After a thrill of opposition, the American restaurant chain cookie barrel has abandoned plans to adopt a new logo.
“We thank our guests for sharing your voice and love for Cracker Barrel. We say we will listen and we have. Our new logo is disappearing and our ‘old timer’ will remain.”
Cracker Barrel has been criticized after revealing a modern version of its logo that scrapped the “old timer” character.
Donald Trump, the one who slams the rebrand, praised the reversal, saying: “Congratulations on resuming the logo to its essence. All fans are very grateful for it.”
The new version of the logo is launched with a new menu on August 19, which removes the image of a man sitting in a chair and leaning against the barrel – known as the “old timer”) and replaces it with a logo with only the chain name.
This sparked allegations that the company, known for its southern-style comfort food and nostalgic atmosphere, is abandoning its roots.
President Trump urged the brand to return to its old logo and “accept mistakes based on customer responses (the ultimate poll) and manage the company better than ever before.”
He said the chain “has received a billion-dollar free publicity if the cards were played correctly,” adding: “Let Cracker Barrel be the winner again.”
David Johnson, CEO of the Brand Organization Strategic Vision PR Group, told BBC’s U.S. partner CBS that rebranding the brand was a “failure.”
“What they did wrong is that they went against their brand story, the old logo, reflecting the whimsical atmosphere in the south-central store.”
After the announcement, the company’s shares account for 7%.
“At Cracker Barrel, it has always been – always – always – about providing delicious food, a warm welcome and that kind of rural hospitality that feels like family. As a proud American institution, our 70,000 hard-working staff look forward to you to welcome your table soon.”
Now established in Lebanon, Tennessee, there are now more than 600 cookie restaurants in the United States. The shop usually has a front porch with rocking chairs and a gift shop.
The restaurant offers Southern-style food such as mashed potatoes, hash brown casserole, macaroni and cheese.
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