Cracker Barrel’s new logo reveal is the latest MAGA-manufactured crisis. But what if the cookie really is just a cookie, not an LGBTQ+ gateway drug?
Masked goons terrorize American cities. US inflation persists. Gaza is starving to death. Cracker Barrel unveils new logo.
If you guessed which crisis is unlike any other, then you’ve spotted the latest source of outrage fueling a right-wing media universe where trivial distractions from Trump’s failings and the Epstein files are the name of the game.
In a kerfuffle as layered as the diner’s hash-brown casserole ($4.79 for a side dish, $15 and up for a meal-size portion), the rustic-themed establishment that first opened its doors in 1969 is once again fodder in a culture war.
The crime? The chain’s classic gold and brown logo now features the chain’s name in a more minimalist font. Gone is the eatery’s unofficial mascot, a nod to the folks who enjoy leaning on a wooden barrel.
“WTF is wrong with @Crackerbarrel ??! said Cracker Barrel Regular-Wilit only Donald Trump Jr., in response to a Post on x where the user shockingly blamed DEI for the restaurant’s huge decision.
“Cracker Barrel is done,” writes The Federalist’s Sean Davis. “The Woke leaders killed it, wrapped the corpse in a rainbow flag, and then had it perform a little puppet show in New York City to entertain all their awake little friends.”
Not exactly a puppet show, but Cracker Barrel held its “Taste, Anytime” event in New York City on Thursday with country music star Jordan Davis. The chain, which envisioned bringing “a country hospitality experience to the big city,” complete with “entertainment on the front porch, rocking chairs, classic Cracker Barrel games and mouthwatering food.”
Clearly a ruse for another pride parade or a Latin American invasion of Latin America.
The deception began on August 19, when the Tennessee-based chain announced in a press release changes to its logo and menu as part of a campaign called “Even More.” The management includes new menu items, restaurant remodels and an “enhanced brand look and feel.”
“We believe in the goodness of national hospitality, a spirit that has always defined us. Our story hasn’t changed,” Cracker Barrel chief marketing officer Sarah Moore said in a statement. “Our values haven’t changed.”
But their signs have changed, and that in itself indicated a threat to the way of life that we need to uncover, you know, to make America great again.
Nostalgia for a time most of us weren’t even alive to experience is part of Cracker Barrel’s appeal. Famous for its Southern comfort food and down-home appeal, generations of Americans have walked past the company’s generic store decor and dined on its Southern comfort food. But like any business, it has to keep up with the tastes and demands of younger generations, and apparently Gen Z, Millennials, and even Gen Xers aren’t buying the black licorice and candy corn their predecessors did.
It’s hardly the first time the questionably named eatery has faced accusations of going gay. As Bulwark pointed out, there was a 2023 e-doctor over Cracker Barrel’s Pride Month celebration, which included a rainbow-themed rocking chair and some corporate rhetoric about “diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging at Cracker Barrel.”
“We are not happy to report that Cracker Barrel has fallen,” the Texas Family Project wrote at the time. “The once family-friendly establishment has fallen into the hands of the mob.”
When a country is in chaos and embroiled in man-made disasters abroad, it’s easier to slide risk-free into a manufactured crisis. Fox Business News led the news coverage Friday with a report from Cracker Barrel, but not about the logo redesign: “Cracker Barrel has worked closely with the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) for the past decade, changing its company culture to be more inclusive and LGBT-friendly before its controversial store redesign,” the headline read.
It remains to be seen whether a sizable swath of America will abandon its signature chicken sandwich in protest, creating yet another national crisis to chew on.
