Nation’s Restaurant News reported The Wall Street Journal revealed 44.5% of anti-woke X posts fueling the online backlash for Cracker Barrel’s short-lived rebrand were generated by bots.
“Bots essentially lit the match,” a data analyst explained. “They created fake widespread anger, which then triggered real people to pile on and amplify the outrage far beyond what a typical logo change would typically provoke. Other brands have survived backlash over logo changes, and Cracker Barrel could have too if they took the time to understand the data.”
So, it appears President Donald J. Trump and his cronies—who constantly complain about perceived “fake news”—are not averse to fake social media posts.
Cracker Barrel’s logo controversy was driven by bots: What operators should learn from this
Research from PeakMetrics found that 44.5% of X posts about the Cracker Barrel rebranding controversy were posted by bots
By Joanna Fantozzi, Senior Editor
As Cracker Barrel continues to deal with the backlash against its (now mostly walked-back) modern rebranding that rocked social media for weeks, new data has come to light. According to research obtained by the Wall Street Journal from PeakMetrics, 44.5% of X posts about Cracker Barrel on Aug. 20 (when the new logo began to go viral), were posted by “bots or likely bots,” rising to 49% at the peak of the controversy.
That is a much higher share of automated posts than usual, the metrics company said, noting that controversial discussions on social media usually garner about 20% to 30% of bot-authored posts. This means that nearly half of the online outrage against Cracker Barrel’s simplified logo and remodeled stores was manufactured.
“The decisions Cracker Barrel made amid this social noise felt like they were driven by a desire to quickly extinguish the conversation rather than get their arms around what was really happening,” Maria Harrison, president and CEO of digital marketing agency, Bullseye Strategy, said. “Bots essentially lit the match. They created fake widespread anger, which then triggered real people to pile on and amplify the outrage far beyond what a typical logo change would typically provoke. Other brands have survived backlash over logo changes, and Cracker Barrel could have too if they took the time to understand the data.”
She added that even before rolling out a rebrand, a company should be aware through internal communications if it might spark a backlash. If that’s the case, they should have a “crisis response framework” in place for a measured plan instead of hurried flailing.
The crisis response, Harrison said, should include steps like checking first-party data to see how real customers are responding (not just bots and social media pilers-on). Operators can also use third-party tools to verify whether online chatter is real or manufactured, she said. There are also clues to spot social media outrage inauthenticity, like repetitive posts and hashtags, and the noise only showing up in one channel (in this case, on X).
“Predictive testing, proactive communication to their customers, and contextual data all could have mitigated this crisis,” Harrison said. “If early warning signs were detected, Cracker Barrel could have made quiet decisions about how to proceed, and if they decided to proceed nationally, they could have gotten ahead of any discontent that may have been legitimate and not bot-driven.”
AI experts agree that a thorough but measured approach is best, so companies can distinguish real social media activity from manufactured, AI-driven response. If a pattern of inauthenticity is detected, then companies should not feel obligated to over-respond, or over-apologize.
“When you respond, do it calmly and focus on real guests,” Peter Swimm, AI expert and founder of Toliville, said. “Use a one‑line integrity note if needed: ‘We’ve seen signs of unusual coordination online. We’re prioritizing feedback from our guests and staff.’ Hold major changes until at least two signals agree: social plus search, or direct guest feedback.”
In the case of Cracker Barrel, the company urgently responded to bring back the old logo, halt store rebrands, fire its redesign consultant, and juggle its executive leadership team (while still keeping CEO Julie Massino in place). This last part at least, Harrison said, was a smart move.
“Removing the CEO would likely have driven the stock further down,” Harrison said. “Instead, keeping their CEO in place signaled leadership restraint amid the chaos and kept continuity of leadership, something investors often value.”
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