
<p>Cracker Barrel’s announced rebranding and new logo has created a hornets’ nest of criticism. ; So much so that the company is rolling back on its plans. ; But has the brand already suffered irreparable harm?</p>



<p>I have always liked Cracker Barrel. ; I liked the old country atmosphere and the food. ; (Southern fried chicken is my favorite menu item – with corn, mashed potatoes and gravy. ; The biscuits and cornbread are outstanding. ; I also like &#8230; oh &#8230; I am digressing.)</p>



<p>Recently, Cracker Barrel announced a makeover – something airier and a bit more modern. ; Brighter walls without so many of those antique items that invite perusing while waiting for the food. ; In terms of branding, atmosphere and menu, Cracker Barrel had it spot on, in my opinion. ; (And I say that as a person whose consulting firm was involved in a lot of branding and logo issues).</p>



<p>Obviously, the folks in the oak-paneled office did not agree.  ;In terms of atmosphere, they propose making Cracker Barrel look more like an IHOP. ; Yes, they are leaving a few of the antique wall decorations hanging between expanses of sterile painted walls. ;</p>



<p>The most notable proposed change was the iconic logo. ; It exuded “country”. ; It features a farmer in bib overalls seated on an 1800s-era chair and leaning on &#8230; a cracker barrel. ; For the few who may not have grasped the imagery of the logo, they added “Old Country Store”.</p>



<p>The proposed logo has a hexagon in the same yellow background. ; But the old man, the chair, the cracker barrel and the wording would be gone. ; The proposed logo is as sterile as the new atmosphere. ; It is uninspired. ; It is the kind of design that would be produced by a failing first-year graphic arts student.</p>



<p>But &#8230; public outrage and precipitous drops in the company stock ($95 million in a day) and the number of customers brought management to their senses &#8212; at least partially. The old “cracker” in bib overalls is to stay. ; But sadly, a lot of the contracted restaurant make-over is in process.</p>



<p>One can only imagine if the elimination of the unique atmosphere and the unique logo would see a change in the unique menu. ; (No more Southern Fried Chicken? ; Or will they change the name to New York Fried Chicken?)</p>



<p>Actually, it may not matter. ; I went through a similar situation with a favorite Italian restaurant in Chicago – La Strada. ; It had the stucco walls with painted vines and murals of quaint Italian villages.  ;And the food was outstanding. (I loved the mushroom risotto).  ;Weeell &#8230; ; they did a makeover – plain walls and modern furnishings. ; It was less of “The Godfather” and more like Olive Garden. ; It looked like the same menu, but it did not taste the same. I stopped bringing out-of-town guests – and cut back on my visits. ; A restaurant that had been operating successfully for decades went out of business.</p>



<p>(Everything above is preamble. ; Now to the point of the commentary &#8230; finally).</p>



<p>Corporate makeovers and changes in marketing strategies are risky. ; The smartest folks in the boardrooms – armed with millions of dollars of research, polling and focus groups – do screw up.  ;Remember New Coke? Bud Lite (in the loafers)? The Edsel? Scrapple? ; And the list goes on. ; These major blunders are usually the result of hubris over common sense.</p>



<p>Cracker Barrel’s problem is not just marketing. ; The proposed changes have gotten Cracker Barrel, itself, embroiled in the political crosswinds of the day. ; The removal of the White guy was seen by some as cancel politics. ; Dump the toxic male imagery.</p>



<p>(Ironically, the forces of political correctness and identity politics launched similar campaigns in the past to remove Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben from packaging. ; That is the kind of hypocrisy you get when you spin <strong>everything</strong> as racist. ; But I degrees.)</p>



<p>The rebranding has exposed something more problematic for Cracker Barrel – and the cause of the national outcry. ; Without this controversy, very few folks would have known of Cracker Barrel’s extreme woke corporate policies. (I did not).</p>



<p>The leadership of Cracker Barrel are not a bunch of down home folks – driving Chevy Silverado pick-up trucks – clinging to their guns and their Bibles, as President Obama once characterized them. ; Rather, the folks at the top are more representative of the elitist radical left.</p>



<p>Cracker Barrel President and CEO Julie Masino has frequently been accused of “maintaining a DEI regime” – committing major corporate resources on race and gay issues. ; Among the more visible examples is painting some of the company’s iconic rocks in the colors of the rainbow gay flag at various outlets – even to the point of displaying a giant one on the company’s headquarters campus.</p>



<p>Gilbert Davila joined the Cracker Barrel board in 2020. ; His primary qualification for the board seat was the fact that Davila operated a DEI consulting firm for 15 years that focused on DEI hiring and advertising.</p>



<p>Because of its left-wing corporate culture, the company disproportionately sponsors and participates in a large number of left-wing woke events, such as the Out and Equal Workplace Summit and Gay Pride parades. It uses DEI as a means to engage in preferential hiring practices for minorities and gays. ; These activities have resulted in a number of awards and honors for left-wing woke-oriented organizations.</p>



<p>But who knew? ; All these activities were below the radar for most Americans. ; They (we) bought into the old-fashioned American imagery. ; The move away from that has had one good result. ; Cracker Barrel’s façade of traditional Americana has been torn down by the proposed makeover. ; More people are now aware that Cracker Barrel is a major corporate player in the radical left-wing woke movement &#8212; that often runs contrary to the traditional American values they embraced in their marketing. ; It would have been more appropriate to add Ben and Jerry to the logo.</p>



<p>Conservative activist, Robby Starbuck (not <strong>that</strong> Starbuck), laid out the ideological case against Cracker Barrel in a YouTube video that went viral. ; And the people are responding. ;</p>



<p>At this juncture, it appears that Cracker Barrel may become yet another example of “Go Woke and Go Broke”.</p>



<p>So, there ‘tis.</p>

Cracker Barrel’s attempted rebranding reveals its wokeness
