‘When You Market Test In Brooklyn, You Lose In Alabama’: Charlie Kirk Tells How Elites Botched Cracker Barrel Logo

Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk said on Fox News Tuesday that Cracker Barrel’s failed logo rebrand exposed how out-of-touch elites alienate their base customers.

Cracker Barrel caved Tuesday under massive backlash and announced it would bring back its classic logo. In an appearance on “The Ingraham Angle,” Kirk said President Donald Trump dictates the Democratic Party’s agenda because “everything the Democrat Party says is just against Trump,” comparing that dynamic to Cracker Barrel’s failed logo rollout that sparked backlash and forced a retreat.

“President Trump, he runs both the Democrat Party because basically everything the Democrat Party says is just against Trump. So he gets to determine the entire agenda of the Democrat Party and now runs Cracker Barrel all from the Oval Office on Truth Social,” Kirk said. “It’s an amazing test case to show the similarities between the two.”

Kirk said that pandering to narrow, out-of-touch opinions shows contempt for the very Americans whose votes or dollars ultimately decide success. (RELATED: Democrats Are Shocked They Agree With Conservatives On Cracker Barrel Neutering)

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“Both the Democrat Party and their attempted rebrand and Cracker Barrel, it shows that when you market test in Brooklyn, you lose in Birmingham, Alabama,” Kirk said. “When you try to just always pander towards a small subset of elite opinion of out-of-touch actors and then you have contempt and bitterness for the very country that you either wish that they want to buy your products from or to vote for you.”

Kirk said Cracker Barrel’s logo fiasco is part of a broader pattern. The same elites who pushed the rebrand, he said, also believed Pennsylvania voters would rally behind former Vice President Kamala Harris.

“So there is this very interesting connective tissue here. It’s not worth overthinking. By the way you look at the ridiculous logo that Cracker Barrel thought was a good idea. Those are the same people who thought a bunch of people in Pennsylvania were going to come out in a lot of numbers for Kamala Harris. Yeah, they are going to be super excited for it,” Kirk said.

Cracker Barrel attempted a rebrand by unveiling a stripped-down logo that featured only the words “Cracker Barrel,” dropping its signature “old timer” Uncle Herschel. The company announced in a press release that the new design, anchored in its trademark gold and brown colors, would appear across menus and marketing materials.

The rollout backfired almost immediately as CBS News reported that Cracker Barrel’s market value plunged by nearly $100 million after the announcement, with shares falling $4.22, or 7.2%, to $54.80 in Thursday’s trading. Online critics blasted the change as unnecessary.

Trump criticized the move on Truth Social Tuesday, urging the restaurant chain to reverse course.

“Cracker Barrel should go back to the old logo, admit a mistake based on customer response (the ultimate Poll), and manage the company better than ever before. Make Cracker Barrel a WINNER again,” Trump wrote. “Remember, in just a short period of time I made the United States of America the ‘HOTTEST’ Country anywhere in the World. One year ago, it was ‘DEAD.’ Good luck!”

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