Sales at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Inc. took a hit from the political firestorm that emerged after the chain updated its logo, underscoring the real-life business impact of social media outrage fanned by the president.

Transactions also slowed at the restaurants starting on Aug. 19, debit and credit card data from Bloomberg Second Measure show. That’s when the company unveiled a new emblem that modernized the font and removed an overalls-clad man known as Uncle Herschel.

The sales decline gathered steam through Aug. 26 as critics assailed the brand on social media. Political conservatives accused the chain of erasing traditional elements seen as linked to American culture, which in their view is under attack. Cracker Barrel relented the next day and restored its old logo after Pre

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