LEBANON, Tenn. (WTVF) — From the mid-state all the way to the White House, it's the bungled brand makeover that's been the talk of the nation that even caught President Trump's attention.
Cracker Barrel got its start in middle Tennessee. In fact, at 93 years old, co-founder Tommy Lowe clearly remembers opening the very first Cracker Barrel along Highway 109 in Wilson County.
“On September 19, 1969 – that was a Monday morning. I went out and unlocked the door and the people just came in," Lowe said.
Cracker Barrel was a partnership between two friends – the late Dan Evins and Tommy Lowe.
Evins was in the oil business and owned the rural Lebanon property. He knew a filling station would draw travelers off the nearby I-40 but wanted something more. That’s where Lowe came in. He had a construction business and the idea of an old country store and restaurant to go along with the gas station. They just needed financial backing.
“It took forever to find 10 guys to put up $10,000,” said Lowe.
“So back then Cracker Barrel wasn't a sure bet?” asked Newschannel5’s Carrie Sharp.
“Oh, it wasn't a bet at all!" Lowe replied.
But some 600 stores later, the idea did pay off.
“It was just a country store for country people and that’s what it is today, they just don’t understand,” said Lowe referring to the company’s current leadership.
In early 2024, Cracker Barrel CEO, Julie Masino announced changes to the restaurant’s decor, menu and pricing. But it was last week’s new logo rollout, that really burned people’s biscuits.
Lowe called it bland and pitiful.
He wasn’t alone. Following public outcry, pressure from President Trump and a stock plunge, late Tuesday, Cracker Barrel reversed course bringing back its old logo.
For Lowe, who went from Vice President of Operations to a decades-long board member, then loyal customer in retirement, it's just the latest misstep under the direction of CEO Julie Masino.
“They're trying to modernize to be like the competition – Cracker Barrel doesn't have any competition. I heard she (Masino) was at Taco Bell. What's Taco Bell know about Cracker Barrel and country food? They need to work on the food and service and leave the barrel – the logo alone," Lowe said.
Lowe said simplicity and authenticity were the main ingredients in Cracker Barrel's winning recipe when the doors first opened more than five decades ago. And people took notice.
“There was a Grand ‘Ole Opry guy when we opened named String Bean and String Bean came in there one day when we were open about a month or two and he said, ‘It looks good but just keep it country,'" Lowe recalled.
Lowe said today’s corporate leadership should bet on that.
“If they don’t get back to keeping it country, then it ain’t gonna work.”
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- Lelan Statom
