Cracker Barrel’s CEO, Julie Masino, is stepping down, the restaurant announced on Monday, nearly a year after the company was swept into a political maelstrom over proposed modernizations to its branding.
Critics on social media denounced the Tennessee-based rustic restaurant chain as “woke” as well as “sterile and soulless” after it unveiled an updated logo that removed Uncle Herschel, the overall-clad man leaning against a barrel in the restaurant’s original logo, last August. Donald Trump weighed in on the updates soon after, posting: “WTF is wrong with Cracker Barrel?!” and demanding on social media that the company “admit a mistake”.
The company announced that it would revert back to its old logo soon after the social media reaction exploded. Masino, who has served as the chain’s CEO since 2023, told the rightwing commentator Glenn Beck in December that she felt “fired by America” after the controversy.
Cracker Barrel’s stock dropped nearly 3% after the announcement of Masino’s departure. The chain’s new CEO, David Deno, will take over on 10 August, and Masino will remain until October to help with the transition.
“Cracker Barrel is a truly iconic American brand, defined by its unique combination of warm country hospitality, timeless appeal, and deep connection with guests across generations,” Deno said in a statement.
Masino’s departure the latest fallout from social media-fueled backlash against brands accused of appealing to certain political ideals. The Harris Poll found last year that a quarter of Americans have changed their shopping habits to align with their morals, with 50% of Democrats and 41% of Republicans responding that they stopped shopping at stores opposing their political views.
Some companies have quickly felt the financial strain of these calls to action. In 2023, after Target announced a pride month collection and Bud Light aired an advertisement with a transgender influencer, both companies announced declines in sales. On the other side of the political aisle, Target was pulled as a sponsor from Minneapolis’s annual pride festival last year after it announced it was ending its diversity, equality and inclusion policies.
Not all of these boycotts have been successful, though – Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey saw great success at its global box office debut, despite Elon Musk and other critics castigating the movie’s cast as part of a “woke” agenda.
Cracker Barrel has had a history of discriminatory treatment against diners and staff. In 1991, the chain blocked the hiring of LGBTQ+ workers and dismissed 11 staff members, though it later backed down from that policy. In 2004, Cracker Barrel paid $8.7m to settle discrimination allegations from Black customers who said they were denied service and Black employees who said they received more “back of house” assignments compared with their white counterparts.
