Logo Nation

My stepfather died four years ago, and now my mother has begun passing along some of his cherished possessions to his children, some of whom live out of state. With my husband working weekends at a music venue, I usually have a lot of free time Fridays and Saturdays. With the extra day off for Labor Day, my mother and I decided to head to Mississippi. I didn’t expect to see so many Cracker Barrel locations along the way, let alone stop at any. Mom is in her upper 70s, so she naturally wanted to eat there. She doesn’t give a hoot which logo they use.

I learned that they have three delicious things in their favor. The gift shop (e.g., the “country store”) has old-timey candy that will rot anyone’s teeth, the fried chicken is cooked to perfection, and the biscuit beignets make a great on-the-go breakfast the next day. First introduced in fall 2018, these beignets are a popular appetizer made from Cracker Barrel’s signature buttermilk biscuit dough, fried and tossed in cinnamon sugar. They have been featured as a limited-time menu item on several occasions and are currently on the Shareables menu.

The recent rebranding and un-rebranding of Cracker Barrel’s logo had many wondering, “Who’s actually keeping these folks in business?” Along with the aforementioned older folk (hi, Mom), I have another answer: touring bands. (Speaking of which, Pantera is on its first headlining tour since 2001’s Reinventing the Steel. If you’re reading this hot off the press on Wednesday, you still have a shot at tickets for tonight’s Dallas concert.)

Anyway, my husband, Greg Spicoli, sometimes works on the road for regional favorites Lillian Axe. Last October, they opened for Girlschool, whose Final North American Tour Part 2 started at Tulips FTW — super-convenient for us. Much to Greg’s dismay, it turns out that Lillian Axe (or its leader, at least) cannot get enough of Cracker Barrel. Consistency and availability aside, my curiosity got the best of me as to why, so I had Greg ask Steve Blaze about it on our behalf.

–Jennifer Bovee

Fort Worth Weekly: It’s no secret that while traveling hundreds and sometimes thousands of miles on tour, the go-to place to stop for Lillian Axe seems to be Cracker Barrel. Where did your proclivity for Cracker Barrel come from?

Steve Blaze: “The Barrel” has been one of my favorites for a long time, at least 20 years … . I just absolutely love the atmosphere. I like to shop, and they always have the most unique, cool stuff. As a matter of fact, I was there the other night. It’s like at home, even at home. Usually, once a week, my wife, son, and I go to Cracker Barrel for our Sunday evening festivities. You know, Sunday supper. While you’re there, you pick up a Scooby Doo hoodie and some Halloween stuff, and somehow now the Christmas stuff is already out. They also have a great assortment of vintage candies. All the stuff we had when we were kids is still there — toys, clothes, everything. So, I’m a huge fan, and, not necessarily secondary, but the food’s really good, too.

Do you have a favorite dish or a couple of favorite plates you like to go to, or do you just go up and down the menu each time?

Well, it all depends. The other night, I had this brand-new thing, some kind of French toast breakfast, and it was more like a bread pudding, and it was good. I’ll go for breakfast every now and then, and I’ve got to get everything, so I order the Uncle Herschel’s, an old-school breakfast with pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, and biscuits. My other favorite dish right now is the limited-time Campfire Meal, which is beef or chicken with corn, potatoes, and other vegetables, plus this great seasoning that they wrap in aluminum foil and bake. It’s amazing. I’ve been sticking with the chicken. I’m a dark meat guy. If I’m feeling healthy, I’ll go for grilled catfish and a salad. But what I really like is the atmosphere. I like vintage stuff and Americana. I like the roots and the old-school wholesomeness about it.

Ballpark figure, all these years on the touring circuit, how many Cracker Barrels do you think you may have eaten at?

All around the continental United States, all around the country, probably 30 or 40 different ones. Yeah. I think we should get a T-shirt or an endorsement or something. I could stand up there on a Cracker Barrel stage, hold up a biscuit, and say, “Steve Blaze eats here!” I strongly recommend the higher-ups in the company to get in touch with Lillian Axe for a concert series. We can sit on the porch and play acoustically all night.

If the Lillian Axe crew were to find some independent places that serve home cooking for you to try on the road, can we please skip some Cracker Barrels on the next tour?

Yes, we can. But if it’s not any good, and it doesn’t stand up to the quality of the Cracker Barrel location, that means that you guys have to take me to Cracker Barrel and buy my next meal.

With the new Lilliam Axe record 10 Commandments coming in early 2026, Steve assured us that there will be stops near us, as Texas has been always an immense part of the band’s history. “Even before we were signed, we were frequenting all the cities in Texas, especially Dallas, Fort Worth, and Houston.”

While the band is currently NOLA-based, drummer Wayne Stokely lives in Weatherford.

Back to the logo situation: While Cracker Barrel’s decision to update its branding was quickly reversed, initial reactions had the internet buzzing and everyone had an opinion, including Thomas L. Knapp of the William Lloyd Garrison Center for Libertarian Advocacy Journalism. Read his thoughts on the matter at TheGarrisonCenter.org/archives/19882.