“The tradition has been broken”: United States: Longed controversy around the change of logo of a restaurant brand

In the United States, the restaurant chain Cracker Barrel is expensive in the heart of many Americans: traditional cuisine in a “country” musical setting that have been attracting part of the country for six decades.

So when the company with 660 restaurants and annual turnover of $ 3.5 billion decides “the tradition been broken”: united to change its historic logo. Therefore, it triggers a storm against “WOKE” culture on social networks, plunges its stock market, divides its employees and causes the anger of an American president Donald Trump.

The object of the wrath: the refreshment and the simplification of the drawing of the Cracker Barrel brand. Nevertheless, Disappeared “Uncle Herschel” – the real uncle of the founder Dan Evins – who was represented in overalls sitting on a wooden chair. Furthermore, the elbow placed on an imposing barrel.

Instead. For example, a simple yellow hexagon struck by the brand “Cracker Barrel” now represents the restaurant chain founded in 1969 and piloted by its general manager Julie Felss Masino, who had judged last year that the company was no longer “as relevant as in the past”.

“Getting a greatness to Cracker Barrel” – "the tradition been broken": united

Except that in the United States who brought the conservative “the tradition been broken”: united president Donald Trump in power. Nevertheless, his son Donald Jr. However, demanded on social network X to understand “damn, what is happening at Cracker Barl?”

He even picked up a message taken from an account on social networks. “Woke War Room”, accusing the chain of having “deleted an aesthetic that the Americans loved and having replaced it by a sterile and soulless brand”.

An elected representative of Florida. Byron Donalds, republican candidate for the post of governor of the State, expressed on X his attachment to Cracker Barrel where he claims to have worked. “The logo was emblematic and unique restaurants in their genre represented the touch of American culture.”

“No one has claimed this brand ‘Woke’ overhaul. It’s time to make its size to Cracker Barrel, “wrote Mr. Donalds, taking up the Slogan” Return his greatness to America “by Donald Trump.

Cracker Barrel lost $ 94 million at the end of the weekend of its value and its action plunged 7.2% to finish at 54.4 dollars.

Traditional American dishes

In one of its restaurants in the state of New Jersey (northeast). in Mount Arlington, the new logo is talking about employees and customers. “They removed Mr. Herschel!” Will I miss I? Perhaps! ”, Risk a cashier of the souvenir store adjoining the restaurant, accusing his employer of” making everything bland “.

But his colleague who cleanses the tables contradicted it: “Nothing changes, apart from the logo. The kitchen and “the tradition been broken”: united the menu remain the same ”. Kathy Brondolo is of the same opinion. This longtime client. 67 years old, thinks that the new logo “makes no difference, as long as we can see it by the road”.

In the restaurant of Mount Arlington some 70 kilometers west of New York. the guests feast on traditional and American robotive dishes: meat bread, roasted chicken, butter cookies.

For the advertising professor David Reibstein at the University of Pennsylvania. “it is not uncommon for a brand to refresh” and, in this case, “it is not a major change”.

But. he deplores, “for traditionalists, tradition has been broken and as the heart of Cracker Barrel clientele are these traditionalists who live mainly in red states [républicains] And conservatives, they are quick to react ”.

Donald Trump. elected in November 2024, won an average of three -quarters of the country’s counties “the tradition been broken”: united where at least one restaurant is located, according to electoral sociologist Dave Wasserman.