President Donald Trump is weighing in on the Cracker Barrel controversy with some pointed advice for the company’s marketing team.
Cracker Barrel has been in the headlines for days following the unveiling of a new logo that most social media users absolutely despise. This, coupled with remodeled stores and a new modern aesthetic, has loyal Cracker Barrel fans seeing red and threatening to boycott. The president says the solution lies in reverting to the way things were before.
“Cracker Barrel should go back to the old logo, admit a mistake based on customer response (the ultimate Poll), and manage the company better than ever before,” Trump shared on Truth Social on Tuesday morning.
“They got a Billion Dollars worth of free publicity if they play their cards right. Very tricky to do, but a great opportunity. Have a major News Conference today. Make Cracker Barrel a WINNER again. Remember, in just a short period of time I made the United States of America the ‘HOTTEST’ Country anywhere in the World. One year ago, it was ‘DEAD.’ Good luck!”
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So far, there doesn’t appear to be any movement to backtrack. Cracker Barrel CEO Julie Felss Masino said during an appearance on “Good Morning America” last week that feedback has been “overwhelmingly positive.” Several days later, a company spokesperson addressed the ongoing backlash by claiming it was part of a “vocal minority.”
But the numbers told a different story. The company reportedly dropped $143 million in market value, as tracked by Dow Jones Market Data Group, per Fox Business.
This led to the company releasing a statement that wasn’t quite an apology, but was closer to admitting it had made a mistake.
“If the last few days have shown us anything, it’s how deeply people care about Cracker Barrel,” the statement began.
“We’re truly grateful for your heartfelt voices. You’ve also shown us that we could’ve done a better job sharing who we are and who we’ll always be,” it continued.
The company promised that Cracker Barrel’s core values have not changed and highlighted some of the traditional elements that it would keep, including “rocking chairs on the porch, a warm fire in the hearth, peg games on the table, unique treasures in our gift shop, and vintage Americana with antiques pulled straight from our warehouse in Lebanon, Tennessee.”
It also discussed how the elderly man sitting next to a barrel on their original logo wouldn’t be disappearing completely either.
“Uncle Herschel will still be on our menu (welcome back Uncle Herschel’s Favorite Breakfast Platter), on our road signs, and featured in our country store. He’s not going anywhere — he’s family.”
The statement continued: “We know we won’t always get everything right the first time, but we’ll keep testing, learning, and listening to our guests and employees. At the end of the day, our promise is simple: you’ll always find comfort, community, and country hospitality here at Cracker Barrel.”