Cracker Barrel is cancelling its bulk order of white paint.
The rustic-themed chain, with 660 restaurants across the US, has announced it will immediately halt all store remodels in a post on X.
‘You’ve shared your voices in recent weeks not just on our logo, but also on our restaurants,’ the company said.
‘Today, we’re suspending our remodels. If your restaurant hasn’t been remodeled, you don’t need to worry, it won’t be.’
Since 2024, Cracker Barrel has been working to refresh its brand image. Under the leadership of Julie Felss Masino, a former executive of Taco Bell, the company has embarked on a $700 million transformation project.
The need for a swift change was pressing. At that point, the company was shuttering locations, drawing in predominantly older patrons, and, according to the CEO, becoming less ‘relevant.’
Part of the plan included a more modern interior design at its restaurants.
The rustic untreated lattice walls were swapped for sleek white-painted wainscoting. Designers removed all the cluttered ornaments from the walls and replaced them with simple farmhouse-style art pieces.
Cracker Barrel has been working to update its restaurants with more modern designs – there was swift backlash
The company also said it rolled out a new lighting design to make the rooms feel brighter.
Customers, staffers, and conservative commentators initially simmered in anger over the newly designed eateries in early August.
‘Can we please go back to the original look? The nostalgia is gone,’ one fan wrote on a social media video of the new interior.
Then, weeks later, the company began unveiling its new signage. That’s when anger spilled over into headline-generating controversy.
Commentators shone a national spotlight on the chain’s modernized sign that removed the cross-legged old man sitting on a rocking chair.
MAGA critics, including President Donald Trump, labeled the new design scheme as ‘woke.’ Cracker Barrel quickly announced a reversal on its signage.
Some critics have likened this rebranding to Bud Light’s controversy involving Dylan Mulvaney. In 2023, the beer manufacturer caught public attention after featuring Mulvaney, a transgender influencer, in a series of advertisements.
Shoppers revolted against the alcohol brand, sending sales spiraling for months.
Cracker Barrel’s stores that have not received a remodel will keep their older, dark design scheme
Cracker Barrel attempted to modernize its brand with a sign revamp – but MAGA influencers labeled the change as ‘woke’
The company, which displays dozens of busy trinkets on its walls, tried to redesign its interiors to bring in younger customers
But that might not be the case with Cracker Barrel.
Industry experts told the Daily Mail that the restaurant chain, which has shown mixed sales figures in recent quarters, could potentially gain from the heightened attention.
‘Cracker Barrel has received a lot of publicity over the past couple of weeks,’ Neil Saunders, a retail expert at GlobalData, told the Daily Mail.
‘That is helpful for brand visibility, but it probably won’t drive sales by all that much.’
Polling data supports this view: a recent YouGov survey revealed that 65 percent of Americans were aware of the brand’s logo update. However, merely 29 percent of those surveyed stated the changes would make them less likely to visit the restaurant.
Other analysts are putting the company’s PR nightmare squarely at the executives’ feet.
‘The company was caught flat-footed in the glare of their customers’ headlights,’ Jerry Thomas, the CEO of Decision Analyst, a restaurant advising firm, told the Daily Mail.
‘It’s a major failure of Cracker Barrel’s senior management.’
