President Trump Tuesday pushed Cracker Barrel to scrap its controversial new logo amid right-wing protests over the sleeker more modern design.
The president echoed complaints from some of his supporters that the casual restaurant chain is abandoning its conservative rural customer base by dumping the familiar old logo that appeared on all its signs.
“Cracker Barrel should go back to the old logo, admit a mistake based on customer response (the ultimate poll), and manage the company better than ever before,” Trump posted on his social media site. “Make Cracker Barrel a winner again.”
Trump suggested the company, known for its folksy design and old-timey menu choices, should take advantage of the attention by backtracking on the entire rebranding effort.
“They got a Billion Dollars worth of free publicity if they play their cards right,” Trump added. “Very tricky to do, but a great opportunity.”
Cracker Barrel, which has 660 restaurants in 44 states, boasts of serving 210 million biscuits to 240 customers a year.
So far, it is resisting the push from the White House and others. It says it will stick with its new logo but has apologized to fans who were angered when the change was announced last week.
“If the last few days have shown us anything, it’s how deeply people care about Cracker Barrel,” the company said in a statement. “We could have done a better job sharing who we are and who we’ll always be.”
The simplified logo features only the chain’s name. Gone is the picture of an older man in overalls leaning against a barrel, dubbed “Uncle Herschel,” along with the words “Old Country Store.”
The change was part of a wider rebrand, which has seen Cracker Barrel update its cluttered restaurant spaces with lighter paint and modern furniture.
Presidential son Donald Trump Jr. already joined the chorus of criticism, with some threatening to boycott the chain over what they deride as a “woke” effort to appeal to a broader and more diverse consumer base.
