Cracker Barrel CEO departs a year after Trump joined backlash over logo change

Cracker Barrel CEO departs a year after Trump joined backlash over logo change Reuters Mon, July 27, 2026 at 6:07 PM GMT+2 1 min read CBRL July 27 (Reuters) - Cracker Barrel on Monday said Julie Masino would step down as its CEO, nearly a year ‌after the company faced criticism from conservatives, including U. S. ‌President Donald Trump, for a short-lived decision to change its decades-old logo.

Here are the ​details: • Masino will step down as CEO on August 10 after about three years in the role and will remain with the company in an advisory capacity until October 9. • Cracker Barrel named ‌restaurant industry veteran David ⁠Deno as its new top boss. • In August 2025, the company faced backlash on social media for ⁠its decision to modernize its logo and stores and replace its decades-old "Old-Timer" signage which featured the image of an overalls-clad man known as "Uncle ​Herschel" ​leaning against a barrel.

• Cracker Barrel ​reverted to its old ‌logo and also dropped a plan to roll out a more modern store layout. • The company said in September 2025 that the backlash had hit store traffic, and forecast annual revenue below estimates. • Cracker Barrel's shares fell nearly 52% last year, but have doubled ‌so far this year.

The stock ​was down about 4% after the ​CEO change was announced on ​Monday. • Deno was most recently the CEO of ‌Florida-based restaurant chain Bloomin' Brands and ​has also held ​senior positions at electronics retailer Best Buy as well as Yum Brands. • Last week, Cracker Barrel said it had ​divested part of its ‌Maple Street Biscuit business, and expected to exceed its ​core profit outlook for fiscal 2026.