Cracker Barrel, the Southern-style restaurant and country store that has long marketed itself as a symbol of Americana, is now reportedly facing internal revolt — not from Wall Street, but from its own founder.
Tommy Lowe, 93, who opened the first Cracker Barrel with his close friend Dan Evans on September 19, 1969, is sharply criticizing the chain’s leadership after its failed attempt at a rebrand.
Lowe, who has watched the brand grow from a single roadside stop into a national institution, described the company’s new logo as “crazy,” “bland nothing,” and above all “pitiful.”
“They’re trying to modernize — be more like the competition,” Lowe told Nashville’s NewsChannel 5 reporter Carrie Sharp. “Cracker Barrel doesn’t have any competition.”
The restaurant chain announced Tuesday that it was scrapping its redesigned logo after widespread backlash from loyal customers — and even criticism from former President Donald Trump.
The new design had eliminated the chain’s longtime mascot, “Uncle Herschel,” in favor of what many saw as an overly sleek, corporate image. By week’s end, Cracker Barrel reversed course, promising that Herschel — perched on his familiar barrel — would remain the face of the company.
“We thank our guests for sharing your voices and love for Cracker Barrel,” the company said in a statement. “We said we would listen, and we have. Our new logo is going away and our ‘Old Timer’ will remain.”
For Lowe, however, the damage goes deeper than a branding misfire. He leveled sharp criticism at CEO Julie Felss Masino, who took over the company after working at Taco Bell. “I heard she was at Taco Bell,” Lowe said. “But what’s Taco Bell know about Cracker Barrel and country food?”
The longtime restaurateur accused Masino and her team of trying to turn Cracker Barrel into a fast-food chain, abandoning the homespun atmosphere and hearty country fare that made the restaurant iconic. “The food is something that you need to work on. Spending $700 million to [update the logo]. Doing that’s like throwing money out on the street,” Lowe said.
His prescription for the company is simple: get back to the basics. “If they don’t get back to keeping the country, then it ain’t gonna work,” he warned.
For many longtime patrons, the rebrand became another flashpoint in the cultural debate over “woke” corporate shifts that alienate loyal customer bases. Social media erupted with demands that Masino resign, accusing the leadership of turning its back on the chain’s traditional values.
Even as the company insists that it has heard its customers and restored its heritage logo, critics like Lowe remain skeptical. His words serve as a stark reminder of the dangers for businesses that chase trends rather than stay true to their roots.
For Lowe, who helped build Cracker Barrel into a household name, the message is clear. “Cracker Barrel doesn’t have any competition,” he said. “It only has to be itself.”
[READ MORE: Newsom’s Rising Poll Numbers Highlight Democrats’ Unsettled 2028 Field]
