Rebrand Regrets: What Cracker Barrel and Jaguar Teach Us About Change
Credit: Yahoo Creators
You know the phrase, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it?” That old adage could have saved restaurant chain Cracker Barrel a world of trouble when it revealed plans to modernize its brand with a new logo and remodeled locations.
Cracker Barrel is known for its folksy feel and nostalgic décor. A little cheesy, yes, but intentionally so. But the new CEO, Julie Felss Masino, told investors that Cracker Barrel’s customer traffic had fallen 16% from pre-pandemic levels and admitted the brand was losing relevance, saying, “we are not leading in any area. We will change that.”
And change they did.
First came interior design changes that raised some eyebrows, and when the new logo was revealed, modernizing the typeface and removing founder “Uncle Herschel” and the famous barrel, the customer backlash was quick to follow.
“The move engulfed the restaurant in a culture-war firestorm, with commentators online and some customers accusing Cracker Barrel of eschewing its country charm and heritage for a sanitized image,” one Washington Post article wrote.
The rebrand clearly struck a nerve—and not in the way the company intended.
Why was the reaction so strong?
Jaguar faced a similar storm in November 2024 when it unveiled a futuristic reimagining of its iconic luxury logo. A few applauded, many were confused, and most, well, did not love it.
Credit: Jaguar
Rebrands happen all the time. Usually, detractors grumble for a few days, then move on. Not so with Cracker Barrel’s weeks-long news cycle or Jaguar’s months of criticism.
We asked Drew Davies, Founder of Oxide and branding expert, for his take:
“For the life of me, I still do not understand how the Cracker Barrel rebrand became a political issue. But what I do understand is that the drama underscores the visceral power of brand in society. People build strong bonds with brands, and — as a symbolic shorthand for the overall brand — their logos. If we thoughtlessly replace a logo with something ‘better’, we run a very real risk of alienating our most loyal customers.”
Marketers often (rightly) say your logo is not your brand. That may be true, but it’s your most visible symbol of what you stand for and the feeling you want to evoke. People may know not to judge a book by its cover, but most still do.
That’s why the simplification of Cracker Barrel’s logo felt like a betrayal: customers wanted a step back in time, not a streamlined identity. Jaguar’s redesign had a similar effect, swapping old-money luxury for a futuristic vision its buyers weren’t ready for.
These are decades-old brands that customers have deep emotions toward. In Cracker Barrel’s case, its customers have quite literally broken bread with the brand, celebrating milestones and connecting with loved ones over its kitschy tables.
So, what do you do when backlash hits?
Early last week, Cracker Barrel apologized, admitting it could have better explained the decision and brought customers along. Still, it said the rebrand would move forward. By midweek, the company reversed course, reinstating Uncle Herschel. On Friday, Cracker Barrel's co-founder, Tommy Lowe, 93, offered a damning verdict on the company's CEO following the chain's rebranding fiasco: 'I heard she was at Taco Bell. What’s Taco Bell know about Cracker Barrel and country food? They need to work on the food and service and leave the barrel, the logo, alone.' (We wonder, did the new CEO’s team not consider Lowe a key stakeholder and not reach out with information on the rebrand?)
Jaguar, meanwhile, is trying to straddle the line. Its website features both versions of the logo: traditional cars with the old emblem, while a banner reading “a seismic change is coming” redirects customers to future-focused content with the new one. Popular Mechanics reports Jaguar has since fired the ad agency behind the strategy.
Ultimately, brands have two options in this situation:
Build a communications strategy to help audiences embrace the shift.
Roll back the rebrand and start rebuilding trust.
The choice comes down to the intensity of the backlash and the validity of the concerns.
For Cracker Barrel, the financial cost of wasted design work (all of the new menus, signs, social media assets, commercials!), hours of strategy sessions, and a battered reputation likely stings. But the cost of alienating loyal customers? That proved far greater.