Cracker Barrel's new text-only logo is 'how you destroy a brand,' critics claim

Cracker Barrel’s new logo was accused by conservative critics of being the company’s "Bud Light" moment after receiving intense online backlash, while CEO Julie Felss Masino contended the response has been "overwhelmingly positive." 

The company unveiled the new logo on Tuesday as part of its new branding campaign for the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store restaurants. The campaign eliminated the iconic image of a man resting on a barrel in favor of a text-only logo for the first time since 1977. 

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."

"People like what we're doing," Masino told "Good Morning America" on Tuesday. "Cracker Barrel needs to feel like the Cracker Barrel for today and for tomorrow – the things that you love are still there. We need people to choose us, and we want people to choose us."

Cracker Barrel announced new changes as part of its brand redesign on Tuesday. (iStock)

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However, many social media users disagreed, particularly on the right, claiming the new logo was "dull" and destroyed the point of the brand.

"They took away the cracker and the barrel. What even is the point now?" Radio host Jesse Kelly asked.

"When will they learn?" conservative influencer Benny Johnson asked, calling the change "absolutely horrible."

RedState writer Bonchie declared, "This is how you destroy a brand." 

"WTF is wrong with @CrackerBarrel??!" Donald Trump Jr. exclaimed.

Conservative writer Rod Dreher wrote, "The New Coke of corporate logos. Dull and unasked-for."

Country music singer John Rich asked his followers, "Will you go to Cracker Barrel now that it's going woke? This could be a ‘Bud Light’ moment in the making..."

"All I want is to sit down next to a roaring fire after church in a cozy country diner run by patriots and have a hot stack of diabetes served by an old woman named Maude who calls me ‘hon’ or ‘darlin’ and still smokes two packs a day. Is that too much to ask? Apparently it’s too much to ask," The Federalist co-founder Sean Davis wrote.

National Review reporter James Lynch wrote, "There's a new trend where corporate marketing departments with nothing to do ruin classic company logos for no reason."

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Fox News Digital reached out to Cracker Barrel for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Cracker Barrel had already come under fire earlier this month after videos of the restaurant chain’s new look went viral. Critics similarly accused the redesign of being "bland and boring."

Cracker Barrel has faced intense backlash over its recent changes. (iStock)

Cracker Barrel chief marketing officer Sarah Moore previously told Fox News Digital that the chain's ongoing transformation incorporated not only customer feedback but also employee input.

She claimed Cracker Barrel is "listening to what the guests ask for – and examples of what the guests asked for are things like spaces that feel brighter, that feel less cluttered, more booth seating, more seating options, so our guests are more comfortable while they're dining with us."

Cracker Barrel chief marketing officer Sarah Moore insisted the company is listening to customers. (Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

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"It really is about taking that feedback and testing into various levels of remodels that, again, represent exactly who we are but create a brighter, lighter, fresher experience," she said.

Fox News' Peter Burke contributed to this report.