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Cracker Barrel CEO Says Keeping Her Job Feels Like Being 'Fired By America'

MarketDash Editorial Team
11 days ago
Julie Masino survived a social media firestorm over a logo redesign, but the damage to Cracker Barrel's traffic and stock price tells a brutal story about the limits of customer patience.

Sometimes keeping your job doesn't feel like winning. Just ask Julie Masino, CEO of Cracker Barrel Old Country Store (CBRL), who recently admitted that surviving a social media firestorm over a logo change feels like she's "been fired by America."

When Blaze Media CEO Glenn Beck asked if she was surprised to still have her job, that's exactly how Masino described her current situation. Beck's response? That's "probably worse."

The whole saga started when Cracker Barrel decided to update its logo and décor, a move that sent the most devoted fans into a rage. Critics demanded Masino's head, the stock price tanked, and customers vowed never to return. President Donald Trump amplified the outrage on social media, turning what might have been a routine brand refresh into a full-blown corporate crisis.

Masino, who quickly reversed course and brought back the old logo, is now trying to repair the damage and win customers back. She told Fox News that she wanted to "help people love this brand" and acknowledged the company "missed the mark" with the redesign.

The restaurant chain initially defended the logo change before apologizing and reversing direction shortly after the backlash intensified. But the damage was already done.

The Market Thought She Was Toast

Prediction markets on Kalshi told the story in real time. At the peak of the controversy in August, traders gave Masino a 36.8% chance of being ousted as CEO before the end of 2025. Those odds have since collapsed to just 5% with only a month left in the year.

Still, not everyone thinks she's out of the woods. Steak 'n Shake went after Masino directly on X, sharing the Beck interview story and writing: "Cracker Barrel stock is down 85%. AMERICA is firing her with one less visit at a time." The chain, owned by Biglari Holdings (BH), added: "Save Cracker Barrel! Fire the CEO!"

That's not just random trolling from a competitor. Biglari Capital, which controls Biglari Holdings, owns around 3% of Cracker Barrel shares and has been pushing for changes at the company for more than a dozen years, according to Restaurant Dive. They've lost most of those battles, but they're clearly not giving up.

The Numbers Don't Lie

Cracker Barrel's fourth-quarter results looked solid on paper. The company reported sales of $855.3 million, up 4.4% year-over-year and beating analyst estimates. It was the fifth consecutive quarter of comparable store restaurant sales increases.

But here's the problem: the logo controversy exploded after the fourth quarter ended. The company's guidance for fiscal 2026 revenue of $3.35 billion to $3.45 billion came in below analyst expectations of $3.47 billion, suggesting management knows trouble is coming.

Data from Placer.ai reveals just how badly customer traffic collapsed after the August 19 logo change. Visits fell 5.3% in the week of August 25 through August 31. Then things got worse, even after the company announced plans to revert to the old logo on August 26.

Here's the grim week-by-week breakdown:

  • Week of Sept. 1: down 10.1% year-over-year
  • Week of Sept. 8: down 10.0% year-over-year
  • Week of Sept. 15: down 9.9% year-over-year
  • Week of Sept. 22: down 7.2% year-over-year

"The consumer backlash to Cracker Barrel's new logo in August triggered a sharp decline in restaurant visits, with year-over-year traffic dropping by roughly double digits for most weeks following the announcement," said R.J. Hottovy, Head of Analytical Research at Placer.ai.

There was a glimmer of hope in the last week of September, when the decline moderated to 7.2%, suggesting the bleeding might be slowing. But overall, September visits were down 12.1% year-over-year. For comparison, August visits were only down 0.1% year-over-year despite the controversy erupting mid-month.

That timing could actually soften the blow in first-quarter earnings, since most of August looked normal before the logo disaster struck in the final days of the month.

The Stock Has Been Crushed

Cracker Barrel shares closed Wednesday up 2.2% at $28.78, but that's little comfort when you zoom out. The stock is down 47.4% year-to-date in 2025 and trading near the bottom of its 52-week range of $25.62 to $71.93.

So Masino kept her job, technically. But when your customers are staying away in droves and your stock has been cut in half, it's hard to call that a victory. As she put it herself, being fired by America might actually be worse than being fired by the board.

Back to News

Cracker Barrel CEO Says Keeping Her Job Feels Like Being 'Fired By America'

MarketDash Editorial Team
11 days ago
Julie Masino survived a social media firestorm over a logo redesign, but the damage to Cracker Barrel's traffic and stock price tells a brutal story about the limits of customer patience.

Sometimes keeping your job doesn't feel like winning. Just ask Julie Masino, CEO of Cracker Barrel Old Country Store (CBRL), who recently admitted that surviving a social media firestorm over a logo change feels like she's "been fired by America."

When Blaze Media CEO Glenn Beck asked if she was surprised to still have her job, that's exactly how Masino described her current situation. Beck's response? That's "probably worse."

The whole saga started when Cracker Barrel decided to update its logo and décor, a move that sent the most devoted fans into a rage. Critics demanded Masino's head, the stock price tanked, and customers vowed never to return. President Donald Trump amplified the outrage on social media, turning what might have been a routine brand refresh into a full-blown corporate crisis.

Masino, who quickly reversed course and brought back the old logo, is now trying to repair the damage and win customers back. She told Fox News that she wanted to "help people love this brand" and acknowledged the company "missed the mark" with the redesign.

The restaurant chain initially defended the logo change before apologizing and reversing direction shortly after the backlash intensified. But the damage was already done.

The Market Thought She Was Toast

Prediction markets on Kalshi told the story in real time. At the peak of the controversy in August, traders gave Masino a 36.8% chance of being ousted as CEO before the end of 2025. Those odds have since collapsed to just 5% with only a month left in the year.

Still, not everyone thinks she's out of the woods. Steak 'n Shake went after Masino directly on X, sharing the Beck interview story and writing: "Cracker Barrel stock is down 85%. AMERICA is firing her with one less visit at a time." The chain, owned by Biglari Holdings (BH), added: "Save Cracker Barrel! Fire the CEO!"

That's not just random trolling from a competitor. Biglari Capital, which controls Biglari Holdings, owns around 3% of Cracker Barrel shares and has been pushing for changes at the company for more than a dozen years, according to Restaurant Dive. They've lost most of those battles, but they're clearly not giving up.

The Numbers Don't Lie

Cracker Barrel's fourth-quarter results looked solid on paper. The company reported sales of $855.3 million, up 4.4% year-over-year and beating analyst estimates. It was the fifth consecutive quarter of comparable store restaurant sales increases.

But here's the problem: the logo controversy exploded after the fourth quarter ended. The company's guidance for fiscal 2026 revenue of $3.35 billion to $3.45 billion came in below analyst expectations of $3.47 billion, suggesting management knows trouble is coming.

Data from Placer.ai reveals just how badly customer traffic collapsed after the August 19 logo change. Visits fell 5.3% in the week of August 25 through August 31. Then things got worse, even after the company announced plans to revert to the old logo on August 26.

Here's the grim week-by-week breakdown:

  • Week of Sept. 1: down 10.1% year-over-year
  • Week of Sept. 8: down 10.0% year-over-year
  • Week of Sept. 15: down 9.9% year-over-year
  • Week of Sept. 22: down 7.2% year-over-year

"The consumer backlash to Cracker Barrel's new logo in August triggered a sharp decline in restaurant visits, with year-over-year traffic dropping by roughly double digits for most weeks following the announcement," said R.J. Hottovy, Head of Analytical Research at Placer.ai.

There was a glimmer of hope in the last week of September, when the decline moderated to 7.2%, suggesting the bleeding might be slowing. But overall, September visits were down 12.1% year-over-year. For comparison, August visits were only down 0.1% year-over-year despite the controversy erupting mid-month.

That timing could actually soften the blow in first-quarter earnings, since most of August looked normal before the logo disaster struck in the final days of the month.

The Stock Has Been Crushed

Cracker Barrel shares closed Wednesday up 2.2% at $28.78, but that's little comfort when you zoom out. The stock is down 47.4% year-to-date in 2025 and trading near the bottom of its 52-week range of $25.62 to $71.93.

So Masino kept her job, technically. But when your customers are staying away in droves and your stock has been cut in half, it's hard to call that a victory. As she put it herself, being fired by America might actually be worse than being fired by the board.