Cracker Barrel announced it is suspending its interior remodeling plans after conservatives and President Donald Trump decried the restaurant as too “woke” for changing its logo.
“We heard clearly that the modern remodel design does not reflect what you love about Cracker Barrel,” the restaurant wrote on its website. “We had tested this design in only four out of 660 locations, and we won’t continue with it. Of course, we will continue to invest in our restaurants to make sure that they are in good shape and meet your expectations.”
Last month, the Southern-style restaurant announced it was updating its 48-year-old logo from a seated man next to a barrel to a simple text logo with “Cracker Barrel” on top of a yellow hex-like shape. The logo redesign came a year after the restaurant started to minimally change the interior of the restaurants across the country by removing some of the old-school decor.
But a few hours after Trump advised Cracker Barrel to go back to its old logo, the restaurant did just that.
“President Trump has unmatched business instincts and an uncanny ability to understand what the American people want,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt said last month. “Cracker Barrel is a great American company, and they made a great decision to Trust in Trump!”
Now, Cracker Barrel is doing the same with its interior redesigns.
Cracker Barrel wrote on its website that elements of its “vintage Americana” design will stay, like the rocking chairs, fireplaces, peg games and antiques “pulled straight” from its warehouse in Lebanon, Tennessee.
“With our recent announcement that our ‘Old Timer’ logo will remain, along with our bigger focus in the kitchen and on your plate, we hope that today’s step reinforces that we hear you,” the company wrote.
Julie Masino, CEO of Cracker Barrel, said on “Good Morning America” weeks before the restaurant decided to reverse its redesign decision that the redesign was mainly brighter paint, more comfortable chairs and new lighting. She reinforced that the vintage decor would remain.
“The heart and soul of Cracker Barrel is going to stay the same,” she said.
When “Good Morning America” host Michael Strahan asked Masino if she would go back to the old design if customers wanted it, she said the feedback on the redesign had been “overwhelmingly positive.”
“The feedback and the buzz is so good, not only from our customers but from our team members,” she said. “They want to work in a wonderful restaurant.”
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