Lebanon, TN — Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. (NASDAQ: CBRL) has ignited a social media firestorm by announcing that all 660 restaurants and shops will be rebranded as All Lives Barrel, effective immediately. Established in 1969, the chain is known for its “traditional” Southern cuisine and old-fashioned general store atmosphere. The transition to All Lives Barrel will span approximately eight months and cost over $42 million, with 42 locations already updated.
“We recognize that some of our guests will be perplexed,” said Bethany Millbright, spokesperson for All Lives Barrel. “But, like everyone else, we see the writing on the wall, and we must stick to and preserve our southern roots.”
This isn’t the first time the popular chain has courted controversy. In the early 1990s, founder and then-CEO Dan Evins implemented a policy forbidding the hiring of anyone whose “sexual inclinations fail to exhibit conventional heterosexual norms.”
As if that weren’t enough, Cracker Barrel continued to stir controversy over the next decade due to Evin’s public and private support of discriminatory tactics against female and minority employees. These actions violated the company’s non-discrimination policy.
This rebranding is seen as a continuation of that tradition.
Some regular customers were ambivalent about the shift, but many of its more conservative clients frequently ranted in jibberish about their approbation of All Lives Barrel.
“Take a look at this. I understand why black people are upset about getting beaten,” said Jasper K. Trains, commenting on the makeover of his neighborhood eatery in Knoxville, Tennessee. “But now my Aunt Jemima is leaving, and the liberals are taking down sculptures and such. So, as I pulled into my Cracker Barrel parking lot, I was stunned and in tears. They were right there. They were replacing the sign with a new one. I was ecstatic. I was.”
Cracker Barrel issued this announcement on Twitter and Instagram, responding to online criticism accusing the restaurant of racial insensitivity.
“We respect all Americans’ rights and believe that ethnicity should not influence your ability to have a decent dinner with your family. With this in mind, we have decided to allow a Popeye’s Chicken to construct and operate a restaurant across the street from any of our great, civilized restaurants.”
Following the announcement, CBRL shares plummeted 16% on NASDAQ.
