By Heather Haddon and Suzanne Vranica

Cracker Barrel cut ties with the marketing firm behind the chain's troubled rebranding campaign, including its new logo and redesigned restaurants.

The family-dining chain said Thursday that it ended its contract with Prophet, a global marketing firm Cracker Barrel hired last year as part of a three-year strategic plan to update its brand.

Prophet this year created a new, streamlined Cracker Barrel logo, featuring just the chain's name. It replaced the company's longtime marker featuring a man in overalls leaning against a barrel.

Unveiled in August as part of a fall marketing campaign, the new logo plunged Cracker Barrel into a culture war-fueled battle. Conservative critics accused Cracker Barrel of shunning its country charm and heritage, and President Trump called for the company to reverse course.

The Tennessee-based chain in late August said it would return to its previous logo featuring the "Old Timer" and barrel. In early September, it suspended its restaurant redesign test.

Cracker Barrel also said Thursday that it is retooling the company's leadership structure. The company eliminated the role of chief restaurant and retail operations officer, with that executive, Cammie Spillyards-Schaefer, departing the company. A current vice president for field operations, Doug Hisel, is taking on an expanded store operations role.

The company said that a former vice president for menu strategy, Thomas Yun, would rejoin Cracker Barrel. Yun had previously developed some of the chain's best-performing new dishes in recent years, the company said.

Chief Executive Julie Felss Masino said the changes "mark a strategic step forward as we sharpen our focus on consistently craveable food and warm country hospitality."

San Francisco-based Prophet has previously worked on campaigns for entertainment, hospitality and consumer companies. Cracker Barrel said in March it had hired the firm to work on brand communication, restaurant redesigns, marketing and employee programs.

"They are focused on shaping a new brand vision that will enhance market share while preserving the company's unique heritage," Cracker Barrel said about Prophet at the time.

In addition to the logo, Prophet helped design a modern restaurant prototype that the chain rolled out in four Cracker Barrel stores. Beyond the new logo, the restaurants featured white exteriors and interiors, and rolling pins brought together in frames instead of scattered throughout the restaurants.

Cracker Barrel is now converting those restaurants back to more traditional formats. It will continue to invest in repairs and upkeep of its 660 locations, the company said.

Write to Heather Haddon at heather.haddon@wsj.com and Suzanne Vranica at Suzanne.Vranica@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

October 02, 2025 17:03 ET (21:03 GMT)

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