Vehicles pulled in and out of the parking lot at a brisk pace around lunchtime on Wednesday at Colorado Springs’ only Cracker Barrel Old Country Store and restaurant off North Academy Boulevard.

Colorado Springs resident Richard Gallegos said he’d sworn off the homestyle meals after the national Southern chain that originated in 1969 announced earlier this month it was changing its nearly 50-year-old logo and unveiled a new design with the name only.

But Gallegos said he wanted to patronize the business once again after hearing Tuesday’s news.

Public backlash over what some saw as the company caving to liberal political influence — and presumably the expensive drop in its stock value — led Julie Felss Masino, CEO of the publicly traded company, to reverse the decision and keep its original logo.

“I wasn’t going to come anymore — it wasn’t just the logo — it seemed like a ‘woke’ issue, and when you go woke, you go broke,” Gallegos said.

Barbs on social media flew back and forth in recent days, with President Donald Trump even getting in on the debate with a post on Tuesday on Truth Social.

“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,” he wrote.

“They got a Billion Dollars worth of free publicity if they play their cards right. Very tricky to do, but a great opportunity,” Trump wrote, adding that it’s time to “Make Cracker Barrel a WINNER again.”

Certain things should be left alone, said another Colorado Springs Cracker Barrel diner, Jon F., who declined to give his last name, citing fear of retribution.

“They need to keep Americana alive,” he said.

The original logo sketched on a napkin in 1977 by designer Bill Holley depicts an overall-clad man, who became known as Uncle Herschel or the Old Timer, with his arm leaning on an old barrel that used to store crackers. The image reflects the company’s roots of offering travelers and locals a place where they could fill their bellies on food reminiscent of childhood and relax in a homey and country store environment, according to the company’s website.

The chain has about 660 restaurants and stores nationwide and is famous for its biscuits, rocking chairs, hearty meals such as chicken and dumplings and grandma’s and grandpa’s breakfast sampler plates. The store carries logoed clothing, holiday items, kitsch and collectibles, old-fashioned candy and other goods.

Company officials said they wanted to modernize and contemporize the brand amid stagnant growth and concerns about competitiveness. So they selected a cleaner, plain logo that they thought would attract younger generations. Some locations also updated the interiors with a more open, airy design that looked more generic and less old-timey.

Politics aside, rebranding campaigns sometimes work and sometimes don’t, said Bernard Sandoval, owner of Sandia, an advertising and marketing company based in Colorado Springs.

Usually, rebranding “is more of an evolution than a complete departure of brand essence and roots,” he said, pointing to more successful examples by Wendy’s, Coca-Cola and Pepsi Co.

“It’s rare to completely depart from brand elements,” he said, which Cracker Barrel did by eliminating the imagery and keeping the gold background of the logo but also changing the shape and font.

But what made the marketing plan worse, Sandoval said, was the complete change of the interior redesign at some of the company’s stores and restaurants.

“It probably was politicized early on too much, but people really connected with the hokey knick-knacks and down-home feel,” he said. “In this case, the perception of the business was changed with not only a different brand on the outside but also on the inside.

“I’m sure they had the best of intentions of modernizing, but they probably went too far and forgot who their core customers are. This will probably become a business case study in the future.”

It’s not the first time Cracker Barrel has faced public scrutiny. Low marks in the 1990s by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, which rates businesses on inclusivity practices regarding LGBTQ+ members, produced protests.

In the latest pushback, some loyal Colorado Springs customers said they felt alienated.

“Why contemporize it?” Jon F. said. “There are plenty of places that already look like that and cater to younger people.”

“We want to go to retro places and be reminded of the past,” Gallegos added.

Colorado Springs resident Pam Durow said she loves the comfort food and fun items at the store.

“I said, ‘Yay! Hooray!’ when I heard about the logo staying,” she said. “We’re so glad they listened. In trying to modernize it, they made it cold and generic and took away the heart.”

Her dining friend, Melissa, who declined to give her last name, said the nostalgia is what people like most about Cracker Barrel.

“That’s what’s lovable about them,” she said. “It just feels real.”

Some people couldn’t give a hoot though about the controversy.

“Makes no difference to me,” said diner Stacey Johnson of Colorado Springs.

“The food’s good, the service is good, the people are courteous. We just like coming here,” said her husband, Tim Johnson.