Less than a year ago, Cracker Barrel had a Bud Light moment when management decided to change the legendary company logo and try to turn the down-home-themed restaurant into a place that suburban moms would rave about on TikTok before moving on to the next hot trend.
CEO Julie Felss Masino appeared on “Good Morning America” in August wearing her LIB glasses. “The feedback’s been overwhelmingly positive,” Masino assured Michael Strahan on Aug. 19, 2025. As soon as those words came out of the Rachel Maddow-glasses-wearing CEO’s mouth, she was cooked.
Which brand should we save next? Email: joe.kinsey@outkick.com
Last week, after surviving nine treacherous months as Cracker Barrel’s leader, Masino was able to share great news with investors –– customers are returning for their favorite foods, pancake deals and the comfort of Uncle Herschel leaning on a barrel. The company’s stock soared nearly 37% last week on the news.
For Masino, it was an about-face after being so confident that customers would be cool with whitewashed walls and changes that was more First Watch and less highway breakfast joint that travelers had known for 40 years.
CRACKER BARREL FACES CUSTOMER CRITICISM AFTER DITCHING ICONIC 48-YEAR-OLD LOGO FOR NEW DESIGN
“Furious customers say Cracker Barrel has been ‘white-washed’ with cold new look,” OutKick warned on June 21, 2025. Little did we know at the time that Masino’s marketing department was preparing a massive media blitz in New York City set for the middle of August. Even with the backlash, leadership pushed on.
Then came that fateful moment with Strahan.
On Aug. 21, OutKick once again warned Julie that she was making a catastrophic mistake. It was too late. Cracker Barrel had a full week of content lined up that included an Aug. 22 pop-up event in New York City’s Meatpacking District complete with awkward line dancing, TikTok influencers eating new menu items at a fancy table in the middle of a street and they even brought in a country singer to entertain the locals.
CRACKER BARREL THROWS A PATHETIC PARTY FOR TIKTOK INFLUENCERS IN NYC – LOOK!
It was a marketing disaster that was routinely ridiculed online with OutKick leading the way. From Aug. 21 to Dec. 31, Cracker Barrel’s stock dropped 53%.
“The lipstick on a pig approach got Julie into this mess. Now let’s see if she can put on her black-rimmed glasses and save this pig before its pending death becomes a reality,” I wrote on Sept. 9, the same day, in a social media message, Cracker Barrel admitted it made a major marketing mistake and would cease the changes Julie bragged about on GMA.
By November, Julie’s team decided to recruit Glenn Beck to interview Julie over a meal at a Cracker Barrel as a marketing reset. Wearing new glasses, and with tears about to run down her cheeks, Masino assured the Christian customer that she’d made a major mistake with the company. It was pathetic.
But, Julie survived. Again. It was a miracle. It’s still unclear if Julie actually loves the brand. Sure, she loves the money, but it felt from the beginning that Julie wanted to run a First Watch, not a place where some Kentucky auto mechanic named Rodney takes his old lady and their four kids for a special meal once a month.
“I want people to love this place,” Masino said during her interview with Beck as her voice cracked.
While the company isn’t out of the woods yet, it turns out speaking less with corporate media elites, holding less fake marketing events and getting back to serving the customers who pay your bills is the best business practice. Imagine that.
Once Julie and her Maddow glasses disappeared, she put her head down, quit worrying about a logo, and made sure her restaurants were serving the customer, Cracker Barrel rebounded.
You’re welcome, America. You’re damn right OutKick is going to take a victory lap on this one.