WE WANT HERSCHEL!
Cracker Barrel’s Rebrand Belly Flop
By Tim Disbrow, Content Strategist
A version of this piece previously appeared in Mojito Volume 2.6, the Mint eNewsletter.
At Mint, we love a bold rebrand. A fresh coat of paint, a reinvigorated look and feel — that’s the good stuff. But we also love biscuits and gravy, so when Cracker Barrel unveiled its updated brand identity a few weeks ago, we paid attention. Spoiler alert: It didn’t go well.
Cracker Barrel decided to retire “Uncle Herschel” (that what they call the guy who’s been leaning on the barrel in their logo since the roadside staple opened in 1977) and roll out a “modern” text-only logo. Sleek lines. Minimalist vibe. The kind of design that could just as easily belong to an app as to the restaurant/store hybrid where you buy rocking chairs and eat fried okra.
The internet revolted. Customers said it looked soulless. Investors yanked their faith (and their money). And critics even called it “brand suicide”. The stock tanked by double digits, and people proclaimed a boycott.
And then, in one of the fastest corporate pivots in recent memory, Cracker Barrel said: “Our bad”. Uncle Herschel is back! The stock rebounded and the internet is piggin’ out on Chicken n’ Dumplins once again.
So, what just happened here? Let’s break it down from the agency side of the table.
KNOW WHAT YOU’RE ACTUALLY SELLING
Cracker Barrel doesn’t just sell hashbrown casserole and Slinkies. They sell nostalgia. They sell Grandma’s porch. When your brand is nostalgia, you don’t rip it out of the logo and replace it with something that looks like it should come with a free month of Hulu. Lesson: If your differentiator is, “we are warm and feel like home,” your branding shouldn’t feel AI-generated.
DON’T SKIP THE AUDIENCE GUT CHECK
We understand better than anyone — clients, owners, and executives want big, bold, needle-moving action. But if your customers are literally stopping at your restaurant on road trips because it feels like stepping back in time…maybe, just maybe, ask them what they think before sending old Uncle Herschel out to pasture.
Market research isn’t a box to check — it’s insurance against $700 million-worth of regret.
ADMIT MISTAKES QUICKLY
Here’s where Cracker Barrel really shone. They didn’t drag this out. Within days, they said, “We heard you. We messed up. We’re bringing him back.” And that honesty? That actually helped. Stocks bounced back. Customers forgave. Nobody’s swearing off cornbread forever.
The lesson here: Own the flop. It’s almost always smarter than doubling down.
THE REAL MARKETING TAKEAWAY
This isn’t a “don’t ever rebrand” story. It’s a “don’t forget your brand’s DNA” story. It’s a story about how Cracker Barrel got so focused on a modern look, they forgot the emotional connection they had with their guests.
Brands can evolve and look to appeal to new audiences, but don’t forget the folks that helped you get where you are. The loyal, legacy customers on whom the brand is built. Update your brand, reimagine your look and feel — just don’t strip away the soul of your business in the process.
A FINAL WORD FROM YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD AGENCY
Rebranding is a thrilling, energizing process. Done right, it can open new doors. Done wrong, it can shut them faster than a screen door in the August heat.
Cracker Barrel’s saga is a case study every marketer should duct-tape to their office wall:
- Know what you’re REALLY selling
- Test it with the people who ACTUALLY pay you
- If you do faceplant — get up fast, dust off, and admit it
At Mint, we’d call this a $700 million reminder: Branding is powerful, but loyalty is priceless.
DISSENTING OPINION
Mint CCO Al Navarro is the rare Cracker Barrel apologist: “You know, I’m not really a fan of the product…way too salty for me…but I sort of appreciated where they were going with the rebrand. The new logo would have looked great — better than the old one, IMO — on a trucker hat. Sometimes people need to chill out and give things time. I wish the general public as well as CB brand management had.”