CEO Julie Felss Masino defends controversial Cracker Barrel logo rebrand

Cracker Barrel CEO Julie Felss Masino is in the spotlight after unveiling a new logo that left longtime fans reeling.

Cracker Barrel unveiled its text-only logo on Wednesday, which dropped the image of a man leaning over a barrel that was a longtime staple of their branding. Cracker Barrel’s original 1969 logo featured only text. The now-familiar imagery was added in 1977 and has remained until this week’s redesign.

The new logo received fierce backlash on social media as users trashed the rebranding as “generic” and likened it to “brand suicide.”

Cracker Barrel’s new logo has evoked harsh pushback on social media.  (Cracker Barrel / Fox News)

CRACKER BARREL EXECUTIVE INSISTS RESTAURANT REMODELS ARE ‘WHAT THE GUESTS ASKED FOR’

“Please we beg of you! Don’t change the iconic Cracker Barrel design! For the love of the ‘Uncle Herschel’s favorite’ Breakfast don’t do this!! You’re killing me!! Your killing… us,” Larry the Cable Guy posted on X.

The man featured in Cracker Barrel’s previous logo has been thought to be “Uncle Herschel,” but is also nicknamed “Old Timer.”

On Cracker Barrel’s website, under their “Get to Know Us” page, they still have the description of their old logo. 

“Our logo tells a story with every detail. It features a pinto bean shape behind the Cracker Barrel name, a nod to one of the original sides we offered when we first opened in 1969. The ‘K’ in ‘Cracker’ has a charming flourish that flows into the pinto bean shape, tying it all together. Alongside, there’s an image of a man relaxing by a cracker barrel, representing the old country store experience where folks would gather around and share stories. Our logo reflects our roots and the warm, welcoming atmosphere we’ve always aimed to create,” their website states. 

This isn’t Cracker Barrel’s first run-in with public outrage. The chain also recently faced backlash for its restaurant redesigns. The new interiors appear to embrace a more modern aesthetic that avoids the more nostalgic style customers had come to expect. 

 “At a remodeled Cracker Barrel. I hate it,” X user Coach Duggs posted, alongside a video of a newly remodeled eatery that has been viewed more than 9 million times since Aug. 2.

Julie Felss Masino, who became CEO on Nov. 1, 2023, maintains that the response to the recent changes has been overwhelmingly positive. (Cracker Barrel)

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE

Felss Masino, who became CEO on Nov. 1, 2023, maintains that the response to the recent changes has been overwhelmingly positive.

“People like what we’re doing. Cracker Barrel needs to feel like the Cracker Barrel for today and for tomorrow — the things that you love are still there. We need people to choose us, and we want people to choose us,” Felss Masino told “Good Morning America” on Tuesday.

Felss Masino previously served as president of Taco Bell and Mattel before being tapped to head Cracker Barrel. In addition, she held senior roles at Sprinkles Cupcakes and Starbucks. She also serves on the board of directors at Vivid Seats. 

In a June 2025 interview, Felss Masino shared what the Cracker Barrel brand meant to her. 

“There’s something here. This is a great place where people connect. People were there with their families. They were there with their friends and everybody I talked to in the journey like when I was evaluating the opportunity, everybody had such affinity for the brand. They loved the brand. Like everybody has an origin story for Cracker Barrel. Whether it was like travel, soccer, growing up, or baseball, or going to their grandma’s house, like everybody has this origin story,” she said. “And to me, the opportunity is how do I get it out of people’s rearview mirror and how do I get it into their their daily kind of relevant choice set, you know, and make sure that it was it’s something that really resonates with everybody of today and for tomorrow.”

Later on in the interview, she discussed a five-pillar transformation strategy the company is implementing. 

“Pillar number one is about the brand, right? Making sure that we are communicating in a way that people want to hear us. They want to be a part of the journey. That we’re matching messaging with channel, with audience, you know things that modern marketers do,” she said. 

Cracker Barrel’s new logo removes “Uncle Herschel” who is seen leaning over a barrel.  (Photo by Paul Weaver/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images / Getty Images)

In addition to customers rejecting the chain’s recent cosmetic changes, Cracker Barrel has taken heat for its DEI initiatives. Conservative group America First Legal filed a complaint with the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission against the restaurant chain in July, alleging employment discrimination. The complaint points to Cracker Barrel’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion protocols, which promote race- and gender-conscious hiring and promotions. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“Our values haven’t changed, and the heart and soul of Cracker Barrel haven’t changed. And Uncle Herschel remains front and center in our restaurants and on our menu. He is the face of ‘The Herschel Way,’ the foundation of how our 70,000 plus employees provide the country hospitality for which we are known,” Cracker Barrel told Fox News Digital in a statement. “Cracker Barrel has been a destination for comfort and community for more than half a century, and this fifth evolution of the brand’s logo, which works across digital platforms as well as billboards and roadside signs, is a call-back to the original and rooted even more in the iconic barrel shape and word mark that started it all back in 1969.”

Shares of Cracker Barrel (CBRL) tumbled more than 12% on Thursday, the steepest drop since April.