"Building and Managing Strong Brands" Content Updates (Rajeev Batra)

[This recent Cracker Barrel example works well in Chapter 15, to show that while brands need to change to keep up with trends, they need to be careful to do so in ways that do not abandon their loved “brand equities” and therefore alienate their loyal consumers.]

Cracker Barrel CEO Julie Messino announced in late July 2026 that she is going to be stepping down on August 10, 2026 (but remain in an advisory capacity until October 2026), to be replaced by David Deno, former CEO of Quizno’s — see this URL: https://www.foxbusiness.com/business-leaders/cracker-barrel-ceo-julie-masino-step-down. There is also this relevant WSJ article from June 10, 2026: https://www.wsj.com/business/hospitality/how-cracker-barrels-ceo-saved-her-job-by-abandoning-her-own-strategy-8ce653a4, and this one from August 13, 2026: https://www.wsj.com/business/hospitality/cracker-barrel-new-ceo-change-6cbef50b.

Here are some stats/facts from these linked articles about how Cracker Barrel has being doing after the logo/facilities/menu changes made in Summer 2025, followed by the roll-back of those changes after the firestorm they kicked off :

Masino’s 2026 departure follows an attempt to rebrand Cracker Barrel that sparked controversy last (2025) summer. Massino was hired (from Taco Bell) in 2023 with a mandate for change. The chain had been struggling for years with declining traffic and an aging clientele, and Masino gave herself three years to implement a turnaround strategy. The goal was to modernize its stores, menu and design to help bring new customers to the vintage chain. The company had seen some promising results from food updates and marketing tie-ins when, as part of a fall marketing campaign in 2025, it unveiled a new, simplified logo.

The logo changes in 2025 included the removal of the “old timer” character/symbol, to simplify and modernize it [see logos inserted below], as well as adjustments to the interior layout of the restaurants that have long included a general store. The rebrand was part of a $700 million overhaul across the company’s 660-plus restaurants, which also included a revamped menu and decluttered dining rooms.

Old Logo versus new (now abandoned) logo:

But when launched more widely, the redesign plunged Cracker Barrel into a culture warfueled battle, with critics accusing it of shunning its heritage—and loyal diners. Some of the online pushback was ginned up by bots. “Cracker Barrel should go back to the old logo, admit a mistake based on customer response (the ultimate Poll), and manage the company better than ever before,” Trump wrote on social media last August as the backlash reached a boiling point.

Cracker Barrel reversed course on the rebranding push less than a week after the backlash began, with Masino saying that the effort missed the mark and came out of an effort to improve the guest experience at its locations….Masino survived by unceremoniously casting aside her original plans in the wake of a customer and social-media revolt and focusing back on the brand’s core customers, a maneuver many CEOs struggle to pull off.

She cut ties with the marketing firm behind the chain’s rebranding campaign and revamped the company’s leadership structure, bringing back a former vice president for menu strategy and elevating a veteran field operator to oversee store operations. Cracker Barrel in late August 2025 said it would return to its previous logo featuring its “Old Timer” icon and barrel. In the company’s kitchens, workers returned to traditional kettle cooking for sides like green beans and stopped freezing its biscuits in batches. It brought back proven sellers like campfire meals and ham dinners. Cracker Barrel asked customers to give feedback and promised to keep refining its offerings in response. In early September 2025, it suspended its restaurant redesign test.

Masino told investors in June 2026 that her new strategy to bring the family-dining chain back from huge losses in sales, profits and the number of guests coming through its doors was working. She said that loyal customers have come back as the company refocused on dishing up its most die-hard fans’ favorite foods, deals and nostalgia. “The food is even more delicious, is made the way that they remember and the service is going to be out of this world,” Masino said. One particular bright spot: merchandise commemorating the 250th birthday of America and other heritage items that flew off Cracker Barrel store shelves faster than expected, including U.S. Constitution T-shirts, flag pillows and patriotic smock dresses. The return of nostalgic favorites, like campfire meals and ham dinners, are helping to woo back guests, too, the company said.

The chart above (source: WSJ article of August 13, 2026 cited above) shows the changes in comporable-store sales over this 2024-2026 period, which naturally had an effect on earnings and the stock price. Despite the roll-back of the changes, the company’s shares slid by more than a third by fall 2025 from its late-July 2025 high. Cracker Barrel’s stock is down a little over 20% (in July 2026) compared with this time a year ago, before the rebranding controversy drove its stock below $30 a share. However, it has risen about 89% since the start of 2026.