Cracker Barrel is cutting ties with Prophet, the consulting firm behind its controversial rebrand.
The restaurant chain faced widespread backlash after rolling out a new logo and store redesigns that many longtime fans felt stripped away the brand’s signature charm.
Known for its nostalgic Americana décor, Cracker Barrel’s refreshed look was criticized as bland and soulless. The anger intensified when the company replaced its iconic logo featuring an elderly man leaning on a barrel.
According to a March press release, Cracker Barrel had enlisted Prophet to lead a sweeping brand overhaul. The firm was tasked with redesigning restaurants, shaping a new marketing strategy, and helping “enhance market share while preserving the company’s unique heritage.”
Cracker Barrel recently reversed course on a rebrand after widespread customer backlash.
Separately, Prophet CEO Michael Dunn announced in 2020 that the firm would commit $4 million toward diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. At the time, Dunn said Prophet would hire a DEI-specific recruiter, increase Black representation at all levels of the company, and provide $4 million in pro bono services to social justice organizations, according to a company blog post.
Fox News Digital reported that there is no evidence linking Prophet’s DEI efforts to Cracker Barrel’s rebranding.
In August, Cracker Barrel introduced a new logo that dropped its longtime mascot, “Uncle Herschel,” the illustration of an elderly man leaning on a wooden barrel that had symbolized the brand’s Southern hospitality for 56 years. The change sparked criticism from some who saw it as an unnecessary concession to “woke” culture.
A March press release announced that Cracker Barrel had hired Prophet to redesign its restaurants and lead a new brand marketing campaign.
The rollout, however, triggered a backlash that at its peak wiped more than $140 million from the chain’s market value, as customer outrage and investor unease fueled its steepest losing streak in months. Shares are down more than 7% year-to-date.
Even former President Donald Trump weighed in, urging Cracker Barrel to return to its roots.
“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 in an Aug. 26 post on Truth Social.
He added that the controversy gave the chain “a Billion Dollars worth of free publicity” and suggested holding a major press conference to “make Cracker Barrel a WINNER again.”
Later that same day, Cracker Barrel announced it was scrapping the redesign.
“We thank our guests for sharing your voices and love for Cracker Barrel. We said we would listen, and we have. Our new logo is going away and our ‘Old Timer’ will remain,” the company posted on X.
The reversal capped an ambitious overhaul of Cracker Barrel’s more than 660 restaurants, unveiled in May, that had quickly backfired. The redesign featured “decluttered” dining rooms, a refreshed menu, and other changes intended to modernize a brand long anchored in nostalgia.
