Cracker Barrel New Logo

[1995hoo]

How a logo looks at small sizes is very important in digital contexts as well. I've seen commentary that suggests that one of the motivations for redesigning the logo was probably so that it was more legible at the size of a smartphone app icon.

Indeed.  Even taking out the barrel and Uncle Herschel, the old logo is completely illegible in digital contexts (like their Facebook profile picture).

That's a plausible point. The NFL cited such legibility issues when it redesigned its logo in 2008 to change from 25 stars to 8 and to change the typeface for the three letters.

The current logo is at the top center; the one that preceded it is to the current logo's left. The others are all older designs. I find the one at the bottom left particularly illegible.

[ZLoth]

Sometimes you just want something you know.

I can understand that perspective, and if I'm traveling, I may stop by a Carl's Jr/Hardees for that bundle of sin called a Western Bacon Cheeseburger only because the three locations in my area are at least 45 minutes away. It just bothers me when you go on vacation hundreds of miles from home and you choose to go to a McDonalds, KFC, Dennys, Applebee, Whataburger, IHOP, or Panda Express when the local businesses could benefit from your tourist dollar. And, there are regional chains that are worth trying as well.

[kphoger]

Sometimes you just want something you know.

I can understand that perspective, and if I'm traveling, I may stop by a Carl's Jr/Hardees for that bundle of sin called a Western Bacon Cheeseburger only because the three locations in my area are at least 45 minutes away. It just bothers me when you go on vacation hundreds of miles from home and you choose to go to a McDonalds, KFC, Dennys, Applebee, Whataburger, IHOP, or Panda Express when the local businesses could benefit from your tourist dollar. And, there are regional chains that are worth trying as well.

If you're on an eight-day vacation, trying out the local spots seven of those days, maybe you just want something you know on the eighth day.  Especially if you didn't end up liking two of those local spots.

[SEWIGuy]

The nearest Cracker Barrel to me is about 12 miles north of where I live, but in my 6½ years of living in North Dallas, I haven't eaten there. There was a Cracker Barrel in Sacramento, but that has long since closed. (FWIW... I also haven't been to a Dennys since I moved to North Dallas.)

From what I understand, the food quality has gone downhill across the chain. That's... not good. There are plenty of mom-and-pop establishments that serve better quality food in this area. Also, when I travel, I try to avoid the chains that are established in my area and try the local restaurants because of the blandness of the chains.

Sometimes you just want something you know.

I couldn't personally have a more opposite mentality.

Usually I don't have that mentality. Sometimes I do.

[JayhawkCO]

The nearest Cracker Barrel to me is about 12 miles north of where I live, but in my 6½ years of living in North Dallas, I haven't eaten there. There was a Cracker Barrel in Sacramento, but that has long since closed. (FWIW... I also haven't been to a Dennys since I moved to North Dallas.)

From what I understand, the food quality has gone downhill across the chain. That's... not good. There are plenty of mom-and-pop establishments that serve better quality food in this area. Also, when I travel, I try to avoid the chains that are established in my area and try the local restaurants because of the blandness of the chains.

Sometimes you just want something you know.

I couldn't personally have a more opposite mentality.

Usually I don't have that mentality. Sometimes I do.

The only time I can say I've ever had this was after having been gone for about a month on a backpacking trip in Southeast Asia and decided I wanted to have a burger. Otherwise, I relish trying only local stuff 100% of the time.

[Rothman]

For me, I'll try more local places if I have time.  But, when time is more urgent, fast food is a necessary convenience.

[kphoger]

The only time I can say I've ever had this was after having been gone for about a month on a backpacking trip in Southeast Asia and decided I wanted to have a burger. Otherwise, I relish trying only local stuff 100% of the time.

I've never wanted a Big Mac as much as I did after a week in Europe.

[SEWIGuy]

The nearest Cracker Barrel to me is about 12 miles north of where I live, but in my 6½ years of living in North Dallas, I haven't eaten there. There was a Cracker Barrel in Sacramento, but that has long since closed. (FWIW... I also haven't been to a Dennys since I moved to North Dallas.)

From what I understand, the food quality has gone downhill across the chain. That's... not good. There are plenty of mom-and-pop establishments that serve better quality food in this area. Also, when I travel, I try to avoid the chains that are established in my area and try the local restaurants because of the blandness of the chains.

Sometimes you just want something you know.

I couldn't personally have a more opposite mentality.

Usually I don't have that mentality. Sometimes I do.

The only time I can say I've ever had this was after having been gone for about a month on a backpacking trip in Southeast Asia and decided I wanted to have a burger. Otherwise, I relish trying only local stuff 100% of the time.

Honestly I don't really care.

[JayhawkCO]

The only time I can say I've ever had this was after having been gone for about a month on a backpacking trip in Southeast Asia and decided I wanted to have a burger. Otherwise, I relish trying only local stuff 100% of the time.

I've never wanted a Big Mac as much as I did after a week in Europe.

Were you in a European country with good food? (i.e., not the UK?) 

[JayhawkCO]

The nearest Cracker Barrel to me is about 12 miles north of where I live, but in my 6½ years of living in North Dallas, I haven't eaten there. There was a Cracker Barrel in Sacramento, but that has long since closed. (FWIW... I also haven't been to a Dennys since I moved to North Dallas.)

From what I understand, the food quality has gone downhill across the chain. That's... not good. There are plenty of mom-and-pop establishments that serve better quality food in this area. Also, when I travel, I try to avoid the chains that are established in my area and try the local restaurants because of the blandness of the chains.

Sometimes you just want something you know.

I couldn't personally have a more opposite mentality.

Usually I don't have that mentality. Sometimes I do.

The only time I can say I've ever had this was after having been gone for about a month on a backpacking trip in Southeast Asia and decided I wanted to have a burger. Otherwise, I relish trying only local stuff 100% of the time.

Honestly I don't really care.

You didn't have to respond to my comment. It's okay to have differing opinions.

[wanderer2575]

Well, the food is mediocre.

At best, and after having been to a couple locations that's the reason I haven't tried them again.  I don't give a fig what the logo looks like.

[kphoger]

I've never wanted a Big Mac as much as I did after a week in Europe.

Were you in a European country with good food? (i.e., not the UK?) 

The food in the countries we visited was absolutely amazing, and a lot of it was homemade by people we were staying with.  Poland, Austria, Germany.  It was of much better quality than McDonald's, that's for sure.

But that's not what cravings are about, is it?  When my wife was pregnant with our eldest son, she frequently craved Funyuns.  Let me tell you, it wasn't because she thought they were a high quality product!  In the winter, I often crave a can of Campbell's condensed soup, but not because I think it's the highest quality soup I can get.


As for your parenthesis...  I've only been to the UK once, as part of a big junior high music group tour.  What I recall about the food in England:

1.  Fish and chips at a small joint just outside Windsor Castle.  Best fish and chips I've ever had.

2.  Breakfast buffet at the hotel.  Mandarin orange wedges soaking in liquid that tasted like cheap white wine.  Absolutely disgusting, an offense to humanity.

3.  Chinese take-away from a small joint near the hotel.  Calamari, absolutely swimming in grease.  Fried rice, so dry it was awful.  Poured the excess grease from the calamari over the rice to balance it out.  Serviceable.

[NE2]

3.  Chinese take-away from a small joint near the hotel.  Calamari, absolutely swimming in grease.  Fried rice, so dry it was awful.  Poured the excess grease from the calamari over the rice to balance it out.  Serviceable.

Are you telling me a squid fried this rice?

[kphoger]

Are you telling me a squid fried this rice?

[ZLoth]

If you're on an eight-day vacation, trying out the local spots seven of those days, maybe you just want something you know on the eighth day.  Especially if you didn't end up liking two of those local spots.

In the end, it's your money and your choice. Seeking out a "familiar" spot on the last day of a vacation when you just want to be home is fine. Like I said, what bothers me is when you travel hundreds of miles away from home, yet only dine at the familiar spots instead of the local spots. If I ever traveled to Maine, I would have stopped at a McDonalds to try the lobster roll, but I understand it was discontinued in 2017.

Going back to the original thread... a new logo won't fix underlying food quality issues that is chasing away customers.

[kphoger]

Like I said, what bothers me is when you travel hundreds of miles away from home, yet only dine at the familiar spots instead of the local spots.

The bolded word is new, and it completely changes the meaning of your post.

[Max Rockatansky]

If you're on an eight-day vacation, trying out the local spots seven of those days, maybe you just want something you know on the eighth day.  Especially if you didn't end up liking two of those local spots.

In the end, it's your money and your choice. Seeking out a "familiar" spot on the last day of a vacation when you just want to be home is fine. Like I said, what bothers me is when you travel hundreds of miles away from home, yet only dine at the familiar spots instead of the local spots. If I ever traveled to Maine, I would have stopped at a McDonalds to try the lobster roll, but I understand it was discontinued in 2017.

Going back to the original thread... a new logo won't fix underlying food quality issues that is chasing away customers.

And yet when Coca Cola did this back in the 1980s people flocked to the stores to get their familiar Coke product amid the New Coke saga.  I suspect short term Cracker Barrel will see a restaurant sales boon given that the new logo is now dead.

[kphoger]

It just bothers me when you go on vacation hundreds of miles from home and you choose to go to a McDonalds, KFC, Dennys, Applebee, Whataburger, IHOP, or Panda Express when the local businesses could benefit from your tourist dollar. And, there are regional chains that are worth trying as well.

Also, the bolded word is key.  Not every trip is a vacation, and the nature of the trip matters.

For example, my family recently spent a few days up in Kansas City, and my sister and her husband came down from Des Moines too. We were on the edge of the Westport neighborhood, which has all sorts of hip local establishments.  But we weren't there for a vacation.  My dad was having brain surgery.  So we got food from places that we were familiar with because we knew (a) my wife could find something that won't spike her blood sugar and my sister could find something that works with how she eats too, (b) our kids already have an idea of what they want before we go, (c) it's easy enough to order to go and take back to the hospital or rental house.

Or I remember the time we drove nearly 1500 miles round-trip to Tennessee, but it was just to buy a car.  We weren't there to explore the local scene.  I have no clue what restaurants we ate at while we were there, but I guarantee they were fast food chains.

[JayhawkCO]

Hope your dad is doing okay.

[Bobby5280]

Even among younger folks, the old-timey-ness of Cracker Barrel is more than half the reason to go there—assuming they're not just a transplant from the South and itching for some fried okra.  The old-fashioned stick candy, the big front porch, all of that old-timey stuff:  that's, like, the whole point of going to Cracker Barrel.

I think the appeal of Cracker Barrel is pretty limited with people in the Millennials and Gen-Z age groups. Hell, even plenty of people in my generation (Gen-X) think Cracker Barrel is a restaurant solely for old, conservative white people. While my generation is getting old that doesn't mean I'm growing more fond of Cracker Barrel or any other place that sells what amounts to cafeteria food.

We have a Cracker Barrel location here in Lawton off I-44 at the Gore Blvd exit. It opened in the late 1990's and has hasn't noticeably changed since then. The place gets pretty slammed with customers at lunch time on Sunday. Business is steady, if not slow the rest of the time. I'm pretty certain if the restaurant wasn't located close to several hotels by the Interstate the place would have been closed a long time ago.

While this attempt at a brand re-fresh may have failed, I'd expect Cracker Barrel to revisit the task within the next few years. The brand they've had is outdated and doesn't function well.

[SP Cook]

IMHO

- I don't care.  Forced to choose, the now cancelled new logo is very generic.

- CB is, appropriate to this forum, a very highway focused chain, I would speculate it get a very high percentage of interstate travelers vis local.

- There are three new Coke theories, I subscribe to the least popular of the three, but you probably guessed that.

- Know your customer base.  The downfall of many enterprises is become unhappy with your base.  I think some people ran with this and the other changes at CB were it doing so.  I have no idea if this is so.  If the CB management is not happy with its old skewing base, no amount of changes are getting that changed.  Someone else will be glad to fil that niche and take that money.

[JayhawkCO]

Know your customer base.  The downfall of many enterprises is become unhappy with your base. 

Or not really knowing who your base is, a la Tesla.

[PColumbus73]

I felt the logo rebrand was just following in line with all the other corporate bland logos, just a big 'meh'.

I was more disappointed about the revamped interiors that removed all the old signs, antiques, and general kitsch. The new interior gives off Paula Deen or Pioneer Woman, or a bland HGTV makeover. Maybe it's not specific to Cracker Barrel, but the spreading of the corporate blandness that's been removing personality from these places like McDonalds and trying to 'upscale' them.

[kphoger]

Hell, even plenty of people in my generation (Gen-X) think Cracker Barrel is a restaurant solely for old, conservative white people.

They must not have noticed all the middle-aged black people who want a taste of how their aunt used to cook.

[Molandfreak]

This is one area where I agreed with the conservative sentiment, but for a different reason. Minimalist design is ridiculously easy for AI to replicate, so if those design trends continue to be common, the entire graphic design profession will be in jeopardy.