Cracker Barrel, the rustic-themed restaurant chain, is known for its traditional food menu and nostalgic, rural Americana decor. Some of my relatives dine regularly at a Cracker Barrel, which they affectionately call "The Big Crack."
For good or ill, the Big Crack is getting a facelift. Under the direction of the chain's chief marketing officer, Sarah Moore, Cracker Barrel is modernizing its dining rooms by removing antique farm tools and assorted bric-a-brac hanging on the walls.
Unfortunately, Moore outraged some of the chain's patrons when it removed the iconic country bumpkin from its logo. Critics compared the move to Bud Light's disastrous marketing decision to hire a trans influencer to sell its beer.
I'm okay with these changes. I never liked Cracker Barrel's uber country theme. All the antique geegaws hanging from the walls always made me feel like I was dining in my grandfather's barn.
The new minimalist-style decor works just fine for me. The Cracker Barrel's updated look is more like America's authentic small-town cafes, where the focus is on the food and not the ambiance.
And I'm also okay with the new logo. I never swore allegiance to the image of an old dude wearing overalls. My grandfather wore overalls, which weren't always clean. Believe me, you wouldn't want to eat anything he cooked.
So, Godspeed to Cracker Barrel and CME Sarah Moore. But let's not take the modernizing trend too far. We've already lost the Cracker Barrel dude, Uncle Ben, and Aunt Jemima. I'll go to the barricades to save Little Debbie.
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