Cracker Barrel marketing miscue follow-up: “traffic nosedived after logo backlash”

“Cracker Barrel traffic nosedived after logo backlash,” reports Restaurant Dive.

Cracker Barrel visits “dropped by 10% in the weeks following the chain’s logo reversal, only improving to a 7% dip in the last week of September, according to Placer.ai data,” adds Restaurant Dive.

In addition, “Cracker Barrel’s weekly year-over-year visits declined significantly during the week of Aug. 25 at the height of the controversy over its logo change, according to Placer.ai data shared with Restaurant Dive.

“The chain started the year with traffic down between 5% and 10%, but recovered in early summer, with traffic lagging only 1% to 2% weekly. But during the week of Aug. 25, traffic slid by 5.3%, nearly double the decline from weeks prior.

“Cracker Barrel reverted its logo in late August and ended its remodel program in September when traffic was down 10%, and the chain improved to a 7.2% decline during the week of Sept. 22. This is in line with the company’s expectations that fiscal Q1 2026 traffic will be down about 8%.”

According to an online item: “The Cracker Barrel rebrand cost nearly $700 million and was part of a company-wide overhaul that included a new text-only logo, menu updates, and modernized dining rooms.The rebrand was met with significant backlash from customers and investors, leading the company to reverse the logo change shortly after its announcement.”