(LOOTPRESS) – Cracker Barrel is pausing its restaurant renovation program following weeks of backlash over its recent logo redesign that rattled customers and investors.
The company announced Tuesday that locations not yet remodeled will remain unchanged. “You’ve shared your voices in recent weeks not just on our logo, but also on our restaurants,” Cracker Barrel said in a statement on X.
The halted redesign featured brighter interiors, lighter woods, and fewer antiques and wall decorations — a sharp departure from the chain’s traditional Americana style. The concept was tested at only four of the company’s more than 660 restaurants. Cracker Barrel reassured guests that longtime staples like porch rocking chairs, fireplaces, peg games, and vintage décor from its Tennessee warehouse will stay.
The move follows intense criticism of a new minimalist logo that dropped both the “old timer” figure and the barrel image. The rebrand was met with fierce online opposition, particularly from conservative commentators, and the company’s stock fell by as much as 12%. Cracker Barrel has since reinstated its original logo.
Even former President Donald Trump weighed in, applauding the reversal on Truth Social and urging the chain to “make your customers happy again.”
Cracker Barrel is still in the middle of a broader $700 million transformation effort that includes new menu items and kitchen upgrades. The company did not confirm whether those initiatives will continue.
