Cracker Barrel CEO explains reason for attempt to change logo

(NEXSTAR) – Julie Felss Masino, the president and CEO of Cracker Barrel, reportedly offered an explanation for Cracker Barrel’s reasoning behind its ill-received logo “refresh” earlier this year. Masino, speaking at the 13D Monitor Active-Passive Investor Summit in New York City, said Tuesday that the redesign was an attempt to make Cracker Barrel’s signage more visible to drivers along the highway, according to the Wall Street Journal. She also indicated that the switch to a new logo was not the result of any ideological agenda, the outlet reported of her remarks. A representative for Cracker Barrel did not respond to a request for additional information on Masino’s comments. Cracker Barrel had debuted its new logo — said to be its “fifth evolution” since the brand’s founding — in August, but quickly faced backlash for ditching a depiction of the “Old Timer” previously seen on the sign. Cracker Barrel’s stock began plummeting within days, and even President Trump called on the company to revert back to their old logo. By the end of August, Cracker Barrel had reversed course, announcing publicly that the company was ditching the rebrand. “We thank our guests for sharing your voices and love for Cracker Barrel. We said we would listen, and we have. Our new logo is going away and our ‘Old Timer’ will remain,” the company announced on August 26. A subsequent message posted to the Cracker Barrel website confirmed that it would not be moving forward with planned restaurant remodels, either. In early October, Cracker Barrel also confirmed it had severed ties with Prophet, a creative consultancy agency that Cracker Barrel suggested to be responsible for the idea behind the logo change. “The Company also today confirmed that it is ending its engagement with Prophet, the global strategic and creative growth consultancy that advised Cracker Barrel on its previous brand refresh initiatives, including the logo and restaurant redesigns,” reads a Cracker Barrel press release issued on Oct. 1. Prophet was previously announced as a collaborator on the restaurant’s brand refresh in early March. The partnership had hoped to result in a strategy that would “inform brand communication, restaurant redesigns, brand marketing campaigns and a redefined employee value proposition,” Cracker Barrel announced at the time.