Cracker Barrel is having a bad month. First people came after their rebrand efforts, calling it stale and boring. And now some are saying the food isn’t even worth eating. Yikes.
In a viral video with more than 1.7 million views, content creator Jenn (@ohiochunkymonkey) called out Cracker Barrel for the terrible experience she and her friend had at one of their location.
In the caption, she explains that she and her cousin had just had a “long hot day” at Dollywood. And they were looking forward to finally having a proper meal.
But Cracker Barrel, where they stopped to eat, couldn’t so much as give them a proper bread roll (arguably one of the most standard foods known to man).
Her cousin grabs a bread roll from the basket. When he goes to eat it, it is too hard to bite into. He then smacks it down on the table. Instead of the bread getting dented by the pressure, the roll damn near dents the table. The bread is so hard that there’s a thumping noise each time the man hits the bread on the table.
“Cracker Barrel worried about changing their logo and the inside of the restaurant, but are not at all concerned about serving my cousin and I cement rolls,” Jenn says in the text overlay.
Now, maybe they could let the terrible bread slide if that was the only issue. But no, the rest of their food was terrible, too. She says they were served “cement rolls with food that looks like dog food.”
To make matters worse, none of the workers at Cracker Barrel tried to rectify the situation in any way, the TikToker claims. “No they did not COMP our meal! Worst experience EVER! They may wanna focus on the food and customer service more than changing a logo and the new style of the restaurant!” she adds in the caption.
Cracker Barrel Logo Controversy
Cracker Barrel is facing backlash after unveiling its new logo earlier in the month.
The redesign replaces the chain’s longstanding logo—a drawing of a man in overalls leaning against a barrel—with a cleaner, text-focused design that highlights just the Cracker Barrel name and barrel shape.
The old logo, featuring “Uncle Herschel,” was meant to evoke the traditional “old country store experience where folks would gather around and share stories.”
Cracker Barrel told CBS the character would remain “front and center in our restaurants and on our menu,” emphasizing that “our values haven’t changed, and the heart and soul of Cracker Barrel haven’t changed.”
On Thursday, shares plunged, wiping out nearly $100 million in market value.
The redesign is part of a broader effort to modernize stores and menus. CEO Julie Felss Masino said the chain was “not as relevant as we once were” and aimed to refresh its image and menu.
Reaction has been mixed. Conservative commentators called the new design “generic” and “woke.” On the other hand, marketing experts warned it risks alienating longtime fans.
Kevin Dahlstrom, who’s served as a chief marketing officer at several companies, called the rebrand a “fiasco.”
“The holy grail of marketing is to create a brand that customers give a damn about — and feel some ownership of. It’s exceedingly rare and when you have that — as Cracker Barrel did — you NEVER EVER abandon it, you only double down on it,” he told CBS.
Commenters React
“They didn’t need a remodel. they needed better quality food,” a top comment read.
“They use to have good food now its all cheap,” a person accused.
“Same bland food and now a bland logo,” another wrote.
BroBible reached out to Jenn for comment via TikTok direct message and comment and to Cracker Barrel via email.