Cracker Barrel, once synonymous with Americana charm and roadside comfort, is now deep in a corporate crisis. What began as a failed logo redesign has morphed into a larger battle over the company’s values and leadership. The chain’s Pride page saga has become the clearest example of a brand stumbling through the culture wars, unable to pick a direction — and customers are noticing.
The Roller Coaster Pride Page
At first, Cracker Barrel quietly deleted its Pride page, which had featured slogans like “bringing the porch to Pride” and rainbow-colored rocking chairs. Critics thought the company was retreating from activism. But it soon became clear the content had simply been moved to a new “Culture and Belonging” section, sparking accusations of deception.
After being outed, the Pride material reappeared — fueling backlash all over again. Now, as of this writing, the Culture and Belonging page has been scrubbed clean, showing only a sanitized statement: “Culture & belonging in the workplace are at the core of Cracker Barrel’s corporate culture and the driving force behind everything we do.” Readers can see the current state of the page for themselves at Cracker Barrel’s Culture & Belonging page.
This flip-flop underscores the company’s reactive strategy: hide when called out, restore when pressured, sanitize when exposed. It’s a roller coaster with no steady hand on the wheel.
Trump’s Intervention and Stock Whiplash
The controversy escalated when President Trump weighed in, telling Cracker Barrel to restore its old logo, admit mistakes, and manage better. His comments sparked speculation that the CEO could be ousted — and the stock briefly ticked upward. For a company that lost nearly $100 million in market value during the rebrand meltdown, even the suggestion of a leadership shake-up was enough to move the market.
The Logo Meltdown
The Pride page controversy isn’t happening in isolation. It comes right after Cracker Barrel’s disastrous attempt to modernize its brand. The chain dropped its iconic “Uncle Herschel” logo in favor of a minimalist design and stripped its restaurants of their trademark Americana aesthetic. Customers revolted. Within weeks, Cracker Barrel backtracked, announcing the old logo would return. But the damage to trust — and the bottom line — was already done.
The DEI Connection
Adding to the scrutiny is board member Gilbert Davila, a former Disney diversity executive who runs a DEI consulting firm. Activists argue his influence explains the chain’s fixation on social engineering instead of biscuits and gravy. Cracker Barrel defends him as a valuable marketing mind, but to many, his presence confirms that the boardroom is driving the brand into territory its customers never asked for.
Empty Dining Rooms, Struggling Workers
Behind the headlines are employees caught in the fallout. Viral videos from Tennessee show empty Cracker Barrel dining rooms on a Saturday night, once the busiest time of the week. Waitresses report earning as little as $13 in tips for an entire shift, saying they’ve never seen business so slow. For them, this isn’t about logos or Pride pages — it’s about paying rent and feeding their families.
A Company Without Direction
The constant back-and-forth — delete, move, restore, sanitize — is more than a website issue. It’s a symbol of leadership failure at the top. Customers don’t know what the company stands for. Investors don’t trust its strategy. Employees are suffering the consequences. The woke CEO at the center of the storm has overseen one crisis after another, and every “fix” has only created new problems.
What Comes Next
Cracker Barrel’s future hinges on whether it can stop reacting and start leading. That likely means a leadership change. Until then, expect more Pride page whiplash, more empty dining rooms, and more erosion of a brand that once stood for tradition, consistency, and comfort.
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