The White House credited President Trump with Cracker Barrel’s decision to restore its “Old Timer” logo, which it dropped last week as part of a major company rebrand.
The company’s initial rollout of the new, simple logo faced fierce online backlash, and the president joined the choir of critics this week in urging the 55-year-old chain to bring back the iconic logo.
“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 Tuesday on Truth Social. “They got a Billion Dollars worth of free publicity if they play their cards right. Very tricky to do, but a great opportunity.”
He also suggested that the company should have “a major News Conference today” and “Make Cracker Barrel a WINNER again.”
“Remember, in just a short period of time I made the United States of America the ‘HOTTEST’ Country anywhere in the World,” the president added. “One year ago, it was ‘DEAD.’ Good luck!”
When Cracker Barrel announced later Tuesday that it would bring back its old logo, White House aides screenshotted Trump’s online post and suggested Trump’s suggestion precipitated the change of heart.
“8 hours ago…,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote on social platform X, with an emoji wearing sunglasses. She included the screenshot from the morning.
Deputy White House Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich later posted screenshots of Trump’s statement on X and Cracker Barrel’s announcement of its reversal.
“President Trump spoke, @CrackerBarrel listened,” he added.
Budowich followed up with a post saying he appreciated the call with Cracker Barrel that evening.
“They thanked President Trump for weighing in on the issue of their iconic ‘original’ logo. They wanted the President to know that they heard him, along with customer response (the ultimate poll), and would be restoring the ‘Old Timer,’” he wrote in a subsequent post. “So smart! Congrats Cracker Barrel and America!”
The Hill has reached out to Cracker Barrel for a response.
Cracker Barrel announced Tuesday evening that it would reverse course, citing the feedback from its guests. The company saw its stock plummet by tens of millions of dollars after it released its new logo, which was widely mocked by longtime fans of the restaurant chain.
“We thank our guests for sharing your voices and love for Cracker Barrel,” the statement read. ” We said we would listen, and we have. Our new logo is going away and our ‘Old Timer’ will remain.”
“At Cracker Barrel, it’s always been – and always will be – about serving up delicious food, warm welcomes, and the kind of country hospitality that feels like family,” the company continued. “As a proud American institution, our 70,000 hardworking employees look forward to welcoming you to our table soon.”
Trump congratulated the chain after it announced its reversal.
“Congratulations ‘Cracker Barrel’ on changing your logo back to what it was. All of your fans very much appreciate it. Good luck into the future,” he wrote on Truth Social. “Make lots of money and, most importantly, make your customers happy again!”
