NOW THAT HAS BEEN TRENDING THIS WEEK. CRACKER BARREL SAYS IT IS RETURNING TO ITS OLD LOGO AFTER CRITICS PROTESTED THE COMPANY’S PLAN TO MODERNIZE ON ITS WEBSITE, CRACKER BARREL NOW SAYS IT WILL RETAIN ITS OLD LOGO, WHICH FEATURES AN OLDER MAN SITTING NEXT TO A BARREL AND THE WORDS OLD COUNTRY STORE. THE LOGO CONTROVERSY BEGAN LAST WEEK WHEN THE COMPANY ANNOUNCED PLANS FOR A SIMPLIFIED DESIGN, FEATURING ONLY THE COMPANY’S NAME. THE COMPANY SAYS IT MADE THE CHANGE AS PART OF A WIDER PLAN
Cracker Barrel quietly removes DEI and Pride pages from its website after logo upheaval
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Updated: 7:00 AM CDT Aug 29, 2025
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After backing away from a controversial logo rebrand loudly opposed by many right-wing influencers, Cracker Barrel also quietly made changes to its website this week.The Tennessee-based roadside restaurant chain deleted a dedicated "Pride page" and scrubbed references to employee resource groups, including its LGBTQ+ and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging groups, from another part of its website."On behalf of Cracker Barrel’s LGBTQ+ Alliance & DEIB Team, we want to celebrate YOU for being YOU. It is our greatest Mission to ensure that Pleasing People means 'all people,'" Cracker Barrel’s now-deleted Pride page read, according to a CNN review of the Wayback Machine.The URL now redirects to the company's "Culture and Belonging" page, which has also been revised, according to the Wayback Machine. The new version speaks more broadly about company culture but no longer lists its employee resource groups, which were publicly visible as recently as Tuesday, according to the archive.In a statement to CNN, a Cracker Barrel spokesperson said the website updates reflected the removal of outdated content."In connection with the Company’s brand work, we have recently made updates to the Cracker Barrel website, including adding new content and removing out-of-date content," the spokesperson said. "Several months ago, the Company also made changes to our Business Resource Groups that now focus all sponsorships or events on our corporate giving initiatives: addressing food insecurity, supporting community needs through food, and reducing food waste."The website changes come after Cracker Barrel faced days of intense backlash, primarily from right-wing influencers, after the company unveiled a new minimalist logo last week, which got rid of an image of its famous barrel and “Old-Timer” figure. The controversy made it all the way to the Oval Office. On Tuesday, President Donald Trump weighed in, agreeing that the company should revert to its old logo.That same day, Cracker Barrel announced it would not move forward with its rebrand. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the restaurant chain has struggled to recover, with Cracker Barrel’s stock losing more than half its value over the past five years. Shares ticked up earlier this week after the company scrapped its rebrand, but dropped once again on Thursday.
After backing away from a controversial logo rebrand loudly opposed by many right-wing influencers, Cracker Barrel also quietly made changes to its website this week.
The Tennessee-based roadside restaurant chain deleted a dedicated "Pride page" and scrubbed references to employee resource groups, including its LGBTQ+ and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging groups, from another part of its website.
"On behalf of Cracker Barrel’s LGBTQ+ Alliance & DEIB Team, we want to celebrate YOU for being YOU. It is our greatest Mission to ensure that Pleasing People means 'all people,'" Cracker Barrel’s now-deleted Pride page read, according to a CNN review of the .
The URL now redirects to the company's "Culture and Belonging" , which has also been revised, according to the Wayback Machine. The new version speaks more broadly about company culture but no longer lists its employee resource groups, which were publicly visible as recently as Tuesday, according to the archive.
In a statement to CNN, a Cracker Barrel spokesperson said the website updates reflected the removal of outdated content.
"In connection with the Company’s brand work, we have recently made updates to the Cracker Barrel website, including adding new content and removing out-of-date content," the spokesperson said. "Several months ago, the Company also made changes to our Business Resource Groups that now focus all sponsorships or events on our corporate giving initiatives: addressing food insecurity, supporting community needs through food, and reducing food waste."
The website changes come after Cracker Barrel faced days of intense backlash, primarily from right-wing influencers, after the company unveiled a new minimalist logo last week, which got rid of an image of its famous barrel and “Old-Timer” figure.
The controversy made it all the way to the Oval Office. On Tuesday, President Donald Trump weighed in, agreeing that the company should revert to its old logo.
That same day, Cracker Barrel announced it would not move forward with its rebrand.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the restaurant chain has struggled to recover, with Cracker Barrel’s stock losing more than half its value over the past five years. Shares ticked up earlier this week after the company scrapped its rebrand, but dropped once again on Thursday.
