Cracker Barrel’s Rebranding is Much More Sinister Than “Just A New Logo”

Every year about this time, I ready my RV to travel across the country and speak at a variety of venues. Food prep for the trip includes canning a variety of soups and veggies from my garden, and stocking up on good meats from the butcher. The trip itinerary is arranged around stops at churches and pregnancy centers for keynote addresses which are arranged by event sponsors, or my agent. Then, I need to take care of each waypoint in between, ensuring there’s a spot large enough for my 35’ fifth-wheel, plus my one-ton dually. In short – we’re long, so we can’t camp just anywhere. My husband and I have learned to put the “proper prior planning” method to good use for this.

Trip planning for RVers has changed since COVID. Prior to the 2020 lockdowns, it was easy to find RV spots without reservations. Many people bought RVs during COVID, thinking they were a way to continue travelling with the new “social distancing” regulations. For those of us who had been avid RVers before COVID, this new crowd caused us to look elsewhere for accommodations. Traditional campgrounds and RV parks filled up faster than ever, and many RV park owners raised their prices substantially. Between supply-and-demand, and the overall inflation everyone has been hit with, I can’t blame them. However, I do focus more now on finding spots outside of RV parks and campgrounds. I enjoy utilizing a combination of Forest Service lands, and a network of farms, museums and such called Boondockers Welcome and Harvest Hosts. Some retail chains are also old standbys on the road, providing dedicated RV spots that will accommodate large rigs for paying customers, such as Love’s Travel Centers, Cabela’s, Bass Pro… and Cracker Barrel. 

Not only is Cracker Barrel a family-friendly restaurant, it has been a long-time favorite for the RV community. They not only allow, but have encouraged travelers, since their inception. It was always an easy stop for a quick overnight stay during a long haul. They even sell a special Cracker Barrel Edition Rand McNally Travel Atlas, which includes a directory of their locations in list form, which I’ve found to be a handy companion for many trips. 

Change That Took Place Slowly

First, it’s important to look at Cracker Barrel’s history. Dan Evins, a sales rep for Shell Oil, developed his vision to boost gasoline sales by combining a gas station with a restaurant and gift store. Evins’ vision took off, resulting in a multi-franchise, publicly traded company by 1981. In a 1991 policy memo, Evins stated that Cracker Barrel was founded on “a concept of traditional American values.” The memorandum went on to say that continued employment of folks “whose sexual preference fails to demonstrate normal heterosexual values” appeared inconsistent with those values and its customers’ perceived values. The Left never forgot that, and targeted Cracker Barrel for a quiet takeover from the inside, just like they do with Republican seats in our Legislature. 

Over the years, subsequent lawsuits pressured successive CEOs of the restaurant chain to embrace the Queer Agenda and progressive values. Eventually, they founded “Business Resource Groups” for gays, women, blacks, and Latinos. Now, it seems everyone except white, straight, conservative men are supported. This departure from Evins’ values ran quietly in the background, while a D.E.I. hiring policy took root. In July of this year, America First Legal brought a lawsuit seeking to end Cracker Barrel’s thinly-veiled D.E.I. policies. Now, in August, the restaurant’s CEO unveiled a new logo stripped of all vestiges of the original values. It seems the latest rebranding reveals the Leftist employee culture that has been quietly simmering under the surface, while many conservatives who were frequenting the purportedly traveler-friendly chain of restaurants had no idea what they were financially supporting. 

From their website, “Cracker Barrel first opened in 1969 to give travelers a good place to stop and enjoy themselves.” For us RVers, enjoying yourself started when you pulled off the highway into one of the three generous RV spots behind the store, which was very conveniently located near an off-ramp. The down-home experience continued as we walked in to a warm “welcome!” from the host or hostess in the gift shop. Strolling past the iconic, massive fireplace reminds us road-weary travelers of home, as do the cozy tables and chairs, which have a look and feel that they could be the same ones you have in your own kitchen. Their menu includes carefully chosen offerings that are consistent with the down-home, good, Southern-hospitality theme – whether you’re in Kentucky or Montana, New York or Texas. Cracker Barrel just felt good. Why, then, would their new re-branding not want to capitalize on this feel-good theme?

Suddenly, Everyone Knows Who Uncle Herschel Is

Content with enjoying a trip down memory lane while enjoying a good, home-cooked-style meal, most of us never questioned Cracker Barrel. In fact, I don’t remember anyone ever asking about the man on the logo, or the barrel itself. When the man and barrel were removed, however, the man’s story went viral. Apparently, the man’s name is Uncle Hershel, and he was the human embodiment of the founder’s values. The barrel? A barrel full of crackers with a board across to form a table, became the gathering place in many country stores. From Cracker Barrel’s website, “Uncle Herschel was Cracker Barrel Old Country Store’s founder Dan Evins’ real uncle, the younger brother of Evins’ mother. He helped shape not only Cracker Barrel’s image but also its values. He was our own “goodwill ambassador” to the public.” Not only did the rebranding remove the image of Uncle Herschel, it symbolized the removal of the values he instilled and represented, the notion of gathering around the barrel, and even, the goodwill.

A quick peek under the lid of the simmering saucepot of recently stirred-up financials is just as jarring as a puff of steam off a hot pot of gravy. Their biggest shareholders are no longer people who want to provide “good country cooking to travelers and neighbors alike”, as their old trademarked motto suggested. The main ingredients in this batch of shareholders are Vanguardand BlackRock, the same globalist entities behind the “Smart Cities” campaign. This begs the question, “Why would Vanguard and BlackRock want ownership of such a down-home, feel-good chain of restaurants?” For one reason, and one reason alone – to destroy it. Smart cities are the darling of the globalist elite because they seek to use them to contain and control you and me. These “Smart”, or “Fifteen Minute Cities” are giant cages in the globalist’s zoo, and you and I are the animals they want in those cages. 

Think about it; what do you see on the wall of every Cracker Barrel? Local ephemera, carefully chosen to give the diners a sense of what is possible when local people put their minds to something, roll up their sleeves and apply elbow grease. Each restaurant’s collection is collated to invite reminiscing, with a suggestion of what could be possible in the future. Like I shared earlier, I’ve eaten at many of them across the country, and I can tell you that each location’s décor is similar, but the items in the collection are unique to the region.  It’s a celebration of human ingenuity, one of the things the intentional dumbing-down of America is systematically removing. The other big thing the globalists hate is having everyday folks like you and me traveling. It terrifies them. We’re harder to control when we move around a lot, and they certainly don’t want us to have that kind of freedom. By rebranding Cracker Barrel, “America’s front porch” is being emasculated. No longer welcoming for grandpas to play checkers with their grandkids and rock, the new CEO is intentionally rolling the sterilized restaurants out as part of a much larger, sinister plot – to erase history, discourage travel, and usher in the era of smart cities.  Apparently, they had already begun removing all the ephemera earlier this summer. Like every other inside job, the changes happen slowly, then suddenly. The press release of the rebranding only reveals what’s been simmering under the surface for a long time.

Just days into this rebrand, Cracker Barrel has lost $100 million already. It’s their money, and they get to spend it however they please. I, too, spend my money however I please, and it won’t be going to Cracker Barrel anymore. There are plenty of other RV spots available for a quick overnight, and I am happy to cook my own food. At least I know what is, and isn’t, in it! In addition, I invite you to join me in contacting them to express displeasure at my funds being used for things that don’t align with my values. They offer a handy contact form here.

Finally, you get to spend your money as you see fit. Cracker Barrel has Bud Lighted itself. Their primary shareholders do not have your best interest at heart. This is a great opportunity to show them the simple truth – they went woke, now, they get to join the rest of the woke crowd in going broke. And, hey – if you need a good canning recipe for fried apples that are very similar to Cracker Barrel’s so you won’t miss theirs, drop me a line, I have a good one.