A Cracker Barrel board member is drawing criticism from conservative commentators following the restaurant chain’s recent rebrand and disclosures about its diversity initiatives.
Gilbert Davila, 61, has become a focal point of the backlash after joining the company’s board of directors in July 2020, during a period of major corporate restructuring. Davila is also one of Cracker Barrel’s largest individual shareholders, a role that gives him significant influence over the company’s strategy and direction. His appointment to the board came during a broader period when many U.S. companies were reassessing brand identities and corporate policies.
Conservative activist Robby Starbuck pointed to Davila’s background in a recent video, claiming it helps explain Cracker Barrel’s recent strategic shifts. Starbuck argued the changes reflect an effort to appeal to more progressive audiences while moving away from the company’s traditional customer base.
“What qualified him for this board seat?” Starbuck questioned in his video critique. “Well, you see, he’s owned a DEI consulting and strategy firm for 15 years that focuses on pushing DEI and DEI advertising.”
Davila has served as president and CEO of DMI Consulting since 2010. According to his profile on Cracker Barrel’s website, the firm describes itself as “a leading multicultural marketing, diversity and inclusion, and strategy company in the United States.”
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Cracker Barrel has rolled out a series of brand and design changes that have sparked significant backlash from longtime customers.
The company replaced its long-standing logo — featuring a man leaning against a barrel — with a simplified version showing only the restaurant’s name in black lettering over a yellow barrel-shaped background.
Inside its restaurants, the chain has removed much of its signature rustic Americana decor, swapping it for a more contemporary modernist style that marks a sharp break from its traditional aesthetic, Resist the Mainstream reported.
The changes have drawn widespread criticism on social media, with many customers expressing disappointment over what they see as an abandonment of the company’s familiar imagery and atmosphere.
Starbuck argued the redesign reflects broader organizational changes. In a 15-minute video, he pointed to Cracker Barrel’s participation in LGBTQ Pride events and its adoption of diversity, equity, and inclusion hiring policies as signs of a deeper transformation in the company’s values and priorities.