The 93-year-old co-founder of Cracker Barrel criticized the executives of the homestyle restaurant chain for implementing changes that he believes have harmed the 56-year-old business, urging CEO Julie Felss Masino to leave the logo as it is.
Tommy Lowe, who co-founded the first Cracker Barrel in 1969, charged the former Taco Bell executive with attempting to compete through a controversial $700 million effort to modernize the chain.
“They aim to modernize to imitate the competition—but Cracker Barrel has none,” Lowe remarked to WTVF on Thursday. “I heard she was from Taco Bell. What does Taco Bell understand about Cracker Barrel and country cuisine? They should focus on the food and service and leave the logo untouched.”
The elderly Lowe’s remarks follow Cracker Barrel executives’ retraction of a deeply unpopular change to the logo that had removed the iconic “barrel” and Uncle Herschel from the brand’s imagery.
Lowe slammed the rebrand as “pitiful” — saying Masino didn’t understand Cracker Barrel’s identity because of her background in fast food.
“Spending $700 million dollars doing that is throwing money out the window,” he said.
Lowe shared that Masino is unaware of who he is and disclosed he has yet to meet the executive since her appointment as Cracker Barrel’s President and CEO in July 2023.
Masino began implementing changes to the menu, interior design and prices soon after assuming the coveted position in November.
The initial changes went under the radar for most customers, but Masino’s most recent alteration raised eyebrows across the nation.
Lowe, who once served as the Vice President of Operations and maintained a long-term position on the board of directors, remarked that Masino is attempting to compete in a market where no competition exists.
Following the immense backlash and plunging stocks, Cracker Barrel executives decided to reverse course and return to the “Old Timer” logo.
“We thank our guests for sharing your voices and love for Cracker Barrel,” the company said in a statement. “We said we would listen, and we have. Our new logo is going away and our ‘old timer’ will remain.”
The about-face followed days of protests on social media against Cracker Barrel’s rebranding efforts — capped on Tuesday with Trump weighing in and advising the company to go back to the original logo design.
Lowe recalled a “Grand Ole Opry” man named String Bean who had warned the restaurant in its infant stage to “keep it country.”
He reiterated the alert to the current leaders, warning the business would falter if they didn’t listen.
“If they don’t get back to keeping it country, then it ain’t gonna work,” Lowe told the outlet.
The first store was built along Highway 109 in Lebanon, Tenn., after co-founder Dan Evins wanted to build a gas station but needed something more appealing to get more customers.
Evins, who died in 2012, brought in Lowe, a construction business owner, to build a restaurant to accompany the station and provide for truckers who drove through the area.
“It was just a country store for country people and that’s what it is today, they just don’t understand,” Lowe said.
Lowe says it took “forever” to get 10 investors to fund the $10,000 needed to build the store.
“It wasn’t a bet at all,” he said on the challenges faced in getting up and running.
The partners managed to get off the ground, opening the first store on Sept. 19, 1969, eventually expanding the chain to over 650 locations in 44 states.
