Cracker Barrel expects weaker sales and restaurant traffic after logo
controversy
[September 18, 2025] By
DEE-ANN DURBIN
Cracker Barrel said Wednesday it expects lower sales and weaker customer
traffic in the coming year as the controversy over its planned logo
change continues to play out.
In a conference call with investors, Cracker Barrel said traffic at its
restaurants was down 1% in early August, before it announced it was
adopting a more simplified logo. The new logo dropped the image of an
older man in overalls leaning on a barrel and removed the words “Old
Country Store.”
But after the announcement on Aug. 18 and the outcry that followed from
many longtime fans, restaurant traffic dropped 8%. Cracker Barrel said
Wednesday that traffic will likely be down between 7% and 8% in the
first quarter and could decline 4% to 7% for the full 2026 fiscal year.
Cracker Barrel's shares dropped 9% in after-hours trading Wednesday.
Cracker Barrel CEO Julie Felss Masino said the company conducted
extensive research before releasing the new logo and launching a plan to
remodel its 660 U.S. restaurants. The company has since scrapped the new
logo and paused the remodeling.
Masino said the four restaurants that have been remodeled — with new
paint, new lighting, more comfortable seating and other changes — will
be transitioned back to their former decor. Remodels that had begun at
58 other restaurants will also be halted, she said.
“What can not be captured in data is how much our guests see themselves
and their own story in the Cracker Barrel experience, which is what’s
led to such a strong response to these changes,” Masino said during a
conference call with investors Wednesday.
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 Masino said Cracker Barrel will
continue other aspects of its plan to boost sales and attract new
customers, including menu innovation and kitchen upgrades. She said
marketing will lean into nostalgia and fans' love for Uncle
Herschel, the character pictured on the brand's logo.
The company is also continuing to grow its loyalty program. Masino
said the 2-year-old program now has 9 million members and gained
300,000 new members in just the last four weeks. Masino said one new
loyalty perk will be the ability to give the company feedback after
every restaurant visit.
“We’re moving ahead with a strong plan to regain traffic and the
momentum we had a month ago,” Masino said. “There is a lot to be
optimistic about.”
The Lebanon, Tennessee-based company said it expects total revenue
of $3.35 billion to $3.45 billion in its 2026 fiscal year, which
began Aug. 2. That is lower than the $3.48 billion Cracker Barrel
reported in its 2025 fiscal year.
It expects a $25 million hit due to U.S. tariffs on imported goods
in the 2026 fiscal year. The company said it's adjusting some of the
products sold in its stores to mitigate that.
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