The rebound of cookie barrel shows Margo’s impact on American culture | US News

It should be a simple rebranding-or cookie barrel idea.

Earlier this month, the 56-year-old Southern restaurant chain is known for its country shop charm and nostalgic beauty, revealing a new look: minimalist logos, more modern interiors and a handful of new menus.

Gone are the familiar image of “Uncle Herschel”, who is an old man in work clothes, leaning against a wooden barrel. The term “old country shop” has also dropped. Instead: a folded gold background with the word “biscuit barrel” on it.

Yes The fifth logo change of the chain In its history and wider part Stay relevant And attract young customers Sales decline.

But the cookie barrel might be considered a regular refresh, quickly stumbled into a political storm and made the company the latest target in the U.S. rights against the so-called “American Rights” movement.asphyxia”In the United States.

In the online conservative circles, strong opposition is swift.

” @crackerbarrel’s WTF is wrong??!” Donald Trump Jr Posted In X. Conservative activist Christopher Rufo Announce“We have to break the barrel”, adding: “It’s about who cares about that particular restaurant chain, but rather putting huge pressure on companies that are considering any move that seems to be ‘Wokification’.”

“The implicit promise: wake up and watch your stock price fall 20%, which is exactly what is happening right now,” Rufo added.

Indeed, within a few days, the cookie barrel Stock glides over 10%. Soon, anger arrived at the White House.

Donald Trump Write Tuesday morning on social media. “Make the cookie barrel a winner again.”

Later that day, the cookie barrel Reverse course.

“We say we will listen, we have,” the company explain. “Our new logo is disappearing and our ‘old timer’ will remain.”

Senior White House Officials reveal That cookie barrel executive called the administration on Tuesday, “thanks to President Trump for weighing on his iconic “original logo.”

Officials added: “They hope the president knows that they hear him, and how the client reacts” and they will restore the old logo.

trump card Famous Reversal as a victory, by Wednesday, the company’s stock has rebounded More than 8%. According to reports, on Thursday, the cookie barrel also reportedly delete A dedicated “pride page” from its website.

For the right-wing online voices that caused a rebound, the reversal was another example of the influence they are now playing in the U.S., and those who make American companies willing to bow before them to keep their profits and avoid hostility from the magazine movement.

A conservative influencer Called It “had a major victory in the American Cultural War.”

For some, it is no surprise that Cracker Barrel’s reshaping became a political flashpoint, as the company has long sold the vision of “old country” America and is often associated with conservative values.

“It has this stylized or idealized representation that I think many people will define as ‘good times’,” Jarvis Sam, founder of Rainbow Destruction and Brown University professor and founder of the University of California, Berkeley. explain Earlier this week. “But for others, its historical images of exclusion, and the romanticization of this era are not actually as safe and nostalgic to everyone.”

Cracker Barrel was founded in 1969 and has a record history Sex and race Discrimination allegations. In 1991, it adopted a policy Who failed to “prove normal heterosexual value” Will be terminated, which results in Dismissed 11 LGBTQ+ employees and sparked protests.

In 2004, the company paid $8.7 million to settle claims Among more than 40 plaintiffs in 16 states, accusing black clients of racist treatment and discrimination against black employees.

In recent years, the brand has attracted strong conservative backlash in an effort to expand its appeal and adopt more inclusive policies. It faces a rebound in 2022 Add meatless sausage to the menu In 2023 Tag Pride Month On social media.

But the cookie barrel is away from the only one In recent years, people have found themselves at the center of the right-wing rebound.

In 2023, Bud Lamp Lost nearly a quarter of sales back cooperate With trans-influencer Dylan Mulvaney. Only a few weeks later, the goal Pulled some Proud goods after facing strong opposition and threats to the store. So is Chick-fil-a Under attack Trump himself criticized Jaguar Land Rover For what he calls “stupid” and “wake up” marketing.

“Wake up and go bankruptThe White House said this week that the phrase has been against the cries of conservative activists who have been recently embracing diversity efforts by U.S. companies.

Right-wing commentator Rogan O’Handley, renamed DC Draino, has over 2 million followers on X frame Reversal of cookie barrels prove Margo’s current cultural influence.

“We boycotted the bud lamps and cost them billions of dollars from waking up,” Draino said. “We boycotted the goal and cost them billions of dollars from waking up. Then we boycotted the cookie barrels and they brought back the Southern gentleman in a week. Mecca was the most dominant political movement in our lives. We’re just starting.”

Nooshin Warren, a marketing professor at the University of Arizona who studies politics and reason-based marketing, said companies often draw clues from people in power, whether it is the president, the legislature or the court.

Warren said they did this because they “believed that power reflects most people in a democratic environment” and therefore thought it “reflects most ideology, which is their market.”

In recent years, companies have increasingly sought to align with social values, in part to interact with young and increasingly socially conscious consumers, and boycotts of the company have emerged. Both sides of the political scope.

Warren said that while consumers don’t necessarily want brands to be aligned with their value, the difference now is amplification.

“We don’t have amps, and social media brings that because we have that, and we usually hear the loudest people,” Warren said.

The biscuit barrel controversy, and the broader opposition to the brand’s political stance over the years, reflects a broader cultural shift in the United States, she said.

“We are now a politically full country,” Warren said. “Almost everything is political because almost every part of our emotions, family decisions, personal decisions have some kind of political value at this moment.”

On top of that, Warren said: “When we get institutional legitimacy from the top, there is certainly an increase in the most popular and influential people in a country.”

Since returning to the office, Trump administration Try to influence corporate behavior, promote its right-wing policies and perspectives, and try to curb or eliminate support for LGBTQ+ rights and diversity.

according to Wall Street JournalCompanies such as Mastercard, Pepsi, Citi, and others have both shrunk their pride marketing and sponsorship, and justified political pressure and economic uncertainty related to tariffs.

In the entertainment industry type Reported this discovery, AmazonParamount Global and Disney have begun to relax their DEI programs. Walmart and McDonald’s The diversity-related programs have also been cut recently.

April Poll Through gravity studies, nearly 40% of major U.S. brands plan to “reduce pride-related engagement in 2025” and no one reported plans to increase its plans.

David Reibstein, a marketing professor at the University of Pennsylvania Wharton, said the logo change in the cookie barrel “should not be a big deal.”

“The company has been rebranding,” he said, who thinks it might be “if it hasn’t suddenly caught the attention of several people and hopes to get it into a political problem.”

Rebstein said he had never seen the U.S. president “somewhat approve or condemn the company”, as Trump did: “Trump is an influential person, and when Trump says the company changes better, if they don’t, he has a group of followers who will start boycotting the product.”

Although Rebstein didn’t believe that the reshaping of the cookie barrel was politically motivated, he said the company had almost “no choice but to default” once it caught fire online and the president was involved.

Political pressure also goes beyond the scope of the company, which is part of an effort by the administration and its allies to not only reshape corporate behavior, but also to the broader American cultural institutions. Smithsonian Museum arrive Higher Education.

“The entire magazine crowd and Trump’s followers are now in a huge influence,” Rebstein said.