You know the feeling, don’t you? It’s the comfort of walking into a place that feels like home. A place tied to family road trips and Sunday meals. These places are keepers of our shared culture. They offer a welcome break from a world trying to erase every piece of tradition.

But something is rotten in America’s boardrooms. A new type of executive thinks loyalty is a weakness. They seem to believe the only way forward is to insult their own heritage. They chase the approval of radicals who never bought their products anyway. And we are all left wondering what on earth they are thinking.

The latest company to get infected with this nonsense is an American staple: Cracker Barrel. For nearly 50 years, its logo showed a man in overalls leaning against a barrel. It was a simple, rustic image. It perfectly captured the company’s down-home feel. But that symbol is now gone. In its first big redesign since 1977, the company erased the cowboy. What’s left? A sterile barrel that looks like any other corporate logo.

And if you want to know who’s driving this, look no further than the new CEO, Julie Felss Masino. Her own words tell you everything you need to know.

From ‘The Post Millennial’:

The controversy comes on the heels of other missteps by CEO Julie Felss Masino, who took the helm less than a year ago. Last year, she sparked outrage during an investor call by declaring, “We’re just not as relevant as we once were,” while admitting that “some of our recipes and processes haven’t evolved in decades.”

Those remarks, combined with sluggish post-pandemic business, rattled investors. The company’s stock plunged nearly 20 percent in the weeks following her comments, sinking to a 52-week low of $45.35—its weakest trading level in more than ten yers, according to Daily Mail.

A pattern of pandering

Here’s a news flash: for millions of loyal customers, the fact that Cracker Barrel’s recipes “haven’t evolved” is the whole point. But this strange attack on its own brand isn’t a one-off. It’s part of a pattern. The company already caused a stir when it posted a rainbow-painted rocking chair on Instagram for Pride Month. Sound familiar? It should. It was another case of a company taking a wholesome symbol and making it political for no good reason.

Corporate executives might live in a bubble, but the stock market doesn’t. After Masino insulted the brand, investors ran for the hills. The company’s stock crashed by nearly 20 percent. It hit a 10-year low. This wasn’t just a bad day of trading. It was a clear message. When leadership shows contempt for its customers, the bottom line suffers. Turns out, Wall Street still cares about profits, even if CEOs don’t.

Don’t believe your own eyes

The most insulting part of all this? The company’s response. Fans are furious. They feel betrayed. But according to Masino, the feedback has been “overwhelmingly positive.” It’s classic gaslighting. She is telling millions of Americans not to believe their own eyes. They expect you to sit quietly while they dismantle your culture, and then thank them for it.

So no, this is not just about a logo. It’s about drawing a line in the sand. These executives think we’re just going to sit back and take it. They can change the logos and insult the recipes. But they can’t force patriots to spend their hard-earned money at a place that no longer respects them. They’re about to get a lesson in basic economics.

Key Takeaways

• Cracker Barrel’s new CEO insults the company’s traditional customer base.
• The company’s stock plummeted after embracing a “woke” corporate strategy.
• This follows a pattern of brands alienating their core audience for politics.
• Corporate leaders often deny the negative feedback from everyday Americans.

Sources: The Post Millennial