“Cracker Barrel is nostalgia for many, especially customers in the South and Midwest who feel ownership and pride over the brand,” Williams told Fortune. “For a brand that hasn’t changed its logo since 1977, even small changes to a symbol so tied to Americana can feel magnified.”

The stock of Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc , tanked in the wake of its new logo redesign, which has prompted accusations that the iconic restaurant franchise has been overtaken by wokeness

Shares of Cracker Barrel Old Country Store plummeted roughly 10% on Thursday after the restaurant unveiled its new logo earlier this week as part of a larger brand refresh.

Try telling that to the stockholders. Right after the logo change announcement was made, Cracker Barrel’s stock saw a nasty 14% drop, something to the tune of $100 million in value. It’s since recovered a bit (buy the dip, right?), but still has a 9.9% drop over the past five days.

Cracker Barrel is investing $700 million in a corporate rebranding and turnaround attempt. The company has announced a new, simplified logo that the CEO loves -- but customers seem to hate. Cracker Barrel didn't need to do this,

The post Cracker Barrel and the Americana debate appeared first on Salon.com.

Former Cracker Barrel employee Steve Smotherman led an LGBT resource group and worked with the Human Rights Campaign to change the restaurant chain's workplace culture.