Cracker Barrel CEO slammed by Steak ‘n Shake over controversial rebrand

New logo has ignited political debate and intense backlash from other brands

Cracker Barrel’s decision to rebrand its historic logo has drawn ire from other companies, including Steak ‘n Shake.

The southern-themed comfort food restaurant chain, based in Lebanon, Tennessee, first opened its doors in 1969 with simple gold branding and its name spelled out in brown lettering, intending to evoke the atmosphere of a friendly wood-frame general store selling dry goods to the pioneers. Then, in 1977, it added the seated figure of a man wearing overalls leaning against a wooden cask alongside the name, in the process creating an icon of folksy Americana that has endured ever since.

Now, the rebrand has removed the leaning figure in a return to the original design, with the company saying the new logo “is now rooted even more closely to the iconic barrel shape and word mark that started it all.”

But not everyone agrees.

Taking aim at Cracker Barrel with a string of posts on X, Indianapolis-based burger chain Steak ‘n Shake wrote: “This is what happens when you have a board that does not respect their historical customers or their brand. At Steak n Shake, we have gone back to basics. Our tallow fries are waiting for you. Oh yeah, you can also now pay with Bitcoin!”

Cracker Barrel is a southern comfort food restaurant chain (Getty Images)

“Sometimes, people want to change things just to put their own personality on things. At CB, their goal is to just delete the personality altogether. Hence, the elimination of the ‘old-timer’ from the signage,” a second post read.

“Heritage is what got Cracker Barrel this far, and now the CEO wants to just scrape it all away. At Steak n Shake, we take pride in our history, our families, and American values. All are welcome. We will never market ourselves away from our past in a cheap effort to gain the approval of trend seekers.

A third tweet took aim at Cracker Barrel CEO Julie Felss Masino, saying: “Fire the CEO! Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

Steak ‘n Shake is a restaurant concept owned and operated by CEO Sardar Biglari. The Independent has learned that Biglari owns shares of Cracker Barrel and has repeatedly, but unsuccessfully, tried to secure a place on the restaurant chain’s board for more than a decade.

Cracker Barrel has updated its logo, angering fans (Cracker Barrel)

Fans of the restaurant chain, as well as political figures, have also weighed in on the rebrand — which is also slated to include an overhaul of the restaurant’s signature homey interior decor — voicing their disapproval.

“You disappointed the entire country,” one upset customer wrote on X.

“Cracker Barrel CEO Julie Masino should face charges for this crime against humanity,” another wrote.

In a statement, the business elaborated about the rebrand, saying: “Anchored in Cracker Barrel’s signature gold and brown tones, the updated visuals will appear across menus and marketing collateral, including the fifth evolution of the brand’s logo, which is now rooted even more closely to the iconic barrel shape and word mark that started it all.”

Meanwhile, after the new logo was revealed, Cracker Barrel stock plummeted, resulting in a $94 million loss.