Cracker Barrel's chief executive, Julie Masino, is to step down, nearly a year after she oversaw a rebranding effort that provoked a fierce political backlash. The restaurant chain unveiled a modernised logo last August that dropped "Uncle Herschel", the overalls-clad figure leaning on a barrel, prompting critics online to brand the update "woke" and "soulless", with Donald Trump himself demanding the company reverse course. Cracker Barrel swiftly reinstated its original logo, but Masino later said she felt "fired by America" over the episode, and her departure now marks the clearest fallout from the row.

David Deno, who called Cracker Barrel "a truly iconic American brand", will take over as chief executive on 10 August, with Masino staying on until October to assist the handover; the company's shares fell almost 3% following the announcement. The episode fits a wider pattern of brands facing consumer backlashes over perceived political stances, with a Harris Poll finding a quarter of Americans have altered their shopping habits on moral or political grounds; the article also notes Cracker Barrel's past discrimination controversies, including an 8.7m dollar settlement in 2004 over claims of bias against Black customers and staff.