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News Link • Business/ Commerce

Cracker Barrel suspends all restaurant remodels after disastrous rebrand controversy

• https://www.dailymail.co, By BEN SHIMKUS

The rustic-themed chain, with 660 restaurants across the US, has announced it will immediately halt all store remodels in a post on X. 

'You've shared your voices in recent weeks not just on our logo, but also on our restaurants,' the company said. 

'Today, we're suspending our remodels. If your restaurant hasn't been remodeled, you don't need to worry, it won't be.'

Since 2024, Cracker Barrel has been attempting to modernize its image. The company, led by former Taco Bell leader Julie Felss Masino, was attempting to reboot its image with a $700 million makeover.

It needed a change, and fast. At the time, the company was closing stores, largely attracting older customers, and — in the CEO's words — becoming less 'relevant.' 

Part of the plan included a more modern interior design at its restaurants. 

Gone were the untreated lattice wood walls — in came the white-painted wainscotting. Designers removed busy trinkets from the wall and replaced them with farmhouse-style paintings. 

The company also said it rolled out a new lighting design to make the rooms feel brighter.  

Customers, staffers, and conservative commentators initially simmered in anger over the newly designed eateries in early August. 

'Can we please go back to the original look? The nostalgia is gone,' one fan wrote on a social media video of the new interior. 

Then, weeks later, the company began unveiling its new signage. That's when anger spilled over into headline-generating controversy. 

Commentators shone a national spotlight on the chain's modernized sign that removed the cross-legged old man sitting on a rocking chair. 

MAGA critics, including President Donald Trump, labeled the new design scheme as 'woke.' Cracker Barrel quickly announced a reversal on its signage

Critics compared the rebrand to Bud Light's Dylan Mulvaney fiasco. In 2023, the beer producer jumped into the limelight when it featured Mulvaney, a transgender influencer, in some of its advertisements.

Shoppers revolted against the alcohol brand, sending sales spiraling for months.