Cracker Barrel, the iconic American restaurant chain founded in 1969, has found itself at the center of cultural controversy once again. The company has a deep history of being accused of sexual and racial discrimination. In recent years, after attempting to re-brand itself, it has come under fire from activists of all stripes.
This new outrage comes from Cracker Barrel’s announcement that they would be recognizing Pride Month on their social media. Their rapid-fire retraction of those efforts has magnified the backlash. Earlier this month, the chain released a modern new logo. As one part of a comprehensive strategy to beat back plunging sales, they redesigned their interiors, making them more inviting to younger customers. Even though these changes proved perennially unpopular, they became the subject of fierce pushback. In fact, on the day of the logo announcement, the stock fell over 10%.
From the very beginning, Cracker Barrel has walked a very tricky line with matters of race and sexuality. In 1991, the chain implemented a majorly controversial policy. This move resulted in the firing of 11 LGBTQ+ staff members for failing to adhere to their company’s standards of “normal heterosexual values.” This policy was a huge PR disaster and has led to Cracker Barrel’s current maligned legacy for discrimination. As of 2004, the company had settled or lost lawsuits over the racist treatment of Black customers and discrimination against Black employees. They agreed to pay these claims $8.7 million mutually modes of settlement throughout several states.
In 2022, Cracker Barrel were on the defensive. Food writer and critic J. Kenji López-Alt blasted the restaurant for bringing a meatless sausage alternative on board, in his eyes a cave to a woke agenda. This year, their anti-LGBT effort backfired when the company celebrated Pride Month. It soon walked that back and took down the newly-created dedicated “Pride page” from its website.
When the company then chose to pull back on its Pride Month communications, this move in turn drew the ire of conservative activists. Opponents Christopher Rufo hailed the administration’s reversal, declaring it a huge victory in his imagined “culture war.” Rufo said, “We need to bust the Barrel. He urged that this battle not only be framed around Cracker Barrel, but framed around the greater corporate pressures that companies face which are just considering implementing progressive policies.”
“The implicit promise: Go woke, watch your stock price drop 20 percent, which is exactly what is happening now,” – Christopher Rufo.
Donald Trump Jr. went on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter to applaud the company’s U-turn. He touted it as a victory for his old time values. A familiar note Donald Trump, Sr. echoed those same sentiments in a now-deleted post. When Cracker Barrel announced it was rolling back its inclusivity efforts, he praised the move.
Whatever the motive, Cracker Barrel has felt the backlash and is working to reposition itself in this new reality. They promised, “We told you we would listen, and we have,” emphasizing their responsiveness to their customers. After receiving backlash, the chain of fast-casual restaurants opted to withdraw its rebranding and new logo. Instead, they doubled down on their antiquated branding.
“Our new logo is going away and our ‘Old Timer’ will remain,” – Cracker Barrel.
The backlash to Cracker Barrel’s recent branding shift exposes a more troubling cultural divide that plagues American society today. Cultural analyst Nooshin Warren noted that at a higher level, what Cracker Barrel is doing is almost a symptom of the times and the market. “The power is mirroring the majority in a democratic setting,” she noted. Furthermore, Warren stated that organizations like Cracker Barrel often align their messaging with the prevailing ideology of their consumer base.
Jarvis Sam, another cultural consultant, noted the cultural appropriation and how it manifested in a double consciousness with Cracker Barrel’s branding. He said that the company’s imagery can create a sense of nostalgia for some individuals. For different people, it means past exclusion and inequity in their communities.
“It has this kind of stylized or idealized representation of what I think many would define as the ‘good old days’. But for others, its imagery of histories of exclusion, of racial inequity and this romanticization of a time that was not that great, actually – it was not equally safe and nostalgic for everyone,” – Jarvis Sam.
The recent drama at Cracker Barrel is emblematic of a massive culture war developing in America. It confronts the weighty questions of race and sexuality, as well as corporate complicity. Public sentiment is changing quickly in these areas. For businesses, the time is now to change harmful customer business practices before consumers become disillusioned.
The responses to Cracker Barrel’s recent moves show the complexity of the position corporations face as they’re forced to balance competing social and political interests. On the other are multicultural progressives who cheer a new chapter in the continuing story of America defeating division and exclusion. On the other are inclusivity advocates—corporate, members of diverse communities—who fight for acknowledgment, visibility, representation, membership in their diversifying corporate world.