Cracker Barrel announced it is suspending its restaurant remodels after facing public outrage over changes fans said abandoned the chain’s core values.
“You’ve shared your voices in recent weeks not just on our logo, but also on our restaurants. We’re continuing to listen. Today, we’re suspending our remodels. If your restaurant hasn’t been remodeled, you don’t need to worry, it won’t be,” Cracker Barrel said in a statement posted to its website.
Cracker Barrel said only four of its 660 locations have been remodeled and pledged that the project will not continue. The remodels dropped the kitschy Americana décor the chain is known for in favor of a more minimalist, modern look. The company said it will continue to invest in restaurant quality, putting a bigger focus on “the kitchen and on your plate.”
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When Cracker Barrel’s restaurant remodels were first unveiled, the backlash on the restaurant’s social media was intense.
One social media commenter used a puking emoji to describe the remodel.
“Now this place looks like every other chain restaurant. Bland and boring,” another person commented.
“WHAT are you thinking with that interior?!” someone else posted.
A firestorm erupted after Cracker Barrel attempted to rebrand its iconic logo, removing “The Old Timer” — an image of an old man leaning over a barrel — and replacing it with a sleek rendering of the company’s name over a yellow barrel shape. Thousands of fans voiced dismay at the new logo.
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“It takes away from heritage. When you’re 81 years old, you kind of remember the way the place started,” Pensacola resident Joseph Crawford, a Vietnam veteran, told Fox News Digital. “And this has taken away from it.”
“It’s the old things that the country was founded on. The honesty. The truthfulness. Your word meaning something – seems to be forgotten,” Crawford added.
“Yeah, I think Cracker Barrel is fixing to Bud Light themselves,” Brandon Gisclair told Fox News Digital.
Even Cracker Barrel’s 93-year-old co-founder Tommy Lowe slammed the rebrand as “pitiful” and accused the company of “throwing money out on the street,” in comments made to Nashville’s WTVF. Lowe told the company to “keep it country,” and now, it appears they have heeded his advice.
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“The vintage Americana you love will always be here – the rocking chairs on the porch, our fireplaces and peg games, unique treasures in our gift shop and antiques pulled straight from our warehouse in Lebanon, Tennessee. We want you to have a warm, welcoming space for friends and family to gather and enjoy our craveable food and country hospitality,” the company said.
In addition to ditching their attempted remodels, the restaurant chain said it would also scrap the new logo and keep the iconic imagery they’ve had in one form or another since 1977.
Jasmine Baehr and Lorraine Taylor contributed to this report.
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