In my recent social media scroll I found something surprising: a surge in young Tik Tokers flocking to Cracker Barrel in search of vintage-style embroidered sweatshirts. You know the ones: cozy pullovers embroidered with seasonal motifs or woodland creatures commonly worn by, well, older segments of the population.
Tik Toker Brynne Long admitted she was running late to work but still made a trip to her local restaurant to pick up a sweatshirt after seeing them all over her For You page. She got the black Lab version, in honor of her pup Sadie.
Emma Stephens shared a video of her shopping trip and advised her followers to "run to Cracker Barrel for the cutest vintage hunting and fishing crewnecks." She picked up one with a log cabin and a deer, and another with a black Lab, which seems to be the most popular.
Emma's video has been viewed more than 2 million times, and fans left messages like, "I ran to cracker barrel so fast." Others were having trouble finding them, and a helpful commenter said, "they're not with the reg sweaters, they're like off in another area with the men's clothing." The 21-year-old stay-at-home mom later featured it as her OOTD, pairing it with bike shorts and a hat, and we have to agree she looks adorable! Others style the sweatshirts with jeans or leggings for a perfectly cozy fall outfit. And at $30, the price is hard to beat.
Of course, as with any trend, not everyone is on board! Tik Toker AdventuresWithAngel shared a video saying, "Gen Xers watching the Cracker Barrel grandma sweatshirt trend. I can't be the only one laughing about this one." Her followers chimed in with, "Yep, I giggle to myself that the cool kids are wearing what our mee maws wore back in the 80s and 90s." and "My daughter said it’s 'grannycore' I’m like yep this is EXACTLY what my granny wore in the 80’s/90’s."
But, regardless of any detractors, the sweatshirts are flying off the shelves, and Cracker Barrel has taken notice. Laura Daily, SVP, Chief Merchant and Retail Supply Chain, says, "We’re delighted by the reaction we’re seeing on TikTok when it comes to these vintage-inspired embroidered crewnecks. Our team loves to spot a trend and one trend we always lean into is what is old can be new again. We know GenZ loves vintage clothing so we’re so thrilled to know they have found this unique item and are loving it just as much as we are."
The sweatshirts have been available in the women's collection for years, but expanded into the men's collection just this season. Laura says, "The reaction has been overwhelmingly positive, and after going viral over the past few weeks, we’ve seen a 700% increase in sales since their September debut."
If you're looking at the website, you'll find a few similar options, but not the styles that are all over Tik Tok. According to Cracker Barrel, the black Lab, eagle, deer and cabin, and bait and tackle pullovers were listed online in September and sold out immediately. If you're still in search, you'll want to head to your local restaurant. And if you miss out on these, check back later! Laura promises, "We feel confident you’ll continue to see more viral products coming out of our retail collections."
Katie Bowlby is Digital Director at Country Living, where she covers pop culture news including country music, Yellowstone, and all things HGTV, plus gift guides and product reviews. She has been with Country Living for more than 11 years. Before that, she worked for Southern Living. The Indiana University grad also stitches up the cross-stitch pattern for every issue of the magazine.
