Cracker Barrel Wasn’t Happy With “Fire The CEO” Billboard That Steak ‘N Shake Put Up In Nashville: “Exactly The Sort Of Stunt We’d Expect”

As it turns out… the Cracker Barrel rebrand saga isn’t over.

Just when we thought we had moved past the controversy surrounding the southern eatery deciding to change their logo and interior – before they ultimately went back on it all – Steak N’ Shake came out of nowhere with a figurative, surprise uppercut. And feel free to tell me if I’m wrong here… but it’s a little bit of a cheap shot, considering Cracker Barrel made things right and listened to the response of the masses.

After an incredible, shaming movement by the people of this great country, Cracker Barrel announced that they would scrap their new logo that they had rolled out and revert back to the “Old Timer sitting next to Barrel” logo that has represented their brand for close to five decades. They also announced that they would suspend remodels of their stores, and even do their best to modify the stores that have already been remodeled.

The official Cracker Barrel social media account shared the news, and their decision to go back on their rebrand basically proved that peer pressure works:

“We thank our guests for sharing your voices and love for Cracker Barrel. We said we would listen, and we have. Our new logo is going away and our ‘Old Timer’ will remain. 

At Cracker Barrel, it’s always been – and always will be – about serving up delicious food, warm welcomes, and the kind of country hospitality that feels like family.  As a proud American institution, our 70,000 hardworking employees look forward to welcoming you to our table soon.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Cracker Barrel (@crackerbarrel)

And to be honest, we thought that’s where this whole saga ended.

But one person, or place rather, that’s not ready to let it go is the rival (?) fast casual dining establishment Steak ‘n Shake. The burger and milkshake joint jumped down the throat of Cracker Barrel early on in the outrage cycle, and put out a couple different statements condemning the changes they were making.

Even when they did that, it was a little out of left field.

And now, Steak ‘n Shake has taken things a step further, putting up a billboard in Nashville that spells out “Fire The CEO” in what would have been Cracker Barrel’s new logo and font (before they changed things back). No one knew who put it up at first, until Steak ‘n Shake came out and said they were the ones responsible for the fiery billboard calling for CEO Julie Masino’s job:

“Yes, we are responsible for this billboard. Cracker Barrel’s board has failed its shareholders. It has spent over a decade fighting with one of its largest shareholders rather than collaborating for the good of the company.

Cracker Barrel has been at the forefront of the DEI movement at the same time it has reduced food quality and burned millions on failed acquisitions. The board apparently has more regard for DEI than ROI. Now, we are running a proxy contest at our own expense to fire the CEO. Biglari is doing the work left undone by the board. Fire the CEO! Save Cracker Barrel!”

It’s almost as if Steak ‘n Shake tried to get that billboard up a couple of weeks ago, something held the whole thing up, and then they went ahead and put it up anyway?

Not saying that Steak ‘n Shake is in the wrong for doing this. It is admittedly very funny. But it just seems a little late in the proceedings… that’s all. Sure, Cracker Barrel has suffered some losses financially because of the decision, but they’ve also decided to return everything to the original branding and design. They made a mistake, and then they fixed it.

Obviously, Cracker Barrel got wind of the billboard and responded with this:

“This billboard was put up by a man named Sardar Biglari, who runs Steak ‘n Shake, Western Sizzlin’, and Maxim Magazine, and is exactly the sort of stunt we would expect from him.

For fourteen years, our shareholders have rejected his self-serving campaigns against Cracker Barrel. Launching personal attacks from billboards to attempt to disrupt a business like Cracker Barrel is not what serious or well-intentioned investors do and not what Tennesseans expect or deserve.”

And in Cracker Barrel’s defense, after facing the backlash from the interior redesign and logo changes, they’ve walked absolutely everything back. But hey, I’m here for a budding rivalry between Cracker Barrel and Steak ‘n Shake.

As they say, if you can’t take the heat, get out of the franchise-able kitchen.The post Cracker Barrel Wasn’t Happy With “Fire The CEO” Billboard That Steak ‘N Shake Put Up In Nashville: “Exactly The Sort Of Stunt We’d Expect” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.