(Ben Sellers, Headline USA) As comfort-food restaurant Cracker Barrel continues its long-running mission to become the next Bud Light under “girlboss” CEO Julie Felss Masino, Democrats are pouncing on the opportunity for a rebrand of their own.
We think the Cracker Barrel rebrand sucks too pic.twitter.com/XSzZcVQVd0
— Democrats (@TheDemocrats) August 21, 2025
“We think the Cracker Barrel rebrand sucks too,” the party posted on an official X account.
The Southern-style comfort-food restaurant’s stock dipped by double digits in August as the company rolled out the next leg of a major rebrand to modernize its menu and ambiance.
That amounted to roughly $100 million.
Cracker Barrel in the last month down from $72 to $54 after their “exciting” move to erase all the charm and history of this once great company. That’s down 25%. Board members should be removed for hiring a WOKE new CEO. pic.twitter.com/7kEdFvJlIb
— Omar Oropesa (@OmarSnsd) August 22, 2025
Fueling the most ire was the company’s decision to remove the elderly “cracker” from the company logo—along with the barrel.
What did this guy ever do to anyone? pic.twitter.com/Sp25qA9XI1
— Catturd ™ (@catturd2) August 20, 2025
Responses ranged from Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., reminiscing about his time as a server at the restaurant—first founded in Lebanon, Tenn., in 1969—to rival chain Steak ’N’ Shake relentlessly trolling the embattled competitor.
Naturally, the scandal fueled an array of memes about cancel culture and a few about insider trading that paired the country cookin’ chain with unlikely investor Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
“Sell Cracker Barrel” pic.twitter.com/vJScCXVWzN
— The Right To Bear Memes (@grandoldmemes) August 20, 2025
Pelosi undoubtedly would have stayed far away as Cracker Barrel’s controversial wokefication has been at least three years in the making.
When they offered the meat substitutes, you said nothing because you ate chicken fried steak. When they painted the rockers rainbow, you said nothing because you sat indoors. Now they've come for the cracker.. @CrackerBarrel https://t.co/a8MK67u4ge
— Ben Sellers (@realbensellers) August 21, 2025
The company began offering meat substitutes in 2022, a foreboding early warning of what was to come.
In 2023, it celebrated “Pride” month by painting its iconic rocking chairs in rainbow colors.
The following month, it hired Masino, a veteran of Starbucks and Taco Bell, to the top role. She promptly put into place the plans for an entire brand overhaul, which included brighter décor and expanded menu items.
It even softened the tone of a familiar peg game that diners can play while waiting for their food.
Cracker Barrel didn’t just destroy its logo and restaurant vibe.
It also changed the peg game to make dumb people feel better when they do poorly. pic.twitter.com/LqYKhcFywA
— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) August 21, 2025
The rebrand effort came as the restaurant, particularly popular among elderly patrons 65 and up, saw a drop of more than 40% in recent years.
It remains to be seen whether the backlash will further stall sales in the long term.
In a statement, Cracker Barrel downplayed the controversy.
“As with any change, we recognize that there may be a vocal minority who feel differently,” it wrote.
“However, the strong performance of these locations affirms that we are moving in the right direction,” the statement added. “We hope people who haven’t yet visited a remodeled store will visit us and experience the country hospitality proudly on display at every table and in every dish.”
Ben Sellers is a freelance writer and former editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/realbensellers.
