I think we’re abusing the term a little bit too much, where it’s losing its meaning,’ National Review staff writer Caroline Downey said on Thursday night.

Cracker Barrel's push to modernize has sparked fierce criticism, as the restaurant chain is the latest brand to be labeled "woke" by conservativesThe Tennessee-based company, known for its rustic country stores and Southern meals,

Following the logo reveal and backlash, Cracker Barrel stock dropped 7.2% on August 21, 2025. This amounted to a $94 million loss in market value before partially rebounding later that day. Analysts cautioned that both the controversy and the high $700 million rebrand cost contributed to investor uncertainty, not just political outrage.

Caroline Downey, a columnist for the conservative National Review, said Thursday that conservatives themselves are to blame for the word “woke” losing its meaning.

Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) reminisced about how he gave his "life to Christ" in a Cracker Barrel parking lot during a rant against the company's "woke rebrand."

The new logo — which is its fifth — retains Cracker Barrel’s signature gold and brown tones, "is now rooted even more closely to the iconic barrel shape and word mark that started it all," the restaurant said in a news release posted on its website.

To MAGA, the allure of Cracker Barrel was not its boomer nostalgia, but the enticing gaze of “Uncle Herschel” over the freeway

GOP Rep. Byron Donalds (Fla.) called it a “ woke rebrand .” Donald Trump Jr. shared a post from the “Woke War Room” account that appeared to link the logo to the Cracker Barrel CEO’s “DEI regime.” And a Christian college wrote that the rebrand had the “same energy” as a defaced George Washington statue.

"Our values haven't changed, the heart and soul of Cracker Barrel haven't changed," the restaurant chain told Newsweek.

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