Cracker Barrel has changed its diversity page at least three times this month as it deals with backlash from the redesign.
Love for the franchise tanked when customers saw the company had changed its recognizable logo into a shadow of its former self, removing the “old-timer” known as Uncle Herschel sitting on a chair next to a barrel.
‘Discrimination, overt or through unconscious bias, has no place at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store.’
Also gone was the barrel itself, along with the text “Old Country Store,” leaving just black “Cracker Barrel” text on a yellow background. The new menus, website, and interior design of Cracker Barrel locations also angered consumers, leaving the company to apologize for the errors.
The company does not appear to be returning to the old logo and design, however, and is seemingly digging itself a deeper hole by trying to mask its progressive leanings.
In an attempt to invoke old Uncle Herschel without actually showing him, Cracker Barrel has featured “the Herschel Way” on its web page dedicated to “culture and belonging.”
“Our culture of belonging extends to our guests. The Herschel Way is our standard for hospitality,” the company wrote. However, the new text represents at least the third change to the page this month as the company deals with the blowback over the past week.
Thanks to internet archives, readers can see what Cracker Barrel’s progressive page looked like on August 4, which at that time was labeled “culture and inclusion.”
The page included mentions of being “inclusive,” while stating, “Discrimination, overt or through unconscious bias, has no place at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store.”
Also featured was a photo labeled “Moving Forward Together,” showcasing a diverse cast of people, including a man in a wheelchair.
By August 21, the company had updated the page to reflect its new font and style, but it seemingly remained identical otherwise. That was, until the fury of American consumers hit.
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Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images
August 21 was the same day many outlets — including Blaze News — began covering the backlash from Cracker Barrel customers, and by the next day on August 22, the desperate diversity image was removed.
Fast-forward another few days, and Cracker Barrel has remodeled the page to change its wording away from “inclusion” and toward “belonging.”
This is not the first time the company has eliminated certain words to cover its messaging, though. Back in July 2024, the same page used the heading “Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging” at Cracker Barrel. In fact, the previous link still redirects to the new text, further proving the adjustments were made to the same page.
The 2024 page showcased extreme dedication to diversity and race-based initiatives. It celebrated “Diversity in Our Decor,” “Diversity in Our Leadership & Development,” and even boasted about achievements on the Human Rights Campaign “equality index.”
According to investigative reporter Robby Starbuck, the company “sponsored HRC events for 10 years” and even “brought an HRC representative to their Tennessee HQ to do a pronoun and transgenderism training.”
Cracker Barrel told Fox News it “has not participated in the Human Rights Campaign Index or had any affiliation with HRC in several years.”
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There are almost too many initiatives to name from the 2024 page, but the company bragged about “standing against racial injustice,” having “zero tolerance” for gay discrimination, and offering a series of gay and race-driven events.
What has remained consistent throughout the years, though, has been Cracker Barrel’s promotion of programs like “Be Bold,” a mission to develop “black leaders,” and the “LGBTQ+ Alliance,” which has the purpose of “strengthening Cracker Barrel’s relationship to the LGBTQ+ community.”
In addition, HOLA’s mission is to “promote Hispanic and Latino culture through hiring, developing, and retaining talent within Cracker Barrel.”
The Cracker Barrel spokesperson insisted in comments to Fox News that the company’s “values haven’t changed, and the heart and soul of Cracker Barrel haven’t changed.”
“Cracker Barrel has been a destination for comfort and community for more than half a century, and this fifth evolution of the brand’s logo, which works across digital platforms as well as billboards and roadside signs, is a callback to the original and rooted even more in the iconic barrel shape and word mark that started it all back in 1969,” Cracker Barrel said.
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Author: Andrew Chapados
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