Cracker Barrel CEO Never Said MAGA Isn’t Welcome

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Editors’ Note: We’re changing things up! Instead of keeping you waiting for our twice-weekly newsletters, we’ll now publish our debunks of false claims related to breaking news as soon as our reporting establishes that a significant claim is false.

This means that you’ll get a real-time scoop on false reports, deepfakes, and hoaxes just as they are infecting your newsfeeds and social media accounts — and the newsfeeds of friends and family who will appreciate you letting them know what’s false. Then, every Friday, you’ll get a roundup highlighting the most important stories of the week — plus our “False Claim of the Week” and our video series on how to spot and bust falsehoods like a pro.

Our goal with this change in frequency is simple: To empower you more quickly to separate fact from fiction at a time when it is becoming increasingly difficult to tell the difference. Thanks for reading and being part of our Reality Check community.

Today’s newsletter was edited by Sofia Rubinson and Eric Effron.

By Sam Howard

What happened: Conservative social media users, angered by family-style restaurant Cracker Barrel’s rebranding efforts, are falsely claiming that the chain’s chief executive stated, “MAGA doesn’t have to eat here.”

Cracker Barrel’s former logo (left) alongside the newly designed logo (right). (Screenshots via NewsGuard)

Context: Cracker Barrel is facing backlash from conservatives and a sharp stock decline after unveiling a new logo that drops its iconic “barrel man” imagery, prompting accusations that it had abandoned its nostalgic heritage in favor of “woke” branding.

A closer look: Amid the controversy, conservative accounts are claiming that Cracker Barrel CEO Julie Masino said that “MAGA doesn’t have to eat here.”

• Pro-Trump X user @Sassafrass_84 posted a graphic with the supposed anti-MAGA quote and stated, “I bet Cracker Barrel isn’t laughing at their stock numbers right now.” The post garnered 1.6 million views and 36,000 likes in three days.
• Conservative commentator Buzz Patterson posted the quote on X and stated: “I think you’ll regret saying that, honey. MAGA is (was) your customer base. Good luck with the bankruptcy.” The post received 435,300 views and 13,000 likes in two days.

Actually: There is no evidence that Cracker Barrel’s Masino made any anti-MAGA comments.

• NewsGuard reviewed press coverage of the Cracker Barrel rebranding and the company’s corporate communications and did not find any statement belittling MAGA supporters.

More context: In recent days, conservatives have expressed their deep connections to Cracker Barrel. Republican Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida stated in an X post that he “gave [his] life to Christ in their parking lot,” adding, “No one asked for this woke rebrand. It’s time to Make Cracker Barrel Great Again.”

Cracker Barrel, a Tennessee-based public company that operates a chain of 657 locations in the United States, saw a nearly $10 drop in its stock price, from $59.02 to $50.76, on the day that its rebranding gained national attention on Aug. 21. As of Aug. 25, the stock had rebounded to some extent, trading at $54.83 a share, giving it a market value of $1.21 billion.

The company’s media relations office did not respond to an email and a phone message seeking comment on the matter.

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By Hope Talbot

An X post cites (at the top) a fake response from Gov. Newsom’s press office, cursing Bed Bath & Beyond’s executive chairman. Blurring effect added by NewsGuard. (Screenshot via NewsGuard)

What happened: Pro-Trump social media users are sharing a purported screenshot of a post from California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press office, aiming a profanity at struggling retailer Bed Bath & Beyond for saying it would not open stores in California.

Context: On Aug. 20, 2025, Bath & Beyond Executive Chairman Marcus Lemonis issued a statement saying that the houseware and furniture chain, which has gone in and out of bankruptcy since 2023, would not open or operate any stores in California as it starts reopening stores under new ownership. Lemonis cited what he called the state’s “overregulated, expensive, and risky environments for businesses. In August 2025, the company re-opened its store in Nashville, Tennessee, and said that it plans to open 300 more stores in the next two years.

• Newsom’s press office responded by stating in an Aug. 20 X post: “After their bankruptcy and closure of every store, like most Americans, we thought Bed, Bath & Beyond no longer existed. We wish them well in their efforts to become relevant again as they try to open a 2nd store.”

A closer look: However, conservative accounts began posting a different purported response from Newsom’s office to Lemonis, stating, in its entirety, “F– YOU. BYE.” (The word was spelled out.) Users citing the post said it showed that the Democratic governor, who is widely expected to run for president in 2028, is unhinged and immature.

• The earliest example of the false claim that NewsGuard found was an Aug. 20 X post by conservative user @culver_mandy. The post shared the purported screenshot and stated: “Triggered, lashed out, deleted. Typical of a Newsom nerd.” The post gained 200,000 views and 2,000 likes in one day.
• An Aug. 20 Facebook post by the conservative commentators the Hodge Twins shared the supposed X post and commented, “Gavin Newsom tells Bed Bath & Beyond to go F themselves.” The post received 20,000 reactions and 1,000 reposts in one day.

Actually: The X post is fabricated.

• A NewsGuard review of the X account for Newsom’s press office, as well as archived versions of the account, found no evidence that the press office ever published the post seen in the image.
• Newsom’s press office confirmed that the screenshot was fabricated in an Aug. 20 X post, stating, “We never posted this (fake screenshot) — but it is funny lol.”

There are a number of inconsistencies in the purported screenshot compared to a legitimate X post from Newsom’s office.

• The authentic Newsom press office’s X account has a silver verification badge, signifying that it is verified because it is a government account. The fake screenshot contains a blue verification badge.
• The screenshot includes “X.com” at the top, which is not a feature on authentic X posts.

To learn more about how to spot fake social media posts wrongly attributed to politicians, watch this segment from the NewsGuard Academy.

Reality Check is produced by Co-CEOs Steven Brill and Gordon Crovitz, and the NewsGuard team.

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