A business wasn’t even able to change its logo without 47 barreling in. Next thing you know, it caved, reversed course and apologized. C’mon Cracker Barrel.
I personally have a certain fondness for the place. My mom loved it. (Irrelevant story alert!) One time her medical alert device went off while she was dining there, prompting phone calls to my sister and me. We called the manager asking him to check the parking lot for someone fallen. He found no one there, so we described her further:
She’s got white hair and is probably eating beans and greens.
Ma’am, said the manager, that describes half the people in here.
She was fine and pretty annoyed that we had initiated a search for her. It was a safe place she could go on her own for a hearty meal. Good times and good food at the Cracker Barrel.
I could care less what their logo looks like. I mean let’s face it, the building is a wooden structure, and I would make a conservative guess, that it’s often filled with a lot of white people.
So, is modernizing now considered “woke?” (A re-purposed term I hate.) Can we no longer rehab, rebrand or reinvent? As far as I’m concerned, people who woke up hungry, go to the restaurant to eat there.
But then I got curious. What is Cracker Barrel’s corporate philosophy? First, I went to their website. Below is an excerpt from their apology:
"What has not changed, and what will never change, are the values this company was built on when Cracker Barrel first opened in 1969: hard work, family, and scratch-cooked food made with care. A place where everyone feels at home, no matter where you're from or where you're headed."“A place where everyone feels at home, no matter where you’re from...” Did 47 accidentally endorse an inclusive business? He must be off his rocker.
Then I stumbled across another website that displayed a SWOT1 analysis of the company’s mission, vision and values. According to this site, Cracker Barrel launched a strategic plan in 2024 that included a brand refresh and remodeling of stores. Perhaps their communication plan should have included encouraging some patrons to vote differently.
This latest incident of presidential interference and overreach further demonstrates that absolutely nothing is safe or sacred.
For me, it’s not about the restaurant per se. I care about our rights being trampled, our freedoms of thought and speech and action being controlled. What country are we living in?
Like shooting fish in a barrel, our fear-mongering leader (and his devotees) continues to go after anyone and anything without regard for propriety, policy, or law. How l wish for a return to democracy and decency.
I continue to look for ways we can get out of this mess. But in the meantime, I think I’ll go sit in a rocking chair and remember the good old days.
SWOT: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats (I bet they never considered that the U.S. president would be a threat!)