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Cracker Barrel holds its own beer; changes iconic peg game to make it woke and with a typo!

August 26, 2025 | | Print Article

A rebrand and a revamp weren’t all Cracker Barrel was taking heat for as patrons picked up on a peg game tweak amid attempts to save face that suggested leadership was “just plain ‘eg-no-ra-moose.'”

Despite initial denials, dollars don’t lie, and the restaurant chain once famous for its old country store and down-home charm appeared to recognize as much on Monday. But as executives attempted damage control with a statement amid a loss of more than $143 million in market value, keen-eyed customers picked up on a wording change to the chain’s peg game that seemingly proved how pervasive the adoption of woke ideology had become.

In the version that consumers had become accustomed to, leaving one peg meant “you’re genius,” two meant “you’re purty smart,” three meant “you’re just plain dumb,” and “four or mor’n you’re just plain ‘eg-no-ra-moose.'”

The new version changed things up for more than one peg as two had players, “rocking the chair but not the game. Leave three or more — no reason to be embarassed [sic], try again,” leaving one social media user pointing out, “In Cracker Barrel’s process of rebranding from old-timey to modern old-timey and killing their business, they woke-ified the peg game to minimize hurt feelings of those who don’t do so well. Did they actually misspell a key word?”

While the missing “r” from embarrassed was not addressed, a spokesperson for Cracker Barrel attempted to defend the alteration and told Country Living, “The peg game is still the same peg game our guests have known and loved for years, and some may look visually different now, but the rules and fun remain completely unchanged.”

Of course, as one user claimed that the new version of the peg game also “includes a cheat sheet,” that wasn’t the only point that the company faced renewed backlash over amid the rebrand and exposure of its commitment to DEI.

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As the Dow Jones Market Data Group accounted for a 10% drop in market value of more than $143 million since the rebranding announcement, Cracker Barrel issued a statement that conservative filmmaker Robby Starbuck summed up as “we hear you but we’re not going to change the logo back and we’re not going to stop funding all ages pride events.”

“If the last few days have shown us anything,” the company began, “it’s how deeply people care about Cracker Barrel. We’re truly grateful for your heartfelt voices. You’ve also shown us that we could’ve done a better job sharing who we are and who we’ll always be.”

“What has not changed, and will never change, are the values this company was built on when Cracker Barrel first opened in 1969: hard work, family, and scratch-cooked food made with care. A place where everyone feels at home, no matter where you’re from or where you’re headed,” argued Cracker Barrel.

The chain went on to defend removing Uncle Herschel from the logo by pointing out he’s still on road signs and that Uncle Herschel’s Favorite Breakfast Platter, which had been dropped from the menu years earlier, was back. “He’s not going anywhere — he’s family.”

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“We know we won’t always get everything right the first time, but we’ll keep testing, learning, and listening to our guests and employees,” added Cracker Barrel as comments continued to roast the brand, going so far as to suggest another new sign might be hanging over the restaurant’s doors in the near future.

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Kevin Haggerty
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