OPINION: How Cracker Barrel came back from getting hate on their redesign

Lily Johnson, Opinion Editor

Sep 10, 2025

Photo provided via openverse: “Cracker Barrel, 10/2014 by Mike Mozart of TheToyChannel and JeepersMedia on YouTube #Cracker #Barrel” by JeepersMedia is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

On Aug. 19 2025, the company Cracker Barrel did a redesign of their logo. They changed their logo into a more minimalistic and modern style, removing the founder Uncle Herschel and barrel in the logo. Following the redesign, the company lost around $100 million in value as stock plunged due to upset customers who disliked the new design and chances of decor happening within the restaurants.

As someone who has gone to Cracker Barrel a few times and has always had positive experiences with the chain, I also was not a fan of the redesign. As a kid, I loved the gift shop area. There were always different trinkets and antiques. Now with this new redesign and decorating of the stores, they seem more bland. I’m not a fan of the minimalist style, especially in a place that is known for the old-timey, home-like atmosphere within it.

The switch from that style to a more modern and minimalistic one would obviously upset fans of the chain, especially ones who have grown up loving it and frequently going to the restaurant.

While the media is outraged by the redesign, the company has claimed that the values, heart and soul has not changed. Even if the company claims that the heart of the chain isn’t changing, it feels hard to believe. With the changes of decoration and logo, it feels like too much of the restaurant is changing for customers to recognize this new version as the one they’ve come to love.

The outrage by the media can be understood to an extent, but it feels very over exaggerated. The whole situation was blown out of proportion. On the internet, many people have talked about how the redesign was “ugly” and how they wanted the old logo back. The dislike for the redesign seemed to be unanimous within the community on social media sites like TikTok.

After much hate from fans on the internet, Cracker Barrel has addressed the redesign situation. On their official website, they released a statement announcing that they were going to return the old logo. Stating, “We said we would listen, and we have.”

While the hate on social media was abundant, it worked in getting what the majority of consumers wanted: the original logo back. Changing the logo back to the original also helped the restaurant maintain their promise to keep the values and heart of Cracker Barrel related in keeping this all-day breakfast hub a place where “everyone feels at home.”

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About the Contributor

Lily Johnson, Opinion Editor

Lily Johnson is a junior at McIntosh High School and is serving her third year on the Trail and is currently serving as the Opinion Editor. During Johnson’s free time, she enjoys spending time outdoors. She loves going on long golf cart rides, watching the sunset and spending time with friends and family. She enjoys listening to music, her favorite genres consisting of punk, rock, and metal. “I think spending time with family is very important so I try to spend as much time with them as I can.”