President Donald Trump could not resist offering his opinion on the great Cracker Barrel rebrand debate, urging the iconic American restauranteur to capitalize on their negative publicity for maximum brand awareness.
‘Cracker Barrel should go back to the old logo, admit a mistake based on customer response (the ultimate Poll), and manage the company better than ever before,’ Trump said.
Cracker Barrel ignited a firestorm of criticism on social media last week after it announced their decision to remove ‘Uncle Hershel’ from the company logo in favor of a more minimalist design.
‘Uncle Herschel’ is the real-life relative of the brand’s founder Dan Evins. The old emblem showed him sitting on a chair in front of the famous cracker barrel.
Republicans loudly protested the redesign, complaining it amounted to the abandonment of American values.
Trump urged the company to leverage the controversy for maximum profits.
‘They got a Billion Dollars worth of free publicity if they play their cards right,’ he wrote. ‘Very tricky to do, but a great opportunity.’
He proposed that the company announce a major news conference to announce changes to the greatly criticized rebrand.
Outside view of a Cracker Barrel Old Country Store
The new Cracker Barrel logo that has generated so much controversy online
‘Make Cracker Barrel a WINNER again,’ he wrote.
The controversy threatens to hurt the popular chain, after a growing number of public figures challenged their decision to go ‘woke.’
Cracker Barrel’s financial picture is mixed with its restaurant operations demonstrating sales growth even as retail sales continue to struggle.
Donald Trump Jr. also waded into the controversy, writing, ‘WTF is wrong with Cracker barrel.’ which prompted further outrage against the company.
Rep. Byron Donalds revealed he worked for a Cracker Barrel in college and ‘gave my life to Christ’ in the restaurant parking lot.
‘Their logo was iconic and their unique restaurants were a fixture of American culture,’ he wrote on X. ‘No one asked for this woke rebrand. It’s time to Make Cracker Barrel Great Again.’
Cracker Barrel President and CEO Julie Masino, who earns $1 million a year, became a target for people outraged by the changes particularly after she went on television to defend the rebrand.
President Donald Trump in the Oval Office
Fans of the chain restaurant were furious at the new logo redesign
‘People like what we’re doing. Cracker Barrel needs to feel like the Cracker Barrel for today and for tomorrow,’ she said on Good Morning America.
The company shed almost $100 million in stock market value after the new logo and rebranding efforts were announced, and continued to plunge in subsequent days.
On Monday, the chain admitted it failed to properly communicate the restaurant rebrand, even as it indicated it was sticking with its makeover.
‘You’ve shown us that we could’ve done a better job sharing who we are and who we’ll always be,’ the statement read, adding the company was ‘grateful’ for people who showed them ‘how deeply people care about Cracker Barrel.’
