MAGA Rep Drags Jesus Christ Into ‘Woke’ Cracker Barrel Meltdown
The food chain’s “parking lot” has a special place in Byron Donalds’ heart.

Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Imag
MAGA’s meltdown over Cracker Barrel’s “woke” new logo reached new heights on Thursday when Congressman Byron Donalds slammed the restaurant chain for daring to rebrand after he had a religious experience in one of its Florida parking lots.
“In college, I worked at @CrackerBarrel in Tallahassee,” the Florida Republican wrote on X, “I even gave my life to Christ in their parking lot. Their logo was iconic and their unique restaurants were a fixture of American culture. No one asked for this woke rebrand.”

BLOOMSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, UNITED STATES - 2023/02/19: Cars are seen parked at a Cracker Barrel Old Country Store restaurant in Bloomsburg. (Photo by Paul Weaver/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
SOPA Images/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Gett
Cracker Barrel drew the ire of MAGA diehards Tuesday when the company revealed its new logo, sans old-timer in his rocking chair. Some conservatives interpreted the removal of the elder white character as a sign the restaurant chain was going “woke.” Outcry over the perceived slight caused the business’ stock to plunge on Thursday.
In college, I worked at @CrackerBarrel in Tallahassee. I even gave my life to Christ in their parking lot.
— Byron Donalds (@ByronDonalds) August 21, 2025
Their logo was iconic and their unique restaurants were a fixture of American culture.
No one asked for this woke rebrand. It’s time to Make Cracker Barrel Great Again 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/rqsPgPxwxY
The company explained the new simplified logo “anchors Cracker Barrel’s signature gold and brown tones” and makes the image “rooted even more closely to the iconic barrel shape and word mark that started it all.”
ADVERTISEMENT
But MAGA leaders have decided the marketing move is an attack on “American culture,” however, with Don Jr. posting to X, “WTF is wrong with Cracker Barrel?” and recirculating a post that blames the change on the chain’s CEO and diversity and inclusion initiatives.

President Donald Trump hosts Sen. Ashley Moody (R-FL) (L), Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) and others while celebrating the 2025 NCAA men's basketball Champion Florida Gators in the East Room of the White House on May 21, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Congressman Donalds joined the chorus on Thursday to rail against the company and suggest that its Americana branding was the perfect backdrop for his Christian awakening. Donalds, who is currently running to replace Ron DeSantis as Florida’s governor, continues to lean hard into every MAGA talking point within reach as he dodges his own scrutiny.
The Daily Beast learned last month that Trump’s endorsement of Donalds has become a point of concern in Republican circles for lack of proper vetting, as he’s known to keep a consultant and “right-hand man” on payroll who was accused of sexually inappropriate behavior multiples times while working as a substitute teacher.
But the Congressman insisted Thursday that the point of focus for MAGA should be fighting the invasion of wokeism, as he wrote to X, “It’s time to Make Cracker Barrel Great Again.”
Get the best of The Beast delivered right to your inbox
By clicking “SUBSCRIBE” you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.
