Cracker Barrel, the US restaurant chain known for its Southern comfort food and rustic aesthetic, has reversed its logo change after a backlash from right-wing figures including Donald Trump and his son. The company had removed Uncle Herschel, a character that appeared next to the brand name, as part of a modernisation effort aimed at younger customers.
The rebrand sparked anger online, with Donald Trump Jr posting: “WTF is wrong with Cracker Barrel?!” and the former president later suggesting the company should “admit a mistake”. The controversy caused Cracker Barrel’s market value to drop by almost $100m, according to reports. A YouGov poll found 76% of respondents preferred the old logo.
Experts say the chain’s strong association with traditional American nostalgia made it a target in the culture war. “It has this stylised representation of what many would define as the ‘good old days’,” said Jarvis Sam, a professor at Brown University. “But for others, its imagery evokes histories of exclusion and racial inequity.”
Cracker Barrel has a troubled past. In 1991 it fired 11 LGBTQ+ workers after stating it was founded on “traditional American values” inconsistent with “normal heterosexual values”. In 2004 it paid $8.7m to settle claims of racist treatment of Black customers, including segregation and use of racial slurs.
On Tuesday, the company issued a statement saying it “could’ve done a better job sharing who we are”. Later that day it confirmed Uncle Herschel would remain. Shares rose 8% on Wednesday. Sam noted the episode suggests the company’s market research “did not include the majority of their consumers”.
