Cracker Barrel to keep old logo after backlash

The comfort food restaurant chain on Tuesday evening said it would scrap the new logo it recently unveiled and keep the old one. The announcement came after days of online backlash. Cracker Barrel promised to listen to customers and said it would continue using what it called its “Old Timer” logo.

Cracker Barrel stock rose dramatically on Wednesday following the announcement, reversing a plunge that began a few days after the company first revealed the new logo.

The decision came after customers and conservatives online widely criticized Cracker Barrel’s simplified new logo, which removed an illustration of a man clad in overalls next to a barrel in favor of a minimalist design that only included the company’s name. Many critics said the change exemplified what they characterized as a woke makeover of the restaurant. Some conservative influencers said their problems with the company went much deeper, citing its funding for LGBTQ activism.

Didn't the president weigh in? President Donald Trump on Tuesday said the company had made a mistake and should pivot while it still had free publicity. Deputy White House Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich on Tuesday said Cracker Barrel called Trump and thanked him for his input. Trump later praised the company’s decision to revert to its original logo in a social media post.

Dig deeper: Read Bethel McGrew’s World Opinions piece on American Eagle’s recent controversial marketing campaign featuring actress Sydney Sweeney.