Over the years, we’ve written several articles on rebranding. If we’ve learned anything, it’s that rebranding can be risky business. Consumers invest a lot of emotion in brands (including logos and trademarks), and should a brand physically change, it can light a firestorm of discontent, opprobrium and just downright nastiness. That brings us to the latest rebranding fiasco.
In May 2024, Cracker Barrel — a popular restaurant chain located predominantly in the Southeast and Midwest — announced a major rebranding effort. Claiming that the restaurant chain had lost its relevance, CEO Julie Felss Masino lamented that her company had lost its shine and needed a transformation. In 2024, Cracker Barrel sales had flatlined and its stock tumbled by 40%. According to one report, the CEO explained that the
challenges range the gamut from prices to menu options . . . citing a recent in-house study that compares Cracker Barrel with its competitors, based on food, experience, value and convenience.
That’s where it all began.
The Cracker Barrel Rebranding and Customer Backlash
On August 18, 2025, more than a year later, Cracker Barrel introduced a new logo:
The new logo removed the iconic “Uncle Herschel” (commonly known as the “Old Timer”) and the words “Old Country Store,” replacing them with a minimalist design retaining the old colors. In addition, menu items were updated and refreshed, and restaurant interiors revamped with modern decor.
Nobody liked it. Between August 22nd and 25th, social media and conservative media blew up. Donald Trump, Jr. wrote on X:
“WTF is wrong with @CrackerBarrel??!”
Even POTUS weighed in:
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. They got a Billion Dollars worth of free publicity if they play their cards right. Very tricky to do, but a great opportunity.
Woke War Room on X wrote:
Cracker Barrel’s new logo isn’t an accident — it’s CEO Julie Felss Masino’s project. She scrapped a beloved American aesthetic and replaced it with sterile, soulless branding.
Viral satires mocked the rebranding. Longtime customers moaned “the remodel of their childhood locations.” The New York Times wrote:
In one viral TikTok post, a user walks through a revamped location with a grim soundtrack and caption: “When Cracker Barrel took away the last piece of nostalgia you had left.”
According to other reports, the restaurant chain lost almost $100 million in market value following the reaction to the new logo. In one day, Cracker Barrel shares fell by 7.2 percent.
It wasn’t pretty. The company had to do something. On Tuesday, August 27, CEO Masino did an about-face and announced that the old logo was back; POTUS praised the decision, and the stock rebounded.
Lessons from the Cracker Barrel Rebranding Fiasco
One can only imagine what this walk-back cost Cracker Barrel. Full rebranding is expensive. On the legal side, there are trademark clearance searches, trademark filings (domestic and international), domain name searches and acquisitions, and social media audits. Domain names are particularly costly, ranging from $5,000 to $500,000 (or more) for premium domains. Then, of course, there are the design and creative costs of developing new logos and brand guidelines, as well as website redesign. And then there are implementation costs related to changes in packaging and labeling, signage, uniforms, brick and mortar redesigns and renovations, and digital media updates. Finally, there are the marketing and rollout costs.
Hard data on the actual cost of rebranding is difficult to come by. In one scholarly article from the United Kingdom, the authors wrote that the cost of renaming the ROYAL MAIL to CONSIGNIA was £2.5 million, and to change it back after a public outcry was another £1 million. So, if you’re considering a rebrand, the reasons should be sound, your financial resources adequate, and, lastly, plan accordingly. Above all, don’t misread your customer base like Cracker Barrel did.
— Adam G. Garson, Esq.
