NEW: ‘Woke’ Cracker Barrel CEO Under Fire After Stunning Details Emerge

The embattled CEO of Cracker Barrel apparently ignored warnings by a colleague about the damage her rebranding would do to the storied chain of restaurants.

Julie Felss Masino, who has headed the franchise since July 2023, dodged questions as she left a building in Tennessee, the first time she’s been seen in public since the fallout began following Cracker Barrel’s logo revamp. She walked briskly past a Fox Business reporter while talking loudly on her phone and ignoring repeated questions.

She hopped into an SUV while security officers followed closely behind her.

The appearance came after news broke that Masino had ignored concerns expressed by Sardar Biglari, a top investor in the public company, who had first spoken with the executive at approximately 4:30 p.m. on May 16, 2024.

That day, Masino had joined a call with top investors in the publicly traded company to reveal a $700 million overhaul of Cracker Barrel’s image, including the jettisoning of its “Old Timer” logo, which has graced the chain’s establishments since 1977. The company was first launched in 1969.

Billed as a “strategic transformation plan,” Masino promised a return on investment using “five pillars” that would be “refining” and “evolving the brand across all touchpoints.”

Her rollout kicked off months of conversations with investors like Biglari, who reportedly called the plan an “obvious folly,” according to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

“Cracker Barrel is not a broken brand but it has a broken board,” he wrote in a scathing letter to the company’s shareholders.

Speaking about a series of devastating decisions by Masino leading up to that point, Biglari warned ominously, “The chickens have come home to roost.”

Accompanying his letter was a 120-page presentation, titled “CRACKER BARREL IS IN CRISIS,” where Biglari laid out why a facelift wouldn’t save the food chain’s revenue streams. He was reportedly unaware at the time that the logo would be changed.

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The controversy has taken on a political tinge, with commentators on the right mostly critiquing the company for catering to “woke” interests by sponsoring Pride celebrations and removing Uncle Hershel, a figure in its original logo, from the new one. The company has since backtracked and returned to its logo featuring Hershel.

Fox Business describes Masino’s judgment call as a prime example of corporate myopia, where executives forge ahead without heeding calls for caution from other stakeholders.

On the call in May 2024, Masino announced she had hired a “leading” brand consultant and challenged them to “refine and strengthen positioning to delight existing and new guests.” Other pillars of her failed plan include “enhancing the menu,” “evolving the store and guest experience,” “winning in digital and off-premise,” and “elevating the employee experience.”