Cracker Barrel Responds to Criticism of New Logo

Cracker Barrel knows fans miss Uncle Herschel — the “old timer” on its old logo.

The restaurant chain responded on Monday to widespread criticism of its new logo and remodel. The pushback centered on the streamlined logo, which very noticeably did not include the “old timer,” or Uncle Herschel, seated on a chair leaning up against a barrel.

“We love seeing how much you care about our ‘old timer.’ We love him too. Uncle Herschel will still be on our menu (welcome back Uncle Herschel’s Favorite Breakfast Platter), on road signs, and featured in our country store,” the company said in a new statement, released Monday. “He’s not going anywhere — he’s family.”

The company didn’t say, however, that he was coming back to the logo.

Instead, the restaurant chain headquartered in Lebanon, Tennessee, said it was focused on “the kitchen and on your plate: serving generous portions of the food you crave at fair prices and doing it with the kind of country hospitality that brightens your days and creates lasting memories.”

The “old timer” logo, which had been in place since 1977, was replaced with a barrel-shaped yellow background the the restaurant’s name written across it in a similar font.

Cracker Barrel did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

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It was trading up less than 1% after the bell.

The Southern food chain is in the midst of a turnaround campaign aimed at luring in customers with new menu items and bringing back old ones — along with a restaurant refresh and new logo.

“If the last few days have shown us anything, it’s how deeply people care about Cracker Barrel,” the company wrote in its statement Monday. “We’re truly grateful for your heartfelt voices. You’ve also shown us that we could’ve done a better job sharing who we are and who we’ll always be.”