Trump Advice Saves Uncle Herschel

Opinion

By Dave Scott, 8-29-25

Cracker Barrel saw the light! The Bud Light!

After losing more than $140 million in market value and receiving massive consumer and media backlash the company decided not to stuff iconic Uncle Herschel into his barrel and roll him out behind the barn to face Old Yeller’s fate.

Sound advice from President Trump, may have flipped on the light switch that showed its CEO Julie Masino the marketing chaos she was sowing and prompted her to pull the plug on her terrible rebranding plan.

In the most understated corporate mea culpa uttered since Bud Light’s “Oh, *&%^!” after it abandoned and mocked its loyal male beer swillers, Cracker Barrel said it could have done a better job in its rebranding efforts.

Cracker Barrel’s entire marketing, advertising and public relations teams were destined to join their confused Bud Light, Target, Jaguar, and New Coke counterparts in the Corporate Hall of Fame’s “Abysmal Failures” section.

Together this collective crew of corporate marketing nitwits may have erased almost a billion dollars of market value from their respective companies.

CEO Masino finally stopped shoveling her way to the bottom of the barrel as Uncle Herschel wipes off the dust, hitches up his overalls, and settles back down in his rocker. The 56-year-old company’s awful plan to pursue a streamlined look over the cozy country flavor customers say they enjoy appears to be as dead as Jaguar’s sales, New Coke, Target’s Pride clothing line, and Bud Light’s appeal to men.

Initially the company told folks its new “All The More” campaign was meant to honor its legacy while bringing new energy to the brand. That corporate mumbo jumbo alone should have sounded internal alarm bells indicating that something bad was about to happen.

What the Dickins does “All The More” mean to anybody but mealymouthed marketing blowhards blah-blahing during a PowerPoint pitch to an internal audience of in-house marketing and external advertising agency stuffed suits attempting to impress each other?

Have any of those people that make marketing decisions at Cracker Barrel corporate headquarters and its agency ever visited one of the restaurants? Have they eaten at one, mingled with customers, sat in a porch rocker, and asked questions? Did they ask customers if they liked the rainbow colored rockers? It appears that was at the bottom of their “To Do” list, far beneath “Have dinner and cocktails at Mastro’s Steakhouse in NYC with a new branding agency” I’m assuming chicken and dumplings isn’t on Mastro’s menu.

CEO Masino told the Wall Street Journal that her chain had done extensive customer research before tackling any of the updates. She needs so have a stern conversation with the folks that told her that whopper, before telling them to clean out their desks.

Ms. Masino didn’t need to bring “New energy” – whatever that means – to the company. This gal needed to bring new customers to it. She was doing the opposite. Legacy, business, and social media were filled with scathing criticism of the company as it raced to the bottom of the barrel (Sorry, but phrases with “barrel” just keep popping up).

The company is now taking advantage of the massive publicity bonus President Trump handed them when he publicly chimed in providing solid advice saying: “The company 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. They got a Billion Dollars’ worth of free publicity if they play their cards right. Very tricky to do, but a great opportunity. Have a major News Conference today. Make Cracker Barrel a WINNER again.”

Following the President’s comment Cracker Barrel stock (CBRL) shot up +10%.

They took the President’s guidance, and it may save the company. So, instead of joining Aunt Jemima, Uncle Ben, and the Land O Lakes Indian gal at the home for abandoned advertising icons, Uncle Herschel is back on the porch.

The next time I go to a Cracker Barrel I don’t expect to see a bikini-clad Dylan Mulvany sitting in a rocker sipping a Bud Light with his Jaguar parked out front? I anticipate seeing normal every-day folks enjoying the old-timey surroundings as they dig into their chicken-fried steaks.

I might even see our Fourth District Congressman Aaron Bean there. He posted this clever graphic Thursday, August 28 saying: “I know Cracker Barrel reversed course on the logo change, and we are all glad for it! For the Bean Team, old country values will always be on the menu and we will continue the fight to cut bad spending – not biscuits and gravy.”

The company should add a Trump red, white and blue plate special tribute item to its menu in appreciation.

(A slightly abridged version of my above column appeared Thursday August 28 in Biz Pac Review at https://www.bizpacreview.com/2025/08/28/trumps-advice-saves-uncle-herschel-1580674/ ).

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It’s Not Just Paid Parking: Fernandina Beach resident Jerry Decker, who reads balance sheets for relaxation, says Nassau County and Fernandina Beach are “playing the boiled frog game—slowly raising taxes so no one notices—until someone stops them (Tallahassee, hopefully).”

Dr. Decker, who earned a PhD in mathematics from the University of Chicago and once served as Chair of the city’s Marina Advisory Board, says the city and county need to focus on economic growth to take the burden off home-owners. Dr. Decker has observed the fiscal acrobatics of both since moving here in 2007.

However he claims both governments are anti-business, “especially the city – remember they try to fleece businesses with impact fees and such nonsense?”

Dr. Decker says the city’s paid parking brouhaha is overshadowing an even more serious issue confronting residents – property taxes!

“Like me, you probably got your property tax notice a few days ago and saw the eye-popping numbers, “ he says. “So, I decided to do a little analysis.”

Using his own property, a single family home, he compared how his tax has increased over the last 16 years, i.e., from 2009 to 2025, to wit:

My property assessed value has risen by 49.5%
My Fernandina taxes have gone up by 56.15%
My County taxes have exploded some 83.74%
And School taxes by 16.04%.

“We know that Fernandina has been expanding government beyond reason (population has risen by only 17.7% since 2009), but the colossal growth of county spending is a surprise,” he discovered. “What in heavens name are they buying? County population has only increased by 43%, so what gives?”

Dr. Decker says, “Our two local governments are addicted to property taxes as their main funding source. This is a serious problem, which only keeps getting worse. Even Tallahassee is concerned and is starting to look at reining in this addiction.”

“Which brings me back to our parking brouhaha. The city and county must start new revenue streams to wean off their dependence on property taxes—so one could view the current effort by the City as a step in that direction. It seems that shortly, one way or another, local governments in Florida are going to have to face a new tax reality.”

Dr. Decker concluded saying that unless something is done soon the future looks bleak for taxpayers. “People need to realize that as city/county property taxes keep climbing, you reach a point where potential buyers look at their future tax bill and decide Fernandina is simply too expensive—and that means your home value decreases, so taxes increase still more to cover the shortfall.

”A case in point is that $157M capital plan, which to finance would require the city taking on a massive debt—resulting in a veritable explosion in local taxes—with nothing but negative consequences for homeowners.”

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Things I Wish I’d Said: “Behind every ‘free’ parking space is a taxpayer.” Ignatius J. Reilly, who defined himself as the “patron saint of structured urbanism,” commenting on last week’s column.

Republished with the author’s permission. Read The Dave Scott Blog– subscribe Free