Cracker Barrel slammed for ditching black-eyed peas from New Year’s Day menu: ‘Stop your woke BS!’

LEBANON, TENNESSEE: It may be a fresh calendar year, but Cracker Barrel’s headaches were sticking around like yesterday’s grits.

After a tumultuous 2025 marked by backlash over a logo shake-up, restaurant redesign, and menu meddling, the Southern chain reportedly ditched black-eyed peas, one of its most beloved New Year’s Day staples. 

For generations across the South, black-eyed peas have been a must-have on New Year’s Day. The humble legume is believed to bring good fortune in the year ahead, a tradition rooted deep in Southern culture. Writer John Egerton once described the dish as having a “mystical and mythical power to bring good luck” in his book 'Southern Food: At Home, On the Road, In History.'

That belief helped turn Cracker Barrel into a dependable pit stop for displaced Southerners trying to keep the tradition alive. If black-eyed peas weren’t bubbling away on the stove at home, customers could count on finding them at Cracker Barrel, usually served alongside greens, cornbread, and pork. 

Black-eyed peas quietly disappear, sparking major backlash

According to a Fox News report, Cracker Barrel quietly axed black-eyed peas from its New Year’s Day lineup. Exactly when the dish was discontinued remained unclear, but the outlet noted that the chain had stopped publicizing its longtime New Year’s promotion offering free black-eyed peas to customers.

Cracker Barrel offered only a broad response when asked about the change.

“We’re operating during our usual hours and serving our standard menu on New Year’s,” the company told Fox News in a statement.

When pressed specifically about the fate of the black-eyed peas, Cracker Barrel did not respond.

That silence did little to calm an already irritated customer base. News of the missing dish left longtime fans fuming across social media.

“One of many reasons Cracker Barrel is failing,” one user posted on X. Another added, “Never going to CB again. You are literally at war with your own customer base. Stop your woke BS.”

"Ending the year by breaking hearts messing with a New Year tradition is a bold and risky move, Cracker Barrel,” another wrote.

Others were even harsher. “Now I find out Cracker Barrel no longer serves black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day. The woman at the head of this thing needs to be fired. She’s done nothing but cause problems since she took over,” one post read.

“Seems to me like you idiots haven’t learned a damned thing. Glad I decided to keep my family out of your new look and new menu. Cracker Barrel used to be a good place to go. Not so much anymore,” another added.

A rebrand attempt that continues to hurt

The backlash marked the latest fallout from Cracker Barrel’s widely criticized rebrand unveiled in August.

The company angered customers after dropping Uncle Herschel from its logo, a move that several influencers and MAGA-aligned figures quickly labeled as “woke.” Thousands of memes flooded social media as the backlash grew.

The rebrand also included a simplified font and stripped-back interior decor, replacing the cluttered, rustic Southern aesthetic that once defined the chain’s identity.

The response proved costly. Cracker Barrel CEO Julie Felss Masino later admitted she felt as though she had been “fired by America.”

Market reaction was swift. Following the redesign, Cracker Barrel lost $94 million in a single day. Shares fell to $54.50, a 7.15 percent drop, after briefly plunging nearly 15 percent earlier in the session.

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