Hodgetwins - Cracker Barrel STOCK CRASHES After WOKE CEO Rebrand Backlash BLOWS UP!
Aired: 2025-08-22
Duration: 14:30


=== Making Cracker Barrel Fresh (13:01) ===

[00:00:00]  Cracker Barrel has everybody nooses in knots right now.
[00:00:03]  I mean literally their crosses are burning.
[00:00:06]  Now I'm not sure who went into Canva and did this for them, but the people are up in arms.
[00:00:11]  They are thinking about seceding from the nation again.
[00:00:14]  You see how open and bright and spacious it is now?
[00:00:17]  Very live, laugh, love in here.
[00:00:19]  It's almost as if you won't be turned away because of your skin color, but you will be profiled while you're there.
[00:00:26]  Now they will still have their vintage candies like the Sugar Daddies and whatever this wife's only candy is.
[00:00:34]  And the people are so upset about this woke remodeling that they're acting as if they said we can place space and dominoes at the table.
[00:00:42]  Now I don't know about you, but I rather enjoyed having the Confederate antiques spread throughout the stores and that way they can stay away from our museums.
[00:00:51]  Now I'm not sure who Uncle Herschel is, but I know he wouldn't have liked a New York strip or anything.
[00:00:56]  He hated the North.
[00:00:57]  This fall menu they are launching is filled with more microaggressions than a corporate email.
[00:01:03]  Crackle Barrel, by the time Christmas gets here, you better have a candle that smells like racism or they will riot.
[00:01:09]  The Pale Pasty Pillagers are in an uproar about their cracker barrel this morning.
[00:01:14]  Yes, they are pissed because the new CEO is too woke.
[00:01:20]  She just started an alliance with the LGBTQ community and they're starting to redesign all the cracker barrels.
[00:01:26]  Amen that they removed their old crispy crunchity cracker off that barrel and threw it in the trash.
[00:01:32]  They said, put that white man and his barrel back where it came from or so help me.
[00:01:37]  Even Dookie Booty Jr. is pissed off.
[00:01:39]  He said, what the f ⁇ is wrong with Cracker Barrel?
[00:01:42]  They said it was built to look like is not welcome for black people and LGBTQ people.
[00:01:48]  And now y'all are trying to welcome the others.
[00:01:51]  Y'all be trying to welcome the others into our Jim Crow era cracker barrel.
[00:01:55]  They said we like it to look like there should be a whites only sign hanging up somewhere.
[00:02:01]  Now y'all trying to invite other people into our establishment and trying to take away our nostalgia.
[00:02:07]  They said we want to remember them days.
[00:02:10]  They don't like that when they walk in the new cracker barrel, they can't smell the racism in the air.
[00:02:14]  They want to, they miss that smell.
[00:02:17]  Y'all take.
[00:02:18]  What does racism smell like?
[00:02:19]  The smell of racism.
[00:02:21]  What does racism smell like?
[00:02:22]  Peach cobbler?
[00:02:24]  How peace pie?
[00:02:26]  Bacon?
[00:02:28]  Yeah, we got a new show for y'all.
[00:02:29]  Got a damn good show.
[00:02:30]  Before we get today's video, don't forget about our new giveaway that just launched.
[00:02:34]  Dosh Challenger Hellcat and 10,000 in cash.
[00:02:37]  To get in the window, it's going to my website, officialhawshwins.com.
[00:02:41]  Anything you purchase on the site, like my new nitric oxide boots or my Mifflin Blue, get you automatically in the wear.
[00:02:48]  You know what, man?
[00:02:48]  I think...
[00:02:49]  What's up with these bonnets, too?
[00:02:51]  Yeah, a lot of these black people.
[00:02:53]  Black people suffer from racial anxiety.
[00:02:56]  They see things that's not there.
[00:02:58]  I've walked into hundreds, well, not hundreds, tens of cracker barrels across the United States.
[00:03:04]  And I've never felt like I wasn't wanted there.
[00:03:09]  Taking away their smell.
[00:03:10]  They said, this our restaurant.
[00:03:13]  We don't know you.
[00:03:15]  You coming in here trying to change our shit.
[00:03:17]  Man, you put a white person on TikTok and pretending to be black, talking like a black person.
[00:03:25]  Yeah.
[00:03:25]  Yeah, lose that TikTok.
[00:03:28]  I know.
[00:03:28]  You get away with this on TikTok now.
[00:03:31]  Anti-white?
[00:03:32]  Shit, we don't like that.
[00:03:34]  Go back where you came from because woke is broke.
[00:03:38]  They said, put it back how it was.
[00:03:40]  They don't appreciate y'all coming, taking the old white man and his barrel off the logo.
[00:03:45]  And they would much appreciate it if you put it back and add a whites-only sign to it while you at it.
[00:03:51]  They said the only change that we needed was to add a whites-only sign and you could left it at that.
[00:03:56]  Here y'all go want to be woke.
[00:03:58]  They say a woke is broke.
[00:04:01]  Don't be mad at them because they're trying to make a comeback from 91.
[00:04:05]  Yeah, when they released those new policies that discriminated against the LGBTQ community and had them firing anybody who was LGBTQ.
[00:04:14]  Hey, we got any gay people?
[00:04:16]  Yeah, Susie is.
[00:04:17]  Hey, get rid of her.
[00:04:18]  Fire her right now.
[00:04:20]  Who said black guy?
[00:04:21]  He looks gay as hell.
[00:04:24]  I'm going to fire him just because he looks gay.
[00:04:27]  That never happened.
[00:04:28]  Yeah, they're trying to make a comeback with a new CEO and welcome the LGBTQ community back to their restaurants.
[00:04:35]  So stop hating.
[00:04:36]  After nearly 50 years, customers are now having to say bye-bye to the barrel on Cracker Barrel iconic logo.
[00:04:43]  Why did we not lead with this?
[00:04:45]  It comes as a part of the restaurant change rebrand that has a lot of fans up in arms.
[00:04:50]  Fox Business's Jeff Flott joins us from outside of Cracker Barrel in New Jersey.
[00:04:54]  Hey, Jeff.
[00:04:56]  Hley, you know, when you get to be my age, you really don't want things to change.
[00:05:01]  And I've probably, full disclosure, eaten at more Cracker Barrel restaurants than any other restaurant in America over the course of my life.
[00:05:09]  But yeah, the old man's going away.
[00:05:12]  You know, I never even noticed it.
[00:05:14]  I know.
[00:05:14]  I never even looked at the logo that much.
[00:05:18]  I didn't notice it was a white guy in a cracker.
[00:05:20]  I mean, but it's fine.
[00:05:22]  Yeah.
[00:05:23]  That's why you go to that store.
[00:05:24]  You want that atmosphere.
[00:05:27]  Old country feel.
[00:05:28]  Yeah, you want that environment.
[00:05:29]  You want that atmosphere.
[00:05:30]  Right, right.
[00:05:31]  They're changing the logo.
[00:05:32]  Maybe you see it.
[00:05:34]  Enjoy it now.
[00:05:35]  The old man.
[00:05:35]  I don't know if he's going to his great reward in heaven or what, but they are changing the logo.
[00:05:40]  Well, sometimes, in fairness, you do need a brand refresh.
[00:05:45]  What people love about...
[00:05:46]  That's a refreshing brand.
[00:05:48]  They refreshing the brand.
[00:05:50]  Like Dollar General's.
[00:05:52]  Yeah, that new logo is too corporate.
[00:05:55]  It doesn't have that maw and par feel to it.
[00:05:58]  That's a corporate logo.
[00:05:59]  And that's what separates Cracker Barrel from the Denny's, from the IHOPS.
[00:06:03]  It's got that maw and parfield, that old country store, that old country vibe.
[00:06:09]  That logo sucks compared to the old one.
[00:06:14]  He don't even look racist.
[00:06:15]  He's like he's a nice guy.
[00:06:17]  Like you walk by, you'd be like, hey, boy.
[00:06:21]  Hey, I got some food in here.
[00:06:25]  The missus can cook a good apple pie.
[00:06:27]  Yeah, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that logo.
[00:06:30]  The problem is, is that logo feels too white.
[00:06:33]  And the CEO doesn't want to come out and say that.
[00:06:36]  But that's why the changing thing, this store feels too white to them.
[00:06:41]  Another white woman, another white progressive woman.
[00:06:44]  Hey, Kevin, but white, white works.
[00:06:48]  He's damn right.
[00:06:48]  If you ever went to a place that just felt too black, who's going there?
[00:06:54]  You might get shot.
[00:06:56]  You can never go too white.
[00:06:57]  Yeah.
[00:06:58]  About Cracker Barrel is that old country charm.
[00:07:02]  You know, the old crime implements on the wall, the old signs on the wall.
[00:07:06]  Well, they're updating.
[00:07:08]  I like that.
[00:07:08]  When you sit in there, I'll be looking at that.
[00:07:10]  Damn.
[00:07:11]  Look at that old sign.
[00:07:12]  Look at the old person on it.
[00:07:14]  You know what I used to do?
[00:07:15]  I used to take pictures and Google everything to learn the history of the pictures.
[00:07:19]  Oh, yeah.
[00:07:19]  And I was fascinated with that.
[00:07:21]  And I didn't find anything racist or remotely racist about anything that was up on the wall.
[00:07:25]  They're just old relics of the past.
[00:07:28]  They didn't have people in nooses hanging from a tree.
[00:07:34]  And to be honest with you, I think we've got some pictures of what that looks like.
[00:07:38]  That is not Cracker Barrel.
[00:07:41]  They put some tennis rockets.
[00:07:43]  And to be honest with you, I think we've got some pictures of what that looks like.
[00:07:47]  Y'all got some tennis rockets up there?
[00:07:49]  Yeah, you know what that looks like?
[00:07:51]  It looks gay to me.
[00:07:55]  You might as well put a glory hole on the wall.
[00:07:59]  Shut up, Kevin.
[00:08:00]  It does.
[00:08:03]  Sunglasses?
[00:08:04]  Yeah, what's up with the tennis rackets?
[00:08:06]  That's the LGBTQ colors right there.
[00:08:09]  Yeah, I'm sure that's why that's in there.
[00:08:11]  They haven't learned their lesson yet.
[00:08:13]  These people on the left totally haven't learned their lesson.
[00:08:16]  Democrats don't have the capacity to see what they're doing.
[00:08:20]  It's actually not a bad thing.
[00:08:22]  When you get old, also, you can't see as well.
[00:08:24]  So white walls actually help you see the food a little bit better, which may or may not be a good thing when you're ingesting large amounts of biscuits and gravy and all the other stuff.
[00:08:34]  The CEO of Cracker Barrel says, hey, we're not changing what Cracker Barrel is.
[00:08:39]  We're just trying to make it a little fresher and newer.
[00:08:43]  Here's how the...
[00:08:45]  You're changing it.
[00:08:46]  If you change the logo, you're changing what the company stands.
[00:08:50]  You're changing what the company looks like.
[00:08:52]  Yeah, and pretty soon they're going to change what the food looks like.
[00:08:54]  Yes, CEO puts it.
[00:08:56]  Now, with big changes at a restaurant chain that is an American staple, Cracker Barrel is renovating its locations, but many loyal customers say the change is removing what makes the restaurant such a great dining experience and taking to social media to voice their complaints.
[00:09:12]  Well, join us now exclusively to talk about this is the CEO of Cracker Barrel, Julie Messino.
[00:09:18]  Julie, thank you so much.
[00:09:19]  Oh, look at that.
[00:09:19]  Look at the booth.
[00:09:20]  I've never seen a Cracker Barrel like this.
[00:09:22]  Is that the upgrade?
[00:09:23]  Because I haven't seen any Cracker Barrel look like that.
[00:09:25]  Yeah.
[00:09:28]  For joining us here on GMA.
[00:09:30]  I want you to tell us about the redesign of Cracker Barrel and some of your response to the criticism.
[00:09:36]  Yeah.
[00:09:37]  Well, first of all, thank you so much for having me.
[00:09:39]  It's great to be here.
[00:09:40]  And if I can't, I want to give a quick shout out to the 70,000 team members who bring their Cracker Barrel brand to life for our guests every single day.
[00:09:46]  So to the remodels.
[00:09:48]  I think what's important is that we are listening to our guests.
[00:09:51]  We're doing this all for them.
[00:09:53]  What they've said.
[00:09:54]  You did not ask your guests if they wanted these changes.
[00:09:57]  You did not.
[00:09:57]  You're doing this because there's a part of you that feels that this is this store, this atmosphere, and Cracker Barrel is too white.
[00:10:05]  If you want to make it more too old-fashioned, LGBTQ friendly.
[00:10:11]  She wants to make that restaurant look progressive.
[00:10:14]  Yeah.
[00:10:14]  You said is they love the new seating.
[00:10:16]  We're adding in booths, making the chairs more comfortable.
[00:10:19]  I'm cool with that.
[00:10:20]  The seating and stuff like that.
[00:10:21]  But keep those old pictures on the wall.
[00:10:23]  Keep that country feel to your restaurant.
[00:10:26]  But like you're walking into a time machine when you walk into Cracker Barrel.
[00:10:29]  Yeah, that's what I always liked about that restaurant.
[00:10:31]  Yeah.
[00:10:32]  Putting in new lighting, brightening up the paint color.
[00:10:34]  But what's important is things that people love about that is not Crocker Barrel.
[00:10:39]  No.
[00:10:40]  Nope.
[00:10:42]  Cracker Barrel, the soul of Cracker Barrel, is not changing.
[00:10:44]  The rocking chairs are still there.
[00:10:46]  The fireplace is there.
[00:10:47]  The peg game, all the things that make Cracker Barrel Cracker Barrel, the vintage decor, it's still there and it's working.
[00:10:52]  The results affirm that we're headed in the right direction.
[00:10:55]  And this is part of a multi-year transformation of the chain.
[00:10:58]  What else can the customers expect to change?
[00:11:02]  Yeah, well, remember, the heart and soul of Cracker Barrel is going to stay the same.
[00:11:06]  And so today we're actually launching a new campaign called All the More, which really highlights how people feel about Cracker Barrel.
[00:11:12]  It's bigger than just a meal.
[00:11:14]  We've got a retail shop.
[00:11:15]  You're going to get great country hospitality with our scratch-made food in our restaurants.
[00:11:18]  And that's really what this campaign celebrates.
[00:11:20]  What the hell is this?
[00:11:22]  Feels like a converse look.
[00:11:25]  Yeah, it feels more like a bar.
[00:11:27]  What's those bars?
[00:11:29]  I forget the name of them, but it doesn't feel like that country feel.
[00:11:32]  It feels like a bar, like a sports bar.
[00:11:34]  Yeah, it just doesn't look like Crocker Barrel at all.
[00:11:36]  I mean, if you'd have kept all the old nostalgic pictures, stuff like that, those old relics from the past.
[00:11:43]  She said she was keeping them.
[00:11:44]  That doesn't look like it.
[00:11:45]  Yeah.
[00:11:46]  So we've enlisted a little bit of help from a guy named Jordan Davis.
[00:11:49]  Maybe you've heard of him.
[00:11:50]  He's got a new single and album out, and he's in our ad and is the voice of it as well.
[00:11:55]  And it really, again, just highlights those things that make Cracker Barrel Cracker Barrel.
[00:11:58]  Is the food changing?
[00:12:00]  The food.
[00:12:01]  Well, here's what I'll say about that.
[00:12:02]  Innovation has proven to be really great at Cracker Barrel.
[00:12:05]  People are loving our new menu items.
[00:12:07]  We're reinvigorating our dinner menu.
[00:12:09]  We've got a new herb-roasted chicken that is so delicious that launches today.
[00:12:13]  It's like the chicken you would make, Michael, if you were at home making a chicken.
[00:12:16]  Juicy, crisps.
[00:12:18]  Shoot, talk with your eyes open.
[00:12:20]  Yes, it's the chicken that cook at the home at the eyes with your eyes closed.
[00:12:27]  And a nice little sauce that comes with it.
[00:12:30]  But we're also doing some things that our guests love, like bringing back Uncle Herschel's favorite.
[00:12:35]  It's back today in all of our restaurants.
[00:12:37]  So the things that you love at Cracker Barrel are still going to be there.
[00:12:40]  If it doesn't feel like Cracker Barrel, then people's going to boycott.
[00:12:44]  Yeah.
[00:12:44]  I already know.
[00:12:45]  People are going to boycott us.
[00:12:46]  Nah.
[00:12:46]  They're going to take one look at her.
[00:12:48]  It's like, yep.
[00:12:49]  Yeah, they got away with it with Aunt Yamama.
[00:12:52]  That was just, that's just a test.
[00:12:55]  Now they're going to start removing everybody, all races of people from brands.

=== Modernizing Without Losing Nostalgia (01:29) ===

[00:13:01]  That's why they removed it because it feels too white to them.
[00:13:06]  Hey, what I know.
[00:13:07]  You met a CEO?
[00:13:08]  Yeah, she probably went to some Ivy League school.
[00:13:11]  She's probably really smart, y'all.
[00:13:13]  Those glasses are a red flag for me.
[00:13:17]  Rose Eldon wears them.
[00:13:18]  Rachel Maddow wears them.
[00:13:21]  Keith Oberman.
[00:13:22]  Keith Oberman.
[00:13:24]  Rachel Matt.
[00:13:24]  Did I say Rachel Maddow?
[00:13:26]  No.
[00:13:26]  Rachel Maddow.
[00:13:27]  Stephen Colbert.
[00:13:28]  Stephen Colbert.
[00:13:29]  All of them wear those glasses.
[00:13:30]  I haven't seen Mark Cuban wearing those glasses.
[00:13:32]  Those big dark-brimmed glasses.
[00:13:34]  Yeah, it's just a red flag.
[00:13:37]  And then look, you get a person, a CEO, wearing these glasses.
[00:13:41]  What she wants to do, she wants to change everything.
[00:13:44]  She wants to make everything more modern.
[00:13:46]  Yeah.
[00:13:47]  Which is fine, depending on the brand, but Cracker Barrel, that is their brand.
[00:13:52]  Relics, nostalgia, from Blast from the Past, that's their brand.
[00:13:56]  And you're trying to do away with all of that.
[00:13:57]  They could have done all of that, you know, and made it more modern.
[00:14:01]  Like the church could be a little bit more comfortable.
[00:14:03]  Yeah.
[00:14:04]  You know, but it's got to keep that country feel better.
[00:14:06]  They got the same chairs, but they're totally changing everything.
[00:14:09]  Yeah.
[00:14:10]  You're going to boycott.
[00:14:12]  If you're boycotting, I'm boycotting.
[00:14:16]  Let's see how far they take it.
[00:14:18]  All right.
[00:14:19]  You see how far they take it.
[00:14:21]  Yeah.
[00:14:22]  Yeah, because I like that feeling.
[00:14:23]  If they put Black Lives Matter up on the wall, yeah.
[00:14:26]  Yeah, you didn't get it.
[00:14:27]  If I go in there and it feels like a gay bar, I'm boycotted.