Furious right-wingers blame ‘DEI’ after US food chain Cracker Barrel rebrands 48-year-old logo
MAGA fanatics are fuming over Cracker Barrel’s revamped logo. (Cracker Barrel/Paul Weaver/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
MAGA fanatics are fuming over Cracker Barrel's revamped logo. (Cracker Barrel/Paul Weaver/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Cracker Barrel, which faced criticism for its anti-LGBTQ+ stance in the 1990s, has changed its logo after 48 years — and MAGA supporters are blaming the company’s “diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) regime”.
On Tuesday (19 August), the southern-style chain introduced its updated logo as part of its “All the More” campaign, which aims to enhance aesthetics in its stores.
The chain’s logo now features only brown text on a gold background, with the image of a man resting beside a barrel having been removed.
Sarah Moore, chief marketing officer of Cracker Barrel, said in a news release: “We believe in the goodness of country hospitality, a spirit that has always defined us.
“Our story hasn’t changed. Our values haven’t changed. With ‘All the More,’ we’re honoring our legacy while bringing fresh energy, thoughtful craftsmanship and heartfelt hospitality to our guests this fall.”
‘It’s absolutely horrible’
But MAGA supporters aren’t happy with the revamped logo’s absence of the barrel man, a design element that dates back to 1977, despite the fact that the logo has been tweaked several other times over the years.
The brand has stated that the latest logo is “now rooted even more closely in the iconic barrel shape and word mark that started it all.”
Donald Trump Jr, who last year was upset over deadly Hurricane Beryl’s supposedly “non-binary” name, wasted no time in complaining about the logo, taking to X to write: “WTF is wrong with Cracker Barrel?”
WTF is wrong with @CrackerBarrel??! https://t.co/LkYB5N34Qi
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) August 20, 2025
Right-wing YouTuber Benny Johnson also lashed out at the brand, posting on the platform: “Cracker Barrel completely changed their iconic logo for the first time in 47 years… and it’s absolutely horrible. When will they learn?”
Cracker Barrel completely changed their iconic logo for the first time in 47 years…
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) August 20, 2025
and it's absolutely horrible.
When will they learn? pic.twitter.com/ZhfVeR5CyO
MAGA rage continued on the Woke War Room account, which claimed that Cracker Barrel’s CEO of two years, Julie Felss Masino, had “scrapped a beloved American aesthetic and replaced it with sterile, soulless branding,” while maintaining a “DEI regime” that promises to “identify, recruit, and advance” hires by race. The account called for Masino to “resign and be replaced with leadership that will restore Cracker Barrel’s tradition.”
DEI has become a term weaponised by right-wing politicians and pundits, with president Donald Trump’s administration aiming to eliminate such programmes across the government and in the armed services.
Cracker Barrel’s new logo isn’t an accident — it’s CEO Julie Felss Masino’s project. She scrapped a beloved American aesthetic and replaced it with sterile, soulless branding.
— Woke War Room (@WokeWarRoom) August 20, 2025
Masino kept a DEI regime that promises to “identify, recruit, and advance” hires by race — and now… pic.twitter.com/6BLthLuQ1Y
It isn’t the first time anti “woke” activists and right-wingers have raged about a decision made by Cracker Barrel. In 2023, many people hit out at the US restaurant after it shared its support for Pride Month.
The Tennessee-based company’s support for Pride month came as a surprise to many, having previously been infamous for its anti-LGBTQ+ stance.
The chain was criticised in the early 1990s for dismissing several workers based on their sexuality. In 1991, the New York Times reported that Cracker Barrel had announced gay employees would be fired as it goes against its “concept of traditional American values”.
The policy was soon reversed, and the company attempted to repair its image with the queer community. In 2024, in a bid to continue putting its past behind it, Cracker Barrel signed on as sponsor to Nashville Pride. The brand also has an LGBT Alliance, which works to promote LGBTQ+ awareness and inclusion in the workplace.
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