Zack Walkter

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store is truly an all-American restaurant chain and a fixture along America’s highways. It has more than 600 locations in 42 states, so it’s just about impossible to drive for an extended period of time and not encounter one. But we bet that there are a lot of things you didn’t know about this down-home destination. 1. The first Cracker Barrel was opened 46 years ago. The first Cracker Barrel location was opened on Highway 109 in Lebanon, Tennessee in 1969 by a man named Dan Evins. Back then, even the cornbread was made from scratch, a practice that is still going strong today. (Unrelated fun fact: Lebanon is also where we launched the first-ever Country Living Fair in Tennessee in 2015!) Tim Calkins 2. It Was Founded by a Shell Oil Sales Rep to Improve Gasoline Sales Dan Evins was tasked with finding creative ways to improve gasoline sales while working as a sales representative for Shell Oil, and the idea for Cracker Barrel came out of that. All early locations featured Shell gasoline pumps on-site, and they weren’t phased out entirely until decades later. kcra.com 3. Early Locations Were All Located Near Interstate Highway Exits In line with the founding philosophy of selling gasoline, all early locations were located right by major highway exits. Many remain located right near the off-ramp to this day. Pinterest 4. It Tested a Carry-Out-Only Concept in 1994 In 1994, the company launched a concept called Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Corner Market in a handful of suburban residential neighborhoods. It didn’t pan out, and all locations were closed in 1997. Flickr 5. Since Day One, Every Table Has Had a Peg Solitaire Game on It And not only that, they’ve been made by the same company the whole time: Lebanon, Tennessee’s Qualls and Sons Novelties. Getty Images 6. It’s Partnered with Some of Country Music’s Biggest Stars Cracker Barrel sells a lot of country music CDs, so it’s only natural that the company would partner with some country stars. They’ve entered into exclusive release deals with stars including Charlie Daniels, Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, Alan Jackson, Alabama, and Alison Krauss. 7. It’s Faced Several Race and Sexual Orientation-Related Controversies After about a dozen employees were fired in 1991, word got out that a company memo advised managers to fire employees if they didn’t display "normal heterosexual values." The company ended this policy after demonstrations from gay rights groups, but it wasn’t until 2002 that the company added sexual orientation to its non-discrimination policy. Lawsuits have also been filed by both former employees and guests claiming that they had been racially discriminated against. In 2004, an investigation by the U.S. Justice Department found that the chain had been segregating dining rooms by race, giving white customers priority over black customers, and allowing white servers to refuse to serve black customers. The company has taken strides since then to improve its image, and has come a long way: the non-discrimination policy is on display in every restaurant, minorities make up about a quarter of its employees and 11 percent of its management and executives, and the CEO, Sandra Cochran, is only the second woman to hold that position in a Tennessee-based publicly traded company. delcotimes.com 8. It’s Been an Ongoing Feud with Kraft Foods Over the Cracker Barrel Name Ever wonder why there’s also a Cracker Barrel brand of cheese in your local supermarket? Kraft, its parent company, which has sold cheese under that brand since 1954, has taken a “live and let live” approach to this issue — but sued the restaurant chain recently to put an end to a 2012 deal that would have brought meat products branded by Cracker Barrel restaurants to grocery store shelves. The two compromised, and the products are now sold under the “CB” brand name. Cracker Barrel 9. It Supports a Wide Range of Charities and Has Its Own Charitable Organization The chain supports charities and causes in the communities in which its restaurants are located, and was very active in supporting recovery efforts along the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina and in Nashville after flooding in 2010. It also provides support to employees through the Cracker Barrel Cares organization, has partnered with the Wounded Warrior Project and provides an annual scholarship through the National Black MBA Association. Flickr 10. You Can Buy Most of Its Products Online Cracker Barrel’s online store is incredibly well-stocked, and you can purchase everything there from home décor to candy, clothing, jewelry, bedding, gifts, games, books, and soap. And while you’re on the site, you might as well check out these helpful tips on caring for your American flag. shop.crackerbarrel.com 11. It’s One of the Few Chains That Doesn’t Post Calorie Counts Online The vast majority of restaurant chains, from McDonald’s to Applebee’s, are upfront about their nutrition information, generally posting them right on their websites. Cracker Barrel doesn’t, however, simply saying “Cracker Barrel certainly understands the health-conscious concerns that some of our guests have,” before directing visitors to websites that may or may not feature select nutrition info, like weightwatchers.com. Pinterest 12. Every Cracker Barrel displays five of the same types of antiques While each restaurant features unique local finds that reflect the community's history, every Cracker Barrel Old Country Store has an ox yoke and a horseshoe hanging over the front door, a traffic light over the restrooms, a rifle over the mantel, a wall telephone next to the mantel, and a cracker barrel with a checkerboard in front of the fireplace. Getty Images 13. The restaurants are decorated with actual vintage finds inspired by local history All of those tools, signs, photographs, and toys that decorate the walls of your local Cracker Barrel? They're all authentic vintage items—no reproductions allowed. Back when the first Cracker Barrel opened, founder Dan Evins asked Don and Kathleen Singleton, a couple who ran a local antique store, to help him decorate the space in the style of an old country store. Today, the couple's son, Larry Singleton, is still in charge of finding unique regional artifacts for new restaurant locations. In fact, Larry runs an entire "Decor Warehouse" filled with over 90,000 artifacts at the company's headquarters in Tennessee, where his team restores and archives every fabulous antique item that he purchases. Cracker Barrel Credits: thedailymeal.com countryliving.com