FOX Business’ Jeff Flock reports on Cracker Barrel unveiling a new logo as part of a broader brand update.
Steak ‘n Shake has taken aim at Cracker Barrel, accusing the Southern country-themed chain of erasing its heritage and identity with its controversial new logo.
The Indianapolis-based burger chain took to X on Thursday to slam Cracker Barrel for allegedly abandoning its roots, implying that CEO Julie Felss Masino is stripping away the identity of the restaurant and gift store chain in pursuit of short-term trends.
“Sometimes, people want to change things just to put their own personality on things,” Steak ‘n Shake posted on X Thursday, along with an image of part of the old Cracker Barrel logo. “At [Cracker Barrel], their goal is to just delete the personality altogether. Hence, the elimination of the ‘old-timer’ from the signage.
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Steak ‘n Shake has taken aim at Cracker Barrel, accusing the Southern country-themed chain of erasing its heritage and identity with its controversial new logo. (Cracker Barrel / Fox News)
“Heritage is what got Cracker Barrel this far, and now the CEO wants to just scrape it all away. At Steak ‘n Shake, we take pride in our history, our families, and American values. All are welcome. We will never market ourselves away from our past in a cheap effort to gain the approval of trend seekers.”
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The fiery post appeared one day after Steak ‘n Shake called out Cracker Barrel Wednesday for the logo change. Replying to a post from Trump advisor Alex Bruesewitz in which he criticized the chain’s leadership for the new logo, Steak ‘n Shake accused Cracker Barrel’s board of directors of not respecting its “historical customers” or “brand.”
“At Steak ‘n Shake, we have gone back to basics,” Steak ‘n Shake posted to X Wednesday. “Our tallow fries are waiting for you. Oh yeah, you can also now pay with Bitcoin!”
Cracker Barrel unveiled its new logo on Tuesday as part of its new branding campaign, eliminating the image of a man resting on a barrel in favor of a text-only logo for the first time since 1977.
Steak ‘n Shake chain restaurant in Middletown, Del., July 26, 2019. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Conservative critics said the logo was the company’s “Bud Light” moment after receiving intense online backlash, while CEO Masino contended the response was “overwhelmingly positive.”
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According to a company press release, this new logo is still “anchored in Cracker Barrel’s signature gold and brown tones” and “now rooted even more closely to the iconic barrel shape and word mark that started it all.”
On Thursday, shares of Cracker Barrel (CBRL) dropped more than 12%, the steepest drop since April.
On Thursday, shares of Cracker Barrel dropped more than 12%, the steepest drop since April. (iStock / iStock)
Steak ‘n Shake and Cracker Barrel have been serving customers for more than 50 years. Steak ‘n Shake was founded in 1934 in Normal, Illinois, while Cracker Barrel opened its first store in 1969 in Lebanon, Tennessee, according to their websites.
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Steak ‘n Shake and Cracker Barrel did not immediately respond to FOX Business’ request for comment.
FOX Business’ Amanda Macias and Lindsay Kornick contributed to this report.
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