Winter Garden Cracker Barrel to change its logo again

Sometimes, things are better left the way they are, and that’s the lesson Cracker Barrel recently learned. 

The restaurant was founded in 1969 and has remained popular for its Southern comfort food and nostalgic atmosphere. On Tuesday, Aug. 19, the company announced its rebranding and “All the More” campaign, which removed the classic man leaning against a barrel and “Old Country Store” slogan. 

Instantly, Cracker Barrel received backlash for the change. The restaurant had plans to remodel 25 to 30 locations, but changes have been halted because of the public’s outcry for it to remain the same. 

“We heard clearly that the modern remodel design does not reflect what you love about Cracker Barrel,” company officials wrote in an official statement. “We had tested this design in only four out of 660 locations and won’t continue with it.” 

Winter Garden’s Cracker Barrel was one of the locations across the country that underwent renovations to the refreshed look, but it won’t remain that way. 

“As we recently shared, we will not proceed with these modern stores and have also begun reverting to our ‘Old Timer’ signage,” a company spokesperson told the Observer via email. “Some of this will take time due to permitting and other constraints, but it’s happening.”

Residents of the Winter Garden area are glad to hear their local Cracker Barrel will be returning to its roots, but the change wasn’t entirely disliked. 

“If I had never been there before and I went, I’d think, ‘This is amazing,’” said Patrick Bottinelli, who is a 2005 West Orange High graduate. 

Bottinelli said he likes how beautiful and organized the retail portion of Winter Garden’s Cracker Barrel is now. It also feels more open, but he still preferred the authentic style of the restaurant he and many others grew up with. 

Eating at the restaurant is a fond memory he has with his family and soccer team. They often stopped there on road trips, and he said it’s always been “iconic.”

He thinks Cracker Barrel simply was following trends of other food chains and companies that have been updating their logos and restaurants to become more modern. 

“You walk in, and it’s supposed to be this nice, warm feeling, and it almost seems like a retail store now,” he said. “It’s not a bad thing … the changes look great and it’s a nice feel. But it’s not that old-time, warm feeling as it was before.” 

Brian Hendrix, a lifetime Ocoee resident, said everything changes, and it’s up to people if they want to accept it. He and his wife, Sandy, have visited Cracker Barrel locations across the country and always enjoyed the family-oriented feel the chain restaurant brings. 

They sat outside Winter Garden’s Cracker Barrel, enjoying its rocking chairs and checkerboard with their granddaughter. They agreed the changes are cleaner and look nice. However, the refresh takes away from the authentic “Old Country Store” feeling.

Bottinelli compared the change to Chip and Joanna Gaines’ signature farmhouse look. The Gaineses owns Magnolia and are known for their home makeovers for the show “Fixer Upper” on HGTV. 

“If they were to do a makeover of Cracker Barrel, it’s exactly what it would be like,” he said. “It’s nice, upbeat. It’s modernized while still keeping the old décor.” 

Brian Hendrix expressed he was concerned initially when he heard about the change, because Cracker Barrel discussed removing the signature rocking chairs outside the restaurant. He said he was glad to see they remained as he sat in one, enjoying the outdoors. 

One element Bottinelli truly enjoyed about the change was the menu redesign. 

“I’m glad their menu has more pictures on it,” he said. “The new menu has more images, and I’m an image guy, rather than reading the title and reading everything about it.”