Urging Cracker Barrel to "admit a mistake" and "go back" to its original logo and traditional southern home-style branding, President Donald Trump said Tuesday that in every challenge lies a "great opportunity" to "make Cracker Barrel a winner again."
"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," Trump wrote Tuesday on Truth Social. "They got a billion dollars worth of free publicity if they play their cards right. Very tricky to do, but a great opportunity. Have a major news conference today.
"Make Cracker Barrel a WINNER again."
The rebuke came as the 55-year-old chain conceded it "could've done a better job" explaining the new design, which removed the iconic image of "Uncle Herschel" leaning on a barrel. In a post titled "A Promise to Our Guests," Cracker Barrel said last week the reaction underscored how "deeply people care about Cracker Barrel" and pledged that Herschel would remain on menus, signage, and inside its stores.
Still, the rebrand has exacted a heavy toll on the company's balance sheet.
As of 11:20 a.m. ET Tuesday, Cracker Barrel's stock is trading around $56.83 — down nearly 22% from its July 23 high of $71.93. The slide reflects a sharp reversal in just over a month, erasing hundreds of millions in market value and underscoring the investor backlash to the company's rebranding effort.
The market cap has slid to roughly $1.22 billion, per recent figures, which represents a drop of approximately $280 million in market value, equating to a 19% decline in capitalization.
CEO Julie Felss Masino defended the rebranding as part of a $700 million modernization plan, telling The Wall Street Journal the company was "evolving while staying true to our roots."
But critics — including politicians, rival restaurants, and longtime patrons — said the redesign stripped the brand of its Americana heritage.
- Donald Trump Jr. blasted the company on X, writing "WTF is wrong with @CrackerBarrel??!"
- California Gov. Gavin Newsom's office mocked the change in a parody of the former president's style, calling the new design "cheap Velveeta 'cheese' from Walmart."
- Steak 'n Shake piled on as well, accusing Cracker Barrel of "deleting the personality altogether."
At the local level, reactions have been mixed. Some longtime employees and customers dismissed the uproar, noting the chain's menus and atmosphere remain unchanged. Others said the new logo felt bland and unnecessary, a betrayal of the brand's roots in red-state America.
Marketing experts said Cracker Barrel's leadership faces a delicate balancing act.
"The traditions have broken for the traditionalists," Wharton professor David Reibstein told Agence France-Presse, pointing out the chain's core customers are conservative diners in areas Trump won overwhelmingly in 2024.
Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., a former Cracker Barrel employee, said the logo had been "a fixture of American culture" and demanded the company reverse course.
"No one asked for this woke rebrand," he wrote. "It's time to Make Cracker Barrel Great Again."
For now, the company says it is "listening, testing, and learning." But with its stock battered and criticism mounting, Trump's call for a reset puts even more pressure on the chain to decide whether to double down — or roll back.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.