>> Continued From the Previous Page <<
Starbuck also revealed Davila’s earlier career. From 2003 to 2010, Davila worked at Disney as vice president of global diversity and multicultural market development.
“People like him are behind the woke advertising push that we’ve seen in recent years,” Starbuck said. “And he was also one of the people responsible for DEI at Disney.”
The Disney connection raises eyebrows. After all, Disney’s cultural pivot from wholesome family entertainment to left-wing activism is one of the clearest examples of corporate America’s radical shift. And now, one of the men who helped guide that transformation is in the driver’s seat at Cracker Barrel.
Davila’s résumé reads like a roadmap for America’s corporate culture war. Before Disney, he held similar roles pushing “diversity initiatives” at Sears and Coca-Cola. He also co-founded the Alliance for Inclusive and Multicultural Marketing, a project under the Association of National Advertisers.
His LinkedIn profile even boasts that he “is widely recognized for his multicultural market knowledge and his proven track record on how to best embed a multicultural perspective into a corporation’s entire operation.” In other words, he’s made a career out of turning major companies into progressive culture machines.
The changes at Cracker Barrel go far beyond a new logo. Starbuck documented how the company has been “active in LGBTQ pride events” and “aggressively employed diversity, equity and inclusion policies in hiring.”
Gone is the familiar rustic branding — the man leaning on the barrel replaced with a bland, corporate-style design. The interiors once filled with nostalgia and charm now look more like a trendy café in downtown San Francisco.
For many, it feels like a direct attack on the very identity that made Cracker Barrel special.
This isn’t just about one restaurant chain. Starbuck argues that it’s part of a much larger effort to infiltrate companies that symbolize traditional America.
Cracker Barrel has long been associated with family road trips, Southern hospitality, and a sense of comfort. For activists like Davila, that’s exactly what makes it a target. They want to dismantle spaces where everyday Americans can gather without being bombarded by progressive messaging.
We’ve already seen this play out with Bud Light, Target, and other corporations that traded in their loyal customers for ESG scores and woke applause. Cracker Barrel now seems to be following the same script.
The biggest losers in this transformation are ordinary Americans. Families who just wanted a plate of chicken and dumplings in a warm, familiar atmosphere now walk into a restaurant that feels foreign. The company’s traditional identity has been erased in favor of political posturing.
And the results show in the numbers. Cracker Barrel’s stock has taken a hit, reflecting a loss of confidence from investors and customers alike.
This is bigger than décor or logos. It’s about whether traditional American culture has any safe spaces left in corporate America. When companies like Cracker Barrel cave to progressive consultants, it sends a chilling message: no brand is off-limits.
The question now is whether Cracker Barrel will listen to the millions of customers who built its success — or whether it will keep following the DEI playbook. Based on what we’ve seen with other companies, few expect a course correction anytime soon.




