Steak ‘n Shake has BEEF.
Just when Cracker Barrel probably thought things couldn’t get any worse, a casual dining competitor came out of nowhere and absolutely, viciously, undoubtedly dunked on them. And it all got started when Cracker Barrel announced that they were rebranding after rolling out the same logo for close to fifty years.
The southern-style eatery opted to go with a more minimalist logo, and in my opinion, they’re making a huge mistake.
There’s no amount of buttered and jellied biscuits that could save them from this. As you can see, the old logo that we’ve all come to know and love – featuring an old man sitting next to a barrel – is no more. They’ve opted to “clean things up,” and got rid of the a) the old man b) the barrel and c) every ounce of character the original logo had to debut a lifeless, sterile, pointless new symbol.
Why are so many brands opting to voluntarily ruin their aura?
That right there is a travesty of the utmost proportion.
Could I interest anyone else in a “Cracker Barrel Boycott?” Only until they say they’ll bring back their original logo? The original was only TWO YEARS from making it to its 50th birthday. Cracker Barrel couldn’t have at least let their iconic old-man-sitting-next-to-barrel emblem reach the five decade mark? If it’s not broken, don’t fix it… especially if it’s close to a milestone.
As you might imagine, the logo change – and the restaurant interior remodel to a boring, overdone farmhouse look – has people up in arms. Cracker Barrel CEO Julie Felss Masino insists that people are loving the restaurant’s rebrand, and suggested that the response has been “overwhelmingly positive.”
Try telling that to the stockholders. Yesterday into this morning, Cracker Barrel’s stock saw a nasty 14% drop… all because they decided to change up their logo:
Goes to show that the people still have the power.
Fans of the beloved restaurant aren’t the only ones calling out Cracker Barrel. Fast casual dining chain Steak ‘N Shake also got in on the fun and came out of nowhere to roast their competitor. And I’ve got say… the place known for burgers, shakes, and more recently tallow fries can also add “social media beef expert” to their resume:
“Sometimes, people want to change things just to put their own personality on things. At Cracker Barrel, their goal is to just delete the personality altogether. Hence, the elimination of the ‘old-timer’ from the signage. Heritage is what got Cracker Barrel this far, and now the CEO wants to just scrape it all away.
At Steak n Shake, we take pride in our history, our families, and American values. All are welcome. We will never market ourselves away from our past in a cheap effort to gain the approval of trend seekers.”
COME ON WITH IT.
I love that response from Steak ‘N Shake, and they are absolutely right. Cracker Barrel is legitimately scrubbing away their own heritage with their restaurant remodels and logo change. I’m not an expert in business, but differentiating from competitors is generally a very valuable asset.
Cracker Barrel had the “feel like you are eating at your Grandma’s house” vibe cornered, and now they’re intentionally changing their brand to look like every other stale, lifeless farmhouse style restaurant.
If Cracker Barrel knew better, they’d announce they are reinstating their old logo sooner rather than later… if only to avoid future criticism from Steak ‘N Shake:
“This is what happens when you have a board that does not respect their historical customers or their brand. At Steak n Shake, we have gone back to basics.”
GET ‘EM STEAK ‘N SHAKE!
