Cracker Barrel's Controversial Logo Change Sparks Criticism, Plummets Shares
Synopsis
Fans, including prominent figures, say that the redesign erases a key part of the 50-year identity of the company that Americans have come to see as a nostalgic cultural institution.
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store shares settled in Thursday’s session at a nearly two-month low as investors reacted to a controversial logo change. The stock was among the top five trending equity tickers on Stocktwits early Friday.
Online users across Reddit, Stocktwits, and X, including prominent figures, criticized the company's decision to replace its long-standing logo, which featured an "old white man" leaning on a barrel, with a simplified, text-only design.
"WTF is wrong with @CrackerBarrel ??!" Donald Trump Jr. remarked in an X post on Wednesday.
The central criticism is that the redesign erases a key part of the 50-year identity of Cracker Barrel, a company seen by Americans as a nostalgic cultural institution, combining Southern comfort food, roadside tradition, and old-country-store charm.
Conservative voices blame the new logo for being generic and woke, meant to appeal to younger audiences and themes, and losing connection with American roots in the process.
Cracker Barrel shares fell 7.2% on Thursday, its fifth straight session of declines. Nearly four million Cracker Barrel shares changed hands on Thursday, compared to a daily average of about a million shares. The stock is down nearly 12% so far this week.
On Stocktwits, the retail sentiment for CBRL shifted to the lowest possible reading in the 'extremely bearish' (1/100) territory, even as the ticker trended.
"What is cracker barrel without the barrel?" a user replied to a Stocktwits post asking for user opinion on the new logo, with a few others blaming the company's CEO, Julie Masino, for the ill-conceived move.
Cracker Barrel unveiled the new logo on Monday as part of its "All the More" campaign and a broader $700 million modernization plan, which includes upgrades to its diners and menus.
Masino has emphasized the company's core values, insisting that the goal is modernization and not a departure from its heritage.
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