Gas City – July 22, 2025: Cracker Barrel Old Country Store fast casual restaurant. Cracker Barrel serves home-style food.[/caption]
A RESTAURANT chain has sacked a consulting team after a rebranded logo caused major online furore.
Cracker Barrel faced intense backlash from long-time guests and fans after unveiling its new logo and redesigned stores.
Cracker Barrel fans were outraged when the company proposed removed Uncle Herschel from the logo[/caption]
Trump even weighed in on the controversy[/caption]
Patrons first recoiled at the restaurant changes, which took away the traditionally old-school kitschy American decor and recast it with an interior design that critics described as “drab and soulless”.
The criticism was kicked up to a whole new level when the restaurant chain revealed its new logo.
Prior to the rebrand, the beloved logo featured an elderly man – known as Uncle Herschel – leaning over a barrel, however the new logo had removed him.
The folksy image had embodied the brand’s style of Southern hospitality for more than 50 years.
Critics of the change said it “appealed to the woke movement”.
In March, Cracker Barrel announced its partnership with consulting firm Prophet, who ultimately led the rebranding campaign.
In a statement, Prophet said: “In collaboration with Cracker Barrel, [we] are focused on shaping a new brand vision that will enhance market share while preserving the company’s unique heritage.”
“This new strategy will inform brand communication, restaurant redesigns, brand marketing campaigns and a redefined employee value proposition,” the statement continued.
The rebrand was met with an enraged public, causing the chain’s market value to tank.
At the height of the controversy, a huge $140 million was wiped off the company’s market share.
The drop in value caused further investor unease, which saw the shares drop by seven per cent.
Donald Trump even lent his opinion to the outrage, saying the chain “needed to remember its roots”.
“Cracker Barrel should go back to the old logo,” he said.
“Admit a mistake based on customer response and manage the company better than before.
“They got a billion dollars worth of free publicity if they play their cards right,” Trump continued.
“Very tricky to do, but a great opportunity. Make Cracker barrel a winner again.”
Seemingly, the brand listened – reversing the changes that same day and sacking Prophet.
“We thank our guests for sharing your voices and love for Cracker Barrel,” a statement posted to social media platform X said.
“We said we would listen, and we have.
” Our new logo is going away and our ‘Old Timer’ will remain.”
The backlash followed a similarly unpopular rebrand from a luxury car brand in August.
Former Jaguar Land Rover boss Adrian Mardell – who was behind the rebrand – later quit amid the chaos.
The brand faced heavy backlash for being “woke” after the Barbie pink marketing campaign.
Abandoning Jaguar’s traditional look, the glossy ad centred around bright colours and catwalk models and failed to feature any cars.
It flashed up with a number of slogans, including “live vivid”, “delete ordinary” and “copy nothing”.
And soon after, Jaguar unveiled the bizarre Type 00 concept car – a large, pink grand tourer – as well as a much-maligned new logo and badge.
It ditched the iconic big cat badge in favour of the word Jaguar, with each golden letter in lower case – apart from G and U.
Now, it has been confirmed that Mardell will leave in December after 35 years at the firm.
A Jaguar Land Rover spokesman told The Times: “Adrian Mardell has expressed his desire to retire from JLR after three years as CEO and 35 years with the company.
“His successor will be announced in due course.”
Months after the controversial ad, the British manufacturer announced it was axing up to 500 jobs, including managerial positions.
As well as slashing 1.5 per cent of its workforce, the Tata-owned brand also reportedly launched a review of its advertising teams.
Mardell faced severe criticism from famous names and fans alike following the rebrand.
The likes of Nigel Farage and even Elon Musk led critics, with Farage describing it as “woke”.
The Reform UK leader warned the automaker risked “going bust” due to its new design choice.
Earlier this month it was revealed that Jaguar sales in Europe have plunged 97.5 per cent.
The luxury British automaker registered just 49 vehicles in Europe in April, compared with 1,961 vehicles in the same month last year.
Meanwhile, Jaguar sales between January and April plummeted 75.1 per cent, with just 2,665 cars sold across the continent.
Globally, Jaguar sold just 26,862 vehicles for the 2024/25 financial year – an 85 per cent drop compared to 2018.
Jaguar has insisted the rebrand has “nothing to do” with its mammoth fall in sales.
