is NOT a good idea to force your cooks to serve bacon that is over a day old.'
An associate manager in South Carolina added: 'New leadership is driving the company down. There is now nothing that makes Cracker Barrel any different from every other below-average restaurant chain.' A general manager in Ohio echoed the sentiment, citing 'poor management and untraditional employee relations all the way up to the corporate level.'
Social media backlash was swift, with Donald Trump Jr. demanding to know 'WTF is wrong with Cracker Barrel.' One X user wrote: 'I am boycotting Cracker Barrel until they change the logo back and fire the CEO.' Another called for Masino to 'face charges for this crime against humanity.'
Fellow chain Steak 'n' Shake weighed in, stating: '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.'
Masino defended the rebrand on Good Morning America, saying: 'People like what we're doing. Cracker Barrel needs to feel like the Cracker Barrel for today and for tomorrow.' Daily Mail has approached the company for comment on the employee allegations.
