NEED TO KNOW
- Cracker Barrel launched its “All the More” campaign on Tuesday, Aug 19
- With the campaign came an updated logo
- The logo has been met with criticism from Steak ‘n Shake
Cracker Barrel may be launching a new era, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been met with criticism.
After the Southern country-themed restaurant chain launched its “All the More” campaign, which brought along a new logo — a hexagon with its name in brown letters at the center — Steak ‘n Shake accused the company of abandoning its roots.
The burger chain called out Cracker Barrel and its CEO Julie Felss Masino for removing the drawing of an old man, a barrel, “old country store,” and the elongated K in a post on X on Thursday, Aug. 21.
“Sometimes, people want to change things just to put their own personality on things. At CB, their goal is to just delete the personality altogether. Hence, the elimination of the ‘old-timer’ from the signage,” the post said.
“Heritage is what got Cracker Barrel this far, and now the CEO wants to just scrape it all away. At Steak n Shake, we take pride in our history, our families, and American values. All are welcome. We will never market ourselves away from our past in a cheap effort to gain the approval of trend seekers,” the post continued.
Hours after the post got over 5 million impressions, Steak ‘n Shake doubled down on its viewpoint by replying, “Fire the CEO! Thank you for your attention to this matter” to a post that accused Cracker Barrel of losing its “soul.”
The fiery tweets come a day after the social media page for Steak ‘n Shake replied to a post from President Donald Trump advisor, Alex Bruesewitz, that had a comparison of the old and new Cracker Barrel logo. “The destruction of a great American brand continues. The current leadership team at Cracker Barrel is totally clueless,” the message read.
In response, Steak ‘n Shake said that “this is what happens when you have a board that does not respect their historical customers or their brand.”
“At Steak ‘n Shake, we have gone back to basics. Our tallow fries are waiting for you. Oh yeah, you can also now pay with Bitcoin,” their statement added.
Steak ‘n Shake announced in January that it would be cooking its fries in beef tallow — something that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has largely been a proponent of, and months after referred to as “RFK’ing the french fries,” per Fox News.
A picture from his visit to a Steak ‘n Shake location sits as the pinned post on the company’s X account.
Sarah Moore, Chief Marketing Officer of Cracker Barrel, said that the company’s “story hasn’t changed,” in a press release announcing the “All the More” campaign on Tuesday, Aug 19, which also includes a new seasonal menu.
“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,” she said.
Speaking specifically to the redesigned logo, Cracker Barrel’s press release said that the fifth evolution of the brand’s logo “is now rooted even more closely to the iconic barrel shape and word mark that started it all.”
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PEOPLE has reached out to Steak ‘n Shake and Cracker Barrel for comment.
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