Business
Cracker Barrel shares plummet after pushback on new logo, brand refresh
The new Cracker Barrel logo is seen on a menu inside the restaurant on Aug. 21, 2025 in Homestead, Florida.
Joe Raedle | Getty Images
Shares of Cracker Barrel Old Country Store plummeted roughly 10% on Thursday after the restaurant unveiled its new logo earlier this week as part of a larger brand refresh.
The new logo removes the image of a man leaning against a barrel that was prominently featured in the original, leaving behind just the words “Cracker Barrel” against a yellow background. The phrase “old country store” has also been removed.
The company said the colors in the logo were inspired by the chain’s scrambled eggs and biscuits.
The change is part of a “strategic transformation” to revitalize the brand that started back in May 2024. Under that mission, Cracker Barrel’s brand refresh includes updates to visual elements, restaurant spaces and food and retail offerings.
Cracker Barrel’s old and new logo.
Courtesy: Cracker Barrel
Cracker Barrel said in March that the refresh will still maintain the brand’s “rich history of country hospitality” and “authentic charm that has made the brand a beloved destination for generations of families.”
“We believe in the goodness of country hospitality, a spirit that has always defined us. Our story hasn’t changed. Our values haven’t changed,” Chief Marketing Officer Sarah Moore said in a media release.
However, many social media users have criticized the new logo, especially those in conservative circles. The president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., amplified a post on Wednesday suggesting that the logo change was led by CEO Julie Felss Masino to erase the American tradition aspect of the branding and make it more general, as a way of leaning into diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.
Conservative activist Robby Starbuck added his commentary on Thursday, writing in a post on social media site X, “Good morning @CrackerBarrel! You’re about to learn that wokeness really doesn’t pay.”
The company has a relatively small market cap of about $1.2 billion compared with other restaurant chains.
Customers have also complained on social media about the interior redesign of many Cracker Barrel restaurants, saying the new decor favors a more sterile and modern style over its tried-and-true country feel.
On the restaurant’s latest earnings call in June, Masino said Cracker Barrel had completed 20 remodels and 20 refreshes. She said the company will be sharing more information about the remodeling initiative in September.
“Employees had given us great feedback about working in those newly remodeled and refreshed stores and guests continue to tell us that they’re lighter, brighter, more welcoming and they’re enjoying them,” Masino said on the call.
Cracker Barrel is not the only stock to see large swings based on political social media posts.
Earlier this month, shares of American Eagle soared after Trump posted that an ad featuring Sydney Sweeney, which faced significant social media pushback from the left, was “the ‘HOTTEST’ ad out there.”
Back in 2023, Anheuser-Busch InBev faced heavy criticism from conservatives after a collaboration between Bud Light and social influencer Dylan Mulvaney, who is transgender.
Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon speaks during an interview at the Economic Club of Washington in Washington, D.C., U.S., Oct. 30, 2025.
Kevin Lamarque | Reuters
Goldman Sachs is scheduled to report fourth-quarter earnings before the opening bell Thursday.
Here’s what Wall Street expects:
- Earnings: $11.67 per share, according to LSEG
- Revenue: $13.79 billion, according to LSEG
- Trading revenue: Fixed income of $2.93 billion, equities of $3.70 billion, per StreetAccount
- Investing banking fees: $2.58 billion, per StreetAccount
Goldman Sachs is set up to be a beneficiary of several trends in the fourth quarter.
Trading desks across Wall Street have benefited in the last year as President Donald Trump’s policies have roiled markets for bonds, currencies, commodities and stocks.
For instance, rival JPMorgan Chase topped expectations for fourth-quarter results on equities and fixed income trading revenue that exceeded the StreetAccount estimate by a combined $460 million.
Global investment banking revenue in the quarter was 12% higher than a year ago, according to Dealogic, which should provide a boost to Goldman’s advisory business.
The firm’s asset and wealth management division should also see gains as stock market levels remained buoyant in the quarter.
Finally, the bank said last week that its deal to offload its Apple Card business to JPMorgan would result in a 46-cents-per-share boost to quarterly results.
This story is developing. Please check back for updates.
Last Updated:
X decision came after facing outrage over the misuse of Grok, where the AI Chatbot was found to be complying with user requests to digitally undress images of real people.
Elon Musk’s Grok can no longer undress images of real people on X. (Representative Image)
Amid the rising concerns over the sexualised AI deepfakes in countries including the UK and US, Elon Musk’s Grok artificial intelligence chatbot will no longer edit “images of real people in revealing clothing” on X, the company confirmed Wednesday evening.
The company’s decision came after facing global outrage over the misuse of Grok, where the AI Chatbot was found to be complying with user requests to digitally undress images of adults and, in some cases, children.
“We have implemented technological measures to prevent the Grok account from allowing the editing of images of real people in revealing clothing such as bikinis. This restriction applies to all users, including paid subscribers,” X wrote via its Safety team account.
Within the last week xAi, which owns both Grok and X, restricted image generation for Grok on X to paying X premium subscribers
CNN reported that it has been observed that in the last few days, Grok’s X account had modified how it responded in general to users’ image generation requests, even for those subscribed to X premium.
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United States of America (USA)
January 15, 2026, 08:34 IST
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Elon Musk’s AI model Grok will no longer be able to edit photos of real people to show them in revealing clothing, after widespread concern over sexualised AI deepfakes in countries including the UK and US.
“We have implemented technological measures to prevent the Grok account from allowing the editing of images of real people in revealing clothing such as bikinis.
“This restriction applies to all users, including paid subscribers,” reads an announcement on X, which operates the Grok AI tool.
The change was announced hours after California’s top prosecutor said the state was probing the spread of sexualised AI deepfakes, including of children, generated by the AI model.
The update expands measures that stop all users, including paid subscribers, editing images of real people in revealing outfits.
X, formerly known as Twitter, also reiterated in a statement on Wednesday that only paid users will be able to edit images using Grok on its platform.
This will add an extra layer of protection by helping to ensure that those who try and abuse Grok to violate the law or X’s policies are held accountable, it said.
Users who try to generate images of real people in bikinis, underwear and similar clothing using Grok will be stopped from doing so according to the laws of their jurisdiction, X’s statement said.
In a statement on Wednesday, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said: “This material, which depicts women and children in nude and sexually explicit situations, has been used to harass people across the internet.”
Malaysia and Indonesia have blocked access to the chatbot over the images and UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer warned X could lose the “right to self regulate” amid outrage over the AI images.
Britain’s media regulator, Ofcom, said on Monday that it would investigate whether X had failed to comply with UK law over the sexual images.
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