The wife of the man who designed Cracker Barrel’s original logo has spoken out after the restaurant chain reversed its decision to change the branding following a backlash from conservatives.
Beverly Holley told The Washington Post that her late husband Bill, who created the logo in 1977, “would not have liked the plain Jane logo” that replaced the older man known as the “Old Timer”. The new design featured only the restaurant’s name, prompting accusations of being “woke” and even drawing criticism from former US President Donald Trump.
Bill Holley originally sketched the logo on a napkin during a meeting with founder Dan Evins, basing the elderly figure on Evins’ uncle Herschel. Beverly noted that she later threw the napkin away, saying she “should have kept it — would be worth a lot today”.
The controversy led to a drop in Cracker Barrel’s share price, and the company announced it would retain the original logo, calling itself a “proud American institution”. Trump celebrated the reversal on social media, urging the chain to “make your customers happy again”.
Beverly Holley said her husband would be “thrilled” by the public support for his design, adding: “I think Bill’s holding his hand up and saying, ‘I made Cracker Barrel great again!’”
