Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, the chain of southern-style restaurants with a gift shop that lines highways across America, has gotten a makeover. Their logo has lost the ‘Old Country Store’ tagline, as well as the iconic man in a chair resting his arm on a barrel in favor of the words Cracker Barrel in text only. Inside, per patron videos of remodeled locations, gone is the dark nostalgic feel replaced with a sterile renovation. The knick-knacks have gone from quirky kitsch from yesteryear to something you might see in a suburban craft store. 

While the company’s CEO has said that initial reaction to these changes was positive, the verdict across social media was very much the opposite. The new look removes the old-school charm and character that was central to the brand’s identity for decades. 

Cracker Barrel is just the latest in a string of companies, including Jaguar more recently and even Coca-Cola in the mid-’80s with their New Coke rollout, to violate the critical principle of making sure that you do not alienate your loyal customer base. 

I wear many hats in business and have more than 20 years of experience as an advocate for loyal customers and clients in business, working in an outsourced CCO (Chief Customer Officer) function and sharing my proprietary customer loyalty models via speeches and consulting with both the biggest companies in the world and a variety of small and mid-sized businesses. And I firmly believe that one of a company’s most important assets isn’t listed on its balance sheet: the company’s loyal customers. 

Loyal customers are easier to sell more to, both in frequency of purchases and upsells, because they already love your business and have often given you permission to communicate with them and build a relationship. They are also excellent advocates for generating new business via their own advertising efforts — word of mouth, posts on social media and more. 

While it is a challenge for companies to continually grow, and publicly traded companies are under even more pressure to do so, mathematically, growth becomes harder if you are losing customers from your key customer base. 

If you make your customers believe you do not care about them and their relationship with your brand and company, it is going to be very difficult for you to be successful in your business. This is the stark reality many businesses who have sought out new customers have faced lately. It’s fine to reach new customers, but you must do it carefully and in a way that doesn’t simultaneously burn goodwill with your existing customers. 

New customers should never be treated better or given more weight than existing, loyal customers. 

In my own social media post resharing a video of a Cracker Barrel dining room remodel, I received thousands of interactions. Among the majority comments from long-time customers expressing their displeasure at the changes, one other comment stood out. The poster said, ‘I don’t eat there but it looks nice to me.’ 

And that is the crux of the issue. The poster is not a customer, and based on the comment, is not likely to become a customer. So, seeking her approval is not a revenue-enhancing win for the company. Maybe it gets some ROE (return on ego) points for the marketing team, but it doesn’t get ROI (return on investment) for shareholders.  

For Cracker Barrel, losing character in a time when corporatization is making everything around us bland and soulless feels like something enjoyable from the past is being killed off. And for a brand which has been based on nostalgia — from their décor to their nostalgic candy and wares in their adjacent store — it doesn’t make a lot of sense.  

I am a long-time Cracker Barrel patron. I stop in whenever I am on the road. And as a long-time customer, as well as business advisor and executive, I can tell you that Cracker Barrel’s logo was not their issue.  

My last stop in was in June on a road trip. I noted that I hadn’t been there in a while prior, because I hadn’t been on the road much. And in a moment where convenience is a part of the equation and DoorDash has taken hold of younger generations, it is harder to get touchpoints with a brand, even if you want them. This is a much bigger strategic endeavor that Cracker Barrel needs to think through. 

My other issue was the menu. They had taken off my favorite item and their hashbrown casserole tasted off — the food overall wasn’t as fresh as I had experienced in the past. In my social media post, there were several comments about a decline in food quality over recent years. Making the menu and food quality rock-solid is critical for a restaurant, particularly when consumers are trying to stretch their dollars. 

Cracker Barrel isn’t the first and certainly won’t be the last company to fall into the trap of thinking that all change is good. Companies should be bringing their customer voices to the table, which can be accomplished with a CCO whose job it is to know the customers well and advocate for them within the company or other loyalty specialist advising.  

Loyalty is hard to build and easy to lose. Companies always want to attract new customers, but that isn’t effective if relationships with existing customers aren’t nurtured at the same time. 

Andrew Roth, president of the State Freedom Caucus Network, helms an organization fighting to help conservatives win and wield control of state governments across the nation.

‘There is a swamp in all 50 states. There are 50 swamps,’ Roth told Fox News Digital during a Tuesday interview, noting that ‘liberal Republicans’ join with Democrats to expand government.

This ‘uniparty’ phenomenon exists in the U.S. Congress and in every state, Roth indicated, asserting that in red states many Democrats cannot win elections unless they don the Republican label.

‘They say they’re good on guns, and babies, and a few other things, but then they get in there, and they vote like liberals, growing government[.] ‘ Roth noted. 

He said that while the goal of state freedom caucuses is to slash taxes and government, the first step is exposing ‘deceitful lawmakers for who they are. And then once you can do that, then you can hopefully start getting good people elected and then cut the budget, cut taxes, cut spending,’ he explained.

So far, the organization boasts freedom caucuses in 13 of the 50 states, including Pennsylvania, Maryland, South Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Illinois, Missouri, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Arizona and Idaho – but deep red states like Texas and Florida are conspicuously absent from the list. 

Asked whether this is because there are not enough conservative legislators in those states to form a freedom caucus, Roth replied, ‘That’s absolutely correct,’ explaining, ‘In Texas I could probably say there’s only one or two House members, and in Florida I’m not even sure I can say two.’

There are ‘zero’ conservative state lawmakers in the Alabama, Tennessee and Mississippi state legislatures, he said.

‘This is a big, big problem’ he noted, ‘and I don’t think enough people realize how bad it is.’

Roth indicated that the organization provides a state director in each freedom caucus state – those directors help read legislation, offer vote recommendations, work with other groups, and help with organizing and strategizing, he explained.

Roth noted that Louisiana state Sen. Blake Miguez, a Republican who belongs to that state’s freedom caucus, is challenging incumbent GOP U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy. 

The latest addition to the pool of Democrats seeking to challenge Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, is doubling down on Zohran Mamdani-style socialism, says the chief of Maine’s Republican Party.

Democrat Graham Platner launched his campaign highlighting his history as an Army and Marine veteran as well as an oyster farmer, but state GOP chief Jason Savage told Fox News Digital that rural accolades aren’t policy positions. He pointed to Platner’s hiring of a top Mamdani adviser, Morris Katz, to produce his campaign launch video.

In that video, Platner rails against the ‘oligarchy’ and endorses universal healthcare. His website features messaging that claims the U.S. has a ‘billionaire economy,’ and that – if elected – Platner would view it as a key part of his job ‘to dismantle’ it.

‘Graham Platner is Maine’s Mamdani,’ Savage told Fox News Digital in an interview. ‘He brought in the Mamdani team to support his campaign. He’s out doing a lot of work with socialist groups.… He’s a Bernie bro.’

‘What we’re seeing here is the exporting of the Mamdani ideology to the state of Maine because they think that they can gain ground in a small state where things aren’t as expensive,’ he added.

‘You can look through Graham Platner’s donor history, and you can see that he donated to Harris for President, Bernie Sanders, Ilhan Omar,’ he continued, arguing that far-left candidates are a major threat to the Democratic Party.

Platner’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

‘If common-sense Democrats, and then the leadership like [Sen.] Chuck Schumer don’t do something and say that isn’t the future of our party, then they’re gonna run in a bunch of these races. and we’re gonna beat them,’ he said.

Savage argued that the Democratic Party’s embracing of the far-left is a ‘double-edged sword.’ He said Democratic candidates can’t succeed without the ‘extreme wing’ of the party, and now ‘they’ve created a monster that they don’t have the ability to control.’

‘In the long run, it’s going to be catastrophic for them. I mean, Graham Platner advocates for allowing men to be in girls’ and women’s sports,’ Savage said. ‘He advocates for all sorts of policies that are very, very unpopular, and the Democrats can’t say anything to stop that.’

The Democratic challenger list against Collins is growing, and reports say those already in office are trying to tap Janet Mills, the state’s 77-year-old Democratic governor, for the seat.

Republicans currently control the majority of the Senate by a 53-47 margin. Democrats would need to flip four seats in the 2026 midterm elections to take the majority. 

A spokesperson for Collins told Fox News Digital that Platner is ‘just another progressive entering the race.’

Fox News’ Pilar Arias contributed to this report 

A judge on Thursday found that Alina Habba was unlawfully serving in the role of acting U.S. attorney of New Jersey after President Donald Trump sidestepped typical processes to keep her in charge.

Judge Matthew Brann said Habba has not been the rightful temporary U.S. attorney for New Jersey since July 1, a ruling that follows two criminal defendants in New Jersey challenging her appointment in court, alleging it was unconstitutional.

‘Faced with the question of whether Ms. Habba is lawfully performing the functions and duties of the office of the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey, I conclude that she is not,’ Brann wrote in a 77-page order.

Habba, Trump’s former personal defense lawyer, had been serving as interim U.S. attorney, but when her term expired last month, Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi used loopholes in federal vacancy laws to install her as ‘acting’ rather than ‘interim’ U.S. attorney.

One of the defendants in the district, Julien Giraud, alleged that the moves violated his constitutional rights because of the string of unconventional actions it took to attempt to keep Habba in the role.

Brann, an Obama appointee serving in the Middle District of Pennsylvania, agreed and found Habba could not prosecute Giraud or another defendant who challenged Habba’s position.

Brann is presiding over the matter after the chief judge of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers New Jersey and Pennsylvania, decided the case presented too much of a conflict for New Jersey’s federal judges.

The New Jersey judges made the rare decision to decline to extend Habba’s term and instead appointed career attorney Desiree Grace to the job. Trump and Bondi fired Grace, withdrew Habba’s nomination as permanent U.S. attorney and then reinstated Habba as acting U.S. attorney, which they said kept Habba in charge for at least another 210 days under federal statute.

Fox News Digital reached out to a spokeswoman for Habba for comment.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

The Pentagon has created a new medal for service members who’ve deployed to the southern border to assist federal law enforcement with President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration. 

The Pentagon unveiled plans for a Mexican Border Defense Medal for U.S. troops serving with Joint Task Force Southern Border, according to a new memo the Pentagon released Aug.13 that was shared on social media. 

A U.S. defense official confirmed the authenticity of the memo to Fox News Digital Wednesday. 

Now, service members will receive the Mexican Border Defense Medal (MBDM) instead of the Armed Forces Service Medal (AFSM) like they previously earned for supporting Customs and Border Protection at the border, the memo said. 

The Armed Forces Service Medal, originally created in 1996 by former President Bill Clinton, is awarded to troops who have participated in a military operation with ‘significant activity,’ but didn’t encounter foreign armed opposition or imminent hostile action, according to a U.S. Army description of the medal. 

The Pentagon said in July that approximately 8,500 military personnel are assigned to Joint Task Force Southern Border, and have been tasked with responding to security threats there. The task force got underway in March and completed approximately 3,500 patrols between then and July, according to the Pentagon. 

Those eligible for the award must have deployed since Jan. 20 to support Customs and Border Protection, and served within 100-nautical miles from the international border shared with Mexico in either Texas, New Mexico, Arizona or California. 

Those who’ve also served in adjacent waters up to 24 nautical miles away from the border also are eligible. 

‘Service members must have been permanently assigned, attached, or detailed to a unit that deployed to participate in a designated DoD military operation supporting CBP within the (area of eligibility) during the (period of award) for 30 consecutive or nonconsecutive days,’ the memo said. 

Those who already have received the Armed Forces Service Medal for service at the southern border may appeal to receive the new award but are ineligible to receive both, according to the Pentagon. 

‘Service members and Veterans previously awarded the AFSM for DoD support to CBP may apply to their respective Military Service for award of the MBDM in lieu of the AFSM previously awarded to recognize such service; however, no Service member or Veteran may be awarded both the AFSM and the MBDM for the same period of qualifying service,’ the memo said. 

The Pentagon, per the direction of the president, has established four national defense areas along the border, bolstering U.S. troops’ capacity to assist Customs and Border Protection under the task force. 

The national defense areas operate under military jurisdiction, paving the way for U.S. troops to detain trespassers. Without placing these stretches of land under military jurisdiction, U.S. troops were barred from doing so under existing federal law. 

‘Through these enhanced authorities, U.S. Northern Command will ensure those who illegally trespass in the New Mexico National Defense Area are handed over to Customs and Border Protection or our other law enforcement partners,’ Air Force Gen. Gregory Guillot, commander of U.S. Northern Command, said in an April statement. ‘Joint Task Force Southern Border will conduct enhanced detection and monitoring, which will include vehicle and foot patrols, rotary wing and fixed surveillance site operations.’