Crisis communications is a hard nut to crack, so hats off to an American roadside chain that’s recently navigated a difficult crisis and is staging a comeback.
Cracker Barrel: From Crisis to Comeback
Readers may recall that I recently wrote about the big-brand backlash at Cracker Barrel, and this is a happy follow-up post because things finally seem to be looking up for the crisis-ridden Southern restaurant chain.
A year ago, the brand was in full-blown crisis mode after it unveiled this new logo to the world, which failed to crackle with almost everyone:
Its share price tumbled as the new, modern, minimalist logo met with general dismay.
From Austin to Zephyrhills, the message was pretty universal: bring back the Uncle guy from the original logo.
And so, within a week of launching, prayers were answered as they waved goodbye to ‘the New Cracker Barrel’ and reverted back to good old-timer Uncle Herschel.
It turns out old things are sometimes worth keeping! A bit of a life lesson in there…
One Year On: Reputation Rebuild
A year after a full-blown crisis over its new logo, the dust seems to have settled.
The road to recovery has been difficult. But the signs for the future are encouraging as its rebuild gathers pace.
Nostalgia is back on the menu, with retro favourite meals making a welcome return, a new loyalty programme, and more customer-focused features, such as ‘Front Porch Feedback’, proving popular.
The stock has rallied strongly recently, and a new CEO took the reins last month to lead the rebuild.
Christmas sales season will be an important early test in his tenure, and CB merch leaning heavily into the past is already on display in *sigh* late August. It might be a tad too early for some/me, but their Santa-themed salt n’ pepper shakers definitely caught the eye and should help them score a bumper Christmas.
Back to the Future
Wherever you look, nostalgia is definitely trending hot. From Marty McFly Casio watches (a friend recently bought my husband one for his birthday!) and phone-free Bob Dylan concerts to Polaroid’s “the best of summer is analogue” campaign, there’s a real hankering for those simpler days when we weren’t all surgically attached to our screens.
Top Tips
Rebrands aren’t easy, but one thing is clear: sticking to your brand’s core values really pays off.
Cracker Barrel learned the hard way, in terms of reputation and financial losses: it lost a staggering $100 million as its share price tanked in the early days of the crisis.
Successful rebrands don’t happen overnight. Invest time and resources to dig deep and truly understand your business – what works, what doesn’t, and who your customer is.
Match execution with delivery. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking all the hard work is done once the design phase is over. Because it really isn’t.
Plan the launch. Careful handling and clear, confident communication that tells and sells the rebrand story to customers, stakeholders, and employees is vital.
Every brand is on a journey and evolving constantly. But in times of flux, change, or crisis, well-embedded core values are the glue that holds it all together.
Any brand reboot should strike a perfect balance between respecting your past, connecting with the present, and building for the future.
And if it’s one built on nostalgia, like Cracker Barrel, and that rebrand doesn’t fully align with your core values, the pushback is real and sudden.
Time will tell, but one year on, the brand looks like it might well go from old-timer to comeback kid!
This follows up on a previous post about the American chain’s woes, which you can read here.
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Katherine Porter is a former TV journalist with extensive PR experience. She has worked in senior public sector roles, including as PR manager for the London Olympics and as a Director of Communications in the US. Most recently, she worked in charity sector comms before setting up her own PR agency. She also writes regularly on Substack.
