Cracker Barrel has a new logo—and the MAGA crowd is throwing a fit.
The Southern-style restaurant chain dropped its longtime image of an old man sitting next to a barrel. The new logo is just the name “Cracker Barrel” in sleeker text with gold and brown colors. That’s it. No grandpa. No barrel. Nothing old-timey. And that’s exactly what’s driving conservatives over the edge.
The company says the logo is still inspired by the original barrel shape and font. A press release says it’s “rooted even more closely to the iconic barrel shape and word mark that started it all.”
But online, the outrage machine fired up fast.
“WTF is wrong with Cracker Barrel?” Donald Trump Jr. asked on X. Right-wing influencer Benny Johnson piled on: “Cracker Barrel completely changed their iconic logo for the first time in 47 years… and it’s absolutely horrible. When will they learn?”
Sen. Mike Lee from Utah even compared it to another so-called culture war loss: “Which logo change is worse—(a) Cracker Barrel or (b) Land O Lakes?”
The account Woke War Room, which Trump Jr. reposted, blamed CEO Julie Felss Masino. They wrote she “scrapped a beloved American aesthetic and replaced it with sterile, soulless branding.” They also demanded she resign for keeping diversity hiring goals and for supporting LGBTQ+ staff.
This isn’t the first time Cracker Barrel’s changes have sparked anger. Last year, it started remodeling stores, ditching the dark, old-school interiors for a more modern farmhouse look. Some customers complained, saying the new vibe erased the chain’s Southern charm.
CEO Masino admitted last year the brand was losing its appeal. “We’re not as relevant as we once were,” she said.
Still, the company is standing by its makeover. Chief marketing officer Sarah Moore said, “Our story hasn’t changed. Our values haven’t changed.” She claimed the update is about “honoring our legacy while bringing fresh energy.”
They’ve even brought in country star Jordan Davis for ads to promote the new look.
But that’s not enough for some conservatives. Cracker Barrel’s Instagram has been flooded with angry comments demanding the return of “the barrel and grandpa.”
Former Ohio state Sen. Nina Turner put it bluntly: “People can’t afford housing, groceries, and are going bankrupt if they get cancer. So naturally, conservatives are mad about Cracker Barrel’s logo.”
Cracker Barrel has nearly 660 locations across 43 states. Whether customers actually stop going over the logo change—or if this is just another social media tantrum—remains to be seen.
