Cracker Barrel suspends redesign of eating places after ‘woke’ emblem flap
Cracker Barrel on Tuesday abruptly suspended its restaurant remodels and promised to maintain its cherished “previous nation retailer” vibe following a livid backlash that pressured the chain to stroll again plans for a brand new emblem that minimize out its beloved “Uncle Herschel.”
In a press release titled “Your Previous Nation Retailer is Right here to Keep,” the chain assured prospects that if their restaurant hasn’t been transformed but, “you don’t want to fret, it gained’t be.”
“We heard clearly that the fashionable transform design doesn’t replicate what you’re keen on about Cracker Barrel,” the restaurant stated on its website.
“We had examined this design in solely 4 out of 660 places, and we gained’t proceed with it. After all, we’ll proceed to put money into our eating places to ensure that they’re in fine condition and meet your expectations.”
The corporate vowed that its “classic Americana…will at all times be right here – the rocking chairs on the porch, our fireplaces and peg video games, distinctive treasures in our present store and antiques pulled straight from our warehouse in Lebanon, Tennessee.”
“We wish you to have a heat, welcoming house for family and friends to assemble and luxuriate in our craveable meals and nation hospitality,” the corporate stated.
Cracker Barrel famous that alongside the choice to reverse course on its “Previous Timer” emblem, the transfer to halt restaurant renovations “reinforces that we hear you”
Cracker Barrel launched a $600 to $700 million redesign plan to replace all 660 of its eating places with lighter interiors, minimalist furnishings and a brand new text-only emblem that eliminated the enduring “Uncle Herschel” character.
The overhaul stripped out a lot of the chain’s cluttered, country-store décor and darkish wooden aesthetic, although some touches like fireplaces and rocking chairs have been saved.
Prospects shortly revolted, blasting the look as “soulless” and “sterile,” whereas conservative critics accused the model of abandoning conventional American values. After viral backlash and a pointy inventory drop, Cracker Barrel restored its previous emblem however initially pressed forward with inside renovations.
Cracker Barrel responded inside days, restoring a lot of its visible historical past and reaffirming that “what is going to by no means change … are the values this firm was constructed on” — onerous work, household, scratch-cooked meals and nation hospitality.
