Iconic American Restaurant Faces ‘Woke’ Accusations Over ‘Soulless’ Rebrand

American restaurant chain Cracker Barrel, which is best known for its Southern country-themed restaurants and gift stores, is under fire after a controversial rebrand that did away with a popular segment of its logo.

The chain offers a wide range of traditional southern cuisine and comfort food. Inside, Cracker Barrel locations are known for their decor, which includes wooden rocking chairs on front porches, stone fireplaces, and nostalgic artifacts, evoking the feel of an old-school general store.

Cracker Barrel is also recognized for its appeal to travelers due to its locations near interstate highways and its affordable menu, in addition to its gift shops.

In recent weeks, the restaurant has been doing away with its classic feel in favor of modernized rebrands akin to modern fast food chains. Customers have been expressing their dislike for the rebrand on social media, which continued when executives announced a new logo on Wednesday.

The chain has long been identified by its yellow and brown logo that spell out the chain’s name, alongside a man dressed as an old-school general store owner sitting next to a barrel. The new logo keeps the same them in-tact with the color scheme and lettering, though the man on the barrel has been removed entirely.

Cracker Barrel was on the receiving end of additional backlash after the logo change was announced, with some social media users accusing the company of “going woke” like Bud Light, Target and other companies that have been on the receiving end of boycotts in recent years.

“The CEO of Cracker Barrel is as woke as they come. She is destroying a once great American brand,” said conservative political strategist Alex Bruesewitz, who pointed to the company’s recent embrace of “pride” events.

“Another little known fact: Cracker Barrel was a Nashville Pride sponsor. Do you want your $ to fund Pride events when you go to [Cracker Barrel],” said conservative activist Robby Starbuck, who has organized boycotts of numerous companies for adopting left-wing ideologies.

Despite the backlash, Cracker Barrel chief marketing officer Sarah Moore has defended the rebrand. “This is also centered on making our stores easier to operate,” Moore said back in May.

“We have 70,000 incredible team members,” she added. “They’re the ones [who] make the magic every single day – and creating an experience that makes it easier for them to navigate, for them to clean both front of house and back of house, is also part of this physical store expansion.”

Moore further defended the changes in a statement to Fox News, claiming that they were implemented at the behest of customers. The chief executive said she has been “listening to what the guests ask for – and examples of what the guests asked for are things like spaces that feel brighter, that feel less cluttered, more booth seating, more seating options, so our guests are more comfortable while they’re dining with us.”