How The Iconic Cracker Barrel Logo Came To Be

Most companies that have stood the test of time know the importance of their logo. It's why Pepsi changes its look every few years, and other companies choose to stay the same. A logo is a reflection of a brand, and for Cracker Barrel, that involves a heaping dose of nostalgia.

Supposedly, Cracker Barrel founder Dan Evins understood this early on in the brand's lifespan. After being around for a few years, Evins sought out the help of a graphic designer to create a new logo enlisting designer Bill Holley and giving him just one instruction, something nostalgic but not "corny." Evins described the type of characters from the country stores of his youth, and Holley quickly scribbled down a man who would be come to known as the "old-timer" leaning on a barrel. 

Holley mapped out the initial logo on the back of a napkin while the pair met. He later would meet with a model who resembled the character and created a more detailed version of the final logo that the company still uses today. It's undergone some small changes but has more or less maintained its original characteristics and can still be seen on Cracker Barrel branded kitchenware, among other merchandise today. 

Among the many rumors that have circulated about the logo over the years is the one that the man in the logo is Evins' Uncle Herschel. Herschel was Evins' actual uncle but was much more than just family to him and his business. Herschel served as a wealth of knowledge for the culture and traditions of old-time country stores that Cracker Barrel was based on. He also served as a type of brand ambassador. 

Herschel was known to venture out into communities with gold cards that were good for a free meal at Cracker Barrel. He spread those cards and his own good nature to lots of folks as a way to stir up business for the restaurant chain as it grew. The rumor was that it was Herschel who was depicted in the logo, but Holley actually used a different man as a model for an old-timer. However, a memorial depicting Uncle Herschel can be found at the company's headquarters in Lebanon, Tennessee.

Of course, the old-timer isn't the only figure in the logo. While he's often resting in a rocking chair like the ones found outside of every Cracker Barrel, he's also shown next to an actual barrel of crackers. The brand says that the country stores on which it was based would often have large barrels of soda crackers sitting around. The crackers were stored in these barrels for transit but became many visitors' favorite places to gather while visiting these kinds of stores. It became shorthand for a place where folks would gather together and swap stories.

Besides its logo and name, Cracker Barrel carries on the legacy of this idea with its "Stories 'Round the Barrel" series. It uses this platform to share personal stories from Cracker Barrel employees and guests that evoke the old tradition of gathering around a cracker barrel. Of course, the barrel was also immortalized by Holley in the brand's logo as well and remains a fixture at every restaurant.