Erik Russell labored at Cracker Barrel for a number of years. Now a model designer, he warns the corporate is committing “one of many cardinal branding sins.”
Cracker Barrel has discovered itself at odds with its followers after eradicating “Uncle Herschel” from its brand. The corporate unveiled its revamped text-only design, sparking backlash and sinking its inventory worth.
The unique 1969 brand was additionally text-only, however the 1977 addition of the now-iconic imagery turned a staple of its branding.
Whereas followers fear that the rebranding is an emblem of bigger cultural modifications within the firm, Cracker Barrel CEO Julie Felss Masino downplayed the criticism in an interview with “Good Morning America.”
Masino stated within the interview that the suggestions was “overwhelmingly constructive.” Masino additionally shared that managers of a number of areas had been asking for a transform, including that “the suggestions and the excitement is so good, not solely from our prospects, however from our staff members.”
The brand new Cracker Barrel brand is seen on a menu contained in the restaurant on Aug. 21, 2025 in Homestead, Florida. ( Joe Raedle/Getty Photographs / Getty Photographs)
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Erik Russell is aware of Cracker Barrel higher than most. As a former worker of practically 10 years, the restaurant has private which means for him.
“I labored there, principally, from the time I went out of highschool via after I completed school. So yeah, I imply, [it’s been a] large, large a part of my life,” Russell instructed FOX Enterprise.
After the brand change, Russell — who now works as a model designer — spoke in opposition to it in a now-viral put up on X during which he stated the corporate was committing “model suicide.”
“I believe lots of people simply see Cracker Barrel as simply one other firm… however to me, the corporate was and is far more than that, you realize, primarily based on the values that the corporate represents to me, the people who I met there, the folks I nonetheless know there and the experiences that I had there,” Russell instructed FOX Enterprise.
Russell defined the modifications he noticed internally and the way the corporate moved away from representing “a extra conventional time in America.”
Cracker Barrel Previous Nation Retailer’s exterior with an indication that includes its outdated brand that features “Uncle Herschel.” (Jeffrey Greenberg/Common Photographs Group by way of Getty Photographs / Getty Photographs)
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The previous longtime Cracker Barrel worker stated that whereas attending Bob Jones College, he discovered the restaurant to be an ideal match, as the varsity had a rule in opposition to college students working at institutions that serve alcohol. Cracker Barrel didn’t have alcohol on its menu till mid-2020. Russell stated that this modification “actually spelled the start of the top for that period of Cracker Barrel tradition.”
The change in its alcohol coverage wasn’t the primary signal the corporate was moving into a unique path. Russell recalled how Cracker Barrel modified its gown code for workers, going from requiring sure haircuts and trimmed facial hair to being extra relaxed. He admitted that the foundations alone weren’t what made the corporate’s tradition, however relatively it was a mix of things.
“Guidelines do not essentially have any magic to them, however I believe while you add all of these issues collectively, together with the attitudes inside the shop, the best way the supervisor enforced the code of conduct, I believe you get an image of a spot that understood household values, understood conventional values, attracted a sure sort of clientele, attracted a sure form of worker,” Russell stated.
In the case of the symbolism of Cracker Barrel’s new brand, Russell stated it “requires a whole lot of studying between the traces,” however that those that “know what to search for” will see it. As a graphic and model designer, he stated the brand is far more than an emblem.
“There isn’t a such factor as ‘only a brand,’” Russell stated. “Once you first draw a brand, it would not matter how good that brand is technically, proper? It does not imply something. What makes a brand significant and what makes branding significant is the connection that that represents to your prospects.”
Diners consuming at a Cracker Barrel in Stuart, Fla. (Jeffrey Greenberg/Common Photographs Group by way of Getty Photographs / Getty Photographs)
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Russell in contrast the Cracker Barrel rebranding to the introduction of Hole’s modified brand design, saying that prospects develop “a sure emotional attachment” to such iconic symbols.
Regardless of his disappointment with the modifications the corporate has made, Russell stays a Cracker Barrel fan and even ate there the identical day he spoke with FOX Enterprise. He stated that he normally orders off-menu “as a result of if you know the way to substitute at Cracker Barrel, then you will get just about no matter you need.” He gave FOX Enterprise his recommendation on what to order.
“When you go on Sundays and get the homestyle hen and substitute the biscuits for toast, you may make a scrumptious fried hen sandwich with tomatoes and lettuce and onions and all of the salad trimmings, that are free after which you will get your three sides.”
A Cracker Barrel restaurant in Dumfries, Virginia, US, on Tuesday, Could 21, 2024. (Nathan Howard/Bloomberg/Getty Photographs / Getty Photographs)
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In response to a FOX Enterprise request for remark, Cracker Barrel stated its values had not modified.
“Our values have not modified, and the guts and soul of Cracker Barrel haven’t modified. And Uncle Herschel stays entrance and middle in our eating places and on our menu. He’s the face of ‘The Herschel Method,’ the inspiration of how our 70,000-plus staff present the nation hospitality for which we’re identified,” Cracker Barrel stated in a press release.
“Cracker Barrel has been a vacation spot for consolation and group for greater than half a century, and this fifth evolution of the model’s brand, which works throughout digital platforms in addition to billboards and roadside indicators, is a call-back to the unique and rooted much more within the iconic barrel form and phrase mark that began all of it again in 1969.”
After the brand new brand was launched, Cracker Barrel skilled its worst dropping streak in months, as shares of Cracker Barrel (CBRL) tumbled greater than 12% on Thursday, the steepest drop since April, earlier than ending the session down greater than 7%. The drop erased over $90 million in market worth.
Fox Information Digital’s Amanda Macias contributed to this report.
