Cracker Barrel didn’t stop at just bringing back its old logo after MAGA raged over its “woke” new redesign.
The Pride and DEI sections of the Tennessee-based restaurant chain’s website have also quietly disappeared after it backed down from an effort to modernize its logo with a minimalist design as part of a $700 million rebrand.
The new logo had sparked a culture war and conservative fury that reached such a fever pitch, with President Donald Trump weighing in and the stock price plunging, that executives opted to pull back on the redesign and revert to its “Old Timer” logo, which features a man sitting in a chair leaning against a barrel.
Prior to the saga, the company’s site had a Pride page, according to the internet archive tool Wayback Machine, as well as a page laying out its diversity and inclusion policy, but now appears only to have a section dedicated to “Culture and Belonging.”
According to The Hill, the DEI page previously read: “We are increasing our focus on leadership development and mentorship programs to better identify, recruit and advance strong, racially and ethnically diverse talent.”
The Daily Beast has contacted Cracker Barrel for further information. A spokesperson told CNN the company chose to remove “out-of-date content” from its website.
The rebrand sought to remove the figure in the logo, known as Uncle Herschel, as well as the barrel, while retaining just the words of its name. But the company pumped the brakes amid a groundswell of conservative fury that culminated in Trump—who has sought to do away with DEI since returning to office—saying that bringing back the barrel would be good for business.
Go woke, go broke. https://t.co/NtGUjTMBJJ pic.twitter.com/K0ZEa63wQY
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) August 26, 2025
“Cracker Barrel should go back to the old logo, admit a mistake based on customer response and manage the company better than ever before,” he wrote on a post on Truth Social.
Meanwhile, on X, the White House posted an image of the old logo with the short caption: “Go woke, go broke.”
Soon after, Cracker Barrel cracked, releasing a statement saying: “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.”
On Monday, a day before the U-turn, a Cracker Barrel spokesperson said to Fox News Digital that feedback from both employees and diners had been “overwhelmingly positive and enthusiastic about the refreshed dining and shopping experience.”
The spokesperson said there was a “vocal minority” opposing the change, one that includes MAGA influencers who perceived a wider “woke” ambition for the company.
A day after the logo reversal Tuesday, anti-DEI activist Robby Starbuck criticized the company for keep up its Pride and DEI pages.
“Cracker Barrel still proudly has their LGBTQ+ and DEI page on their website and they haven’t said that they’ll end funding for all ages pride events,” he posted on X. “They don’t deserve your money for fixing the logo.”
Soon after, he returned to boast about a “major victory”: Cracker Barrel had removed the pages.
“Let this be a message to all companies: It is now socially unacceptable to promote trans causes or DEI and it’s unacceptable to use our money for Pride events,” he wrote. “YOU could be next if you embrace wokeness. Now’s the time to fix it.”
The post Cracker Barrel Did More Than Just Ditch Its Logo After MAGA Meltdown appeared first on The Daily Beast.
