{"id":2480358,"date":"2025-08-29T12:19:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-29T16:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watch-cracker-barrel-co-founder-roasts-failed-re-brand-mocks-ceo-who-came-from-taco-bell\/"},"modified":"2025-08-29T12:20:38","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T16:20:38","slug":"watch-cracker-barrel-co-founder-roasts-failed-re-brand-mocks-ceo-who-came-from-taco-bell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watch-cracker-barrel-co-founder-roasts-failed-re-brand-mocks-ceo-who-came-from-taco-bell\/","title":{"rendered":"Watch: Cracker Barrel Co-Founder Roasts Failed Re-Brand, Mocks CEO Who Came from Taco Bell"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwatch-cracker-barrel-co-founder-roasts-failed-re-brand-mocks-ceo-who-came-from-taco-bell%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2480358&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Tommy Lowe, co-founder of Cracker Barrel, strongly criticized the restaurant chain&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >recent rebranding effort led<\/a> by CEO Julie Masino, describing the redesign as &#8220;bland,&#8221; &#8220;pitiful,&#8221; and a waste of $700 million.Lowe emphasized that Cracker Barrel&#8217;s success has always been rooted in simplicity, good food, and authenticity, and warned that straying from it&#8217;s traditional &#8220;country&#8221; image would lead to failure. The rebrand, which removed the iconic &#8220;Old Timer&#8221; figure and barrel from the logo, sparked widespread <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/after-fox-news-firing-chris-stirewalt-says-hes-proud-of-arizona-election-night-call-rips-viewers\/\" title=\"After Fox News Firing, Chris Stirewalt Says He\u2019s \u2018Proud\u2019 Of Arizona Election Night Call, Rips Viewers\u00a0\">public backlash<\/a>, significant stock losses, and criticism from figures including former President Donald Trump. In response to the negative reaction, Cracker Barrel reversed the logo change and reinstated its classic branding. this controversy highlights the risks companies face when abandoning established brand identity, with Lowe suggesting the CEO&#8217;s leadership might potentially be in jeopardy due to such missteps.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Cracker Barrel co-founder Tommy Lowe has some advice for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/michelle-obama-should-have-served-mcdonalds-french-fries\/\" title=\"Michelle Obama Should Have Served McDonald&#039;s French Fries\">restaurant chain&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s inept CEO Julie Masino: If it ain&rsquo;t broke, don&rsquo;t fix it.<\/p>\n<p>The 93-year-old Tennessee native torpedoed the company&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/prominent-cracker-barrel-investor-warned-execs-walking-textbook-trap\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">catastrophic rebrand<\/a>, saying Masino&rsquo;s cluelessness has been destructive.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Well, that&rsquo;s crazy,&rdquo; Lowe told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newschannel5.com\/news\/if-they-dont-get-back-to-keeping-it-country-then-it-aint-gonna-work-cracker-barrel-co-founder-weighs-in-on-chains-rebranding\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">WTVF<\/a> Thursday, when asked about the redesign.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;That&rsquo;s a bland nothing. It&rsquo;s pitiful,&rdquo; he underscored. &ldquo;Spending $700 million to do that &hellip; that&rsquo;s just throwing money out in the street.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>He noted, &ldquo;Cracker Barrel doesn&rsquo;t have any competition.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I heard [CEO Julie Masino] was at Taco Bell, but what&rsquo;s Taco Bell know about Cracker Barrel and country food?&rdquo; Lowe asked.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;If they don&rsquo;t get back to keeping it country, then it ain&rsquo;t gonna work,&rdquo; he warned.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-media-max-width=\"560\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Cracker Barrel co-founder Tommy Lowe criticizes the chain&rsquo;s rebranding, calling the new logo &ldquo;bland and pitiful&rdquo; and urging CEO Julie Masino to &ldquo;keep it country&rdquo; to preserve the brand&rsquo;s authenticity. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/UGn84V9qzX\">pic.twitter.com\/UGn84V9qzX<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Sebastian&trade; (@Azariel91) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Azariel91\/status\/1961264265504960571?\">August 29, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Lowe said simplicity, good food, and authenticity have been Cracker Barrel&rsquo;s winning formula for decades, and that&rsquo;s what corporate executives should focus on.<\/p>\n<p>As a reminder, Cracker Barrel ignited volcanic backlash after unveiling a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/steak-n-shake-restaurant-comes-razor-sharp-takedown-cracker-barrels-rebranding\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">hideous rebrand<\/a> of its iconic logo last week.<\/p>\n<p>The redesign eliminated the &ldquo;Old Timer&rdquo; in overalls seated next to a rustic wooden barrel.<\/p>\n<p>While the chain&rsquo;s logo has been updated several times since its 1969 launch, the barrel has been a central element in every iteration &mdash; symbolizing the brand&rsquo;s enduring connection to traditional Southern culture.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to being utterly devoid of personality, the boring redesign made no sense.<\/p>\n<p>What&rsquo;s the point of calling the restaurant &ldquo;Cracker Barrel&rdquo; if there&rsquo;s no barrel?<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Cracker Barrel completely changed their iconic logo for the first time in 47 years&hellip;<\/p>\n<p>and it&rsquo;s absolutely horrible.<\/p>\n<p>When will they learn? <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ZhfVeR5CyO\">pic.twitter.com\/ZhfVeR5CyO<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/bennyjohnson\/status\/1958242844571005202?\">August 20, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Following public backlash, a rebuke from President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/trump-weighs-cracker-barrel-controversy-says-company-great-opportunity\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Donald Trump<\/a>, and a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/cracker-barrel-issues-damage-control-statement-logo-change-backlash-doubles-losing-100-million\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">$100 million stock plunge<\/a>, Cracker Barrel restored its old logo on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">We thank our guests for sharing your voices and love for Cracker Barrel. We said we would listen, and we have. Our new logo is going away and our &ldquo;Old Timer&rdquo; will remain.<\/p>\n<p>At Cracker Barrel, it&rsquo;s always been &ndash; and always will be &ndash; about serving up delicious food, warm&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/C32QMLOeq0\">pic.twitter.com\/C32QMLOeq0<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Cracker Barrel (@CrackerBarrel) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CrackerBarrel\/status\/1960475658116632865?\">August 26, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Cracker Barrel&rsquo;s disastrous redesign reaffirms the oft-cited adage, &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/top-anheuser-busch-name-bud-light-brand-crisis-claims-latest-victim\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Get woke, go broke<\/a>.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>It&rsquo;s unclear how much longer CEO Julie Masino will be able to hang on to her cushy job, but with alarming errors such as this debacle, her days are probably numbered.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cracker Barrel co-founder Tommy Lowe has some advice for the struggling CEO Julie Masino: if it isn&#8217;t broken, don&#8217;t try to fix it. The 93-year-old Tennessee native harshly criticized the company&#8217;s disastrous rebranding, calling Masino&#8217;s lack of understanding harmful. &#8220;That&#8217;s crazy,&#8221; Lowe told WTVF on Thursday about the redesign. &#8220;It&#8217;s bland and meaningless. It&#8217;s pitiful.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2480359,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Tommy-Lowe.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[62249,60803,62248,33221],"class_list":["post-2480358","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-ceo-roast","tag-cracker-barrel","tag-re-brand","tag-taco-bell"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Tommy-Lowe.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2480358","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2480358"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2480358\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2480362,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2480358\/revisions\/2480362"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2480359"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2480358"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2480358"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2480358"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}