Cracker Barrel facts for kids
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc., known simply as Cracker Barrel, is a popular American chain of restaurants and gift shops. It has a fun Southern country theme. The company started in Lebanon, Tennessee, in 1969, thanks to its founder, Dan Evins.
Cracker Barrel restaurants were first built near major highways in the Southern and Midwestern United United States. Over the years, they grew across the country. As of August 2023, there are 660 Cracker Barrel stores in 45 states!
The food at Cracker Barrel is based on traditional Southern cooking. The restaurants look like old-fashioned general stores. Each one has a front porch with wooden rocking chairs, a stone fireplace, and cool old items from the local area. Cracker Barrel also works with country music artists and helps out with charities, like supporting hurricane victims and injured veterans.
In the past, Cracker Barrel faced some challenges regarding its policies. However, the company has changed its policies to be more fair and welcoming to everyone. It also had a legal issue about its name with a cheese brand, which led to Cracker Barrel selling its own products in grocery stores under the name "CB Old Country Store."
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Trade name
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Cracker Barrel |
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| Public | |
| Traded as | NASDAQ: CBRL S&P 600 component |
| ISIN | US22410J1060 |
| Industry | Restaurants |
| Founded | September 19, 1969 |
| Founder | Dan Evins |
| Headquarters |
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United States
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Number of locations
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 660 (2023) |
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Area served
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United States |
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Key people
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William W. McCartten (director and executive chairman) Julie Felss Masino (president and CEO) |
| Products | Southern Cuisine (breakfast foods • seafood • chicken platters • Dumplings • Steaks • Kids Menu • Pork Dishes • Salads • Sandwiches • Beef Platters • Desserts) |
| Services | Food General store |
| Revenue | US$3.268 billion (FY 2022) |
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Operating income
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 US$153 million (FY 2022) |
| US$131.88 million (FY 2022) |
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| Total assets | US$2.295 billion (FY 2022) |
| Total equity | US$2.295 billion (FY 2022) |
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Number of employees
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73,000 (2022) |
| Subsidiaries | Logan's Roadhouse (1999–2006) Rocking Chair, Inc. (2002–present) Maple Street Biscuit Company (2019–present) |
Contents
Cracker Barrel's Story
How It All Started (1969–1979)
Cracker Barrel was created in 1969 by Dan Evins. He worked for Shell Oil and first thought of the restaurant and gift store idea to help sell more gasoline. He wanted the stores to look like the old country stores he remembered from when he was a kid. He chose the name "Cracker Barrel" to give it a Southern country feel.
The name comes from the barrels of soda crackers that used to be sold in small-town stores in the American South. People would gather around these barrels to chat, much like people gather around water coolers today.
The very first Cracker Barrel opened on September 19, 1969, in Lebanon, Tennessee, near Interstate 40. It served classic Southern dishes like biscuits, grits, and country ham.
Dan Evins officially made Cracker Barrel a company in February 1970 and quickly opened more locations. In the early 1970s, many of these first restaurants were built on land leased from gas stations near highways. These early spots even had gas pumps. But during the gasoline shortages in the mid-1970s, Cracker Barrel started building restaurants without gas pumps.
Growing Bigger (1980–1996)
In 1981, Cracker Barrel became a "publicly traded company." This means people could buy shares of the company to help it raise money for more growth. They sold over half a million shares and raised $10.6 million.
After this, Cracker Barrel grew very fast, about 20 percent each year. By 1987, there were more than 50 Cracker Barrel restaurants in eight states, making almost $81 million in sales each year. The company kept growing steadily through the 1980s and 1990s. By 1992, it was worth $1 billion! In 1993, Cracker Barrel's sales were almost double that of any other family restaurant.
In 1994, the chain tried out a "carry-out-only" store called Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Corner Market in neighborhoods. They also opened new traditional Cracker Barrel locations, mostly outside the South. They even tried adding local dishes to their menus, like eggs and salsa in Texas or Reuben sandwiches in New York. But they always kept their original Southern dishes available everywhere. Cracker Barrel didn't close any locations until 1995.
Modern Times (1997–Present)
By September 1997, Cracker Barrel had 314 restaurants and planned to open about 50 more each year. The company stopped its Corner Market take-out stores in 1997 to focus on its main restaurants and gift shops. The company's president, Ron Magruder, said they wanted to strengthen their main idea: offering traditional food and retail in a country store setting, with great service and country music.
Between 1997 and 2000, the number of Cracker Barrel locations grew to over 420. To handle this fast growth, the company improved how they hired staff and added new technology, like a system for placing food orders. Also in 1997, Cracker Barrel bought the Mitchell House in Lebanon, Tennessee. This old house became their main office from 1999 to 2013 after a big restoration.
From the late 1990s to the mid-2000s, Cracker Barrel started opening new locations in neighborhoods. This was to attract local people and workers, not just highway travelers. In 1998, they opened their first restaurant not located near a highway in Dothan, Alabama. In 2006, they updated their highway billboards to show pictures of their food, not just their logo, to attract more customers.
By 2011, Cracker Barrel had more than 600 restaurants in 42 states. They even started opening stores on the West Coast. Their first store in Oregon opened in 2017, and their first California store opened in 2018. In 2019, Cracker Barrel bought a company called Maple Street Biscuit Company.
In 2020, Cracker Barrel teamed up with DoorDash for food delivery because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This was their first time working with a delivery service. Also in September 2020, Cracker Barrel started offering alcohol (beer, wine, and mimosas) on its menu for the first time. They tested it in 100 stores first and then expanded it to over 600 locations because customers liked it.
What You'll Find at Cracker Barrel
Food and Gift Shop Fun
Cracker Barrel is known for its "down-home" country cooking, which is traditional Southern comfort food. They serve breakfast all day! They have two menus: one for breakfast and another for lunch and dinner. Since the first restaurant opened, the menu has always featured Southern favorites like biscuits, fried chicken, and catfish. They also add seasonal and regional dishes sometimes.
The gift shops are full of unique items. You can find simple toys that remind people of the 1950s and 1960s, like toy cars, puzzles, and wooden crafts. They also sell country music CDs, classic TV show DVDs, cookbooks, baking mixes, fun kitchen decorations, and old-fashioned candies and snacks.
Locations, Service, and Decor
For many years, most Cracker Barrel restaurants were built along the Interstate Highway System. Even today, most of their restaurants are still close to major highways.
The restaurants are designed to look like a traditional Southern general store. The decorations inside each store are real, old items from the early 1900s and later. Every Cracker Barrel has a front porch with wooden rocking chairs. Inside, you'll always see five common decorations: a shotgun, a cookstove, a deer head, a telephone, and a traffic light. Plus, every table has a wooden peg solitaire game for you to play!
Each location also has special decorations that relate to the local history of the area. These can be old tools, calendars, posters, or antique photos. This tradition started with the very first store. The items used for decoration are stored in a large warehouse in Tennessee. There, they are cleaned, fixed up, and organized until they are needed for a new store. As of 2018, this warehouse held over 90,000 items!
Awards and Recognition
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Cracker Barrel has won many awards! Destinations magazine has given them awards for being a top chain restaurant. In 2010 and 2011, the Zagat survey called them the "Best Breakfast." They also won an award in 2011 for their long-time use of highway advertisements. For 19 years in a row, Restaurants & Institutions magazine named Cracker Barrel the "Best Family Dining" restaurant in a national poll.
Loyal Customers
Cracker Barrel is known for having very loyal customers, especially travelers. From 1977 to 2017, a married couple named Ray and Wilma Yoder drove over 5 million miles to visit 644 Cracker Barrel locations! When the company opened its 645th restaurant in Oregon in 2017 (on Ray Yoder's 81st birthday), Cracker Barrel flew the Yoders out for the grand opening and gave them special gifts.
How Cracker Barrel Works
Leadership and Business
Dan Evins, the company's founder, led Cracker Barrel until 2001. After him, Michael Woodhouse took over. In September 2011, Sandra B. Cochran became the company's CEO and president. She was the second woman in Tennessee to hold such a high position in a publicly traded company. In August 2023, Julie Felss Masino became the new CEO.
Cracker Barrel restaurants are designed for families and casual diners, and they also focus on selling items in their gift shops. The company also tries to attract people traveling on highways, as most of their locations are near highway exits. Cracker Barrel works to keep its employee turnover low and train its staff well. Since the 1980s, they have offered a formal training program with benefits for employees who complete it.
Working with Others
Cracker Barrel has sponsored big events like the NASCAR Atlanta 500 race and the Grand Ole Opry, a famous country music show. Being a sponsor of the Grand Ole Opry helped the company connect with the music industry in Nashville. After that, they started working with many country music performers.
Cracker Barrel has often worked with the famous country musician Dolly Parton. They first teamed up in 2009 for a special edition of her album. Since then, they've released other special Parton albums. They even brought Dolly Parton and the a cappella group Pentatonix together to create a new version of her song "Jolene," which won a Grammy Award in 2017! Dolly Parton also performed for Cracker Barrel's appearance in the 2020 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
In 2009, the company worked with country musician Alan Jackson to release an album called Songs of Love and Heartache. In 2019, Cracker Barrel started a campaign called 'Five Decades, One Voice' to support female country music singers like Loretta Lynn and Trisha Yearwood. This campaign included making new versions of classic country songs and creating playlists with only female artists for their restaurants.
Cracker Barrel is also part of the Corporate Advisory Board for the Texas Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). They also support the NAACP Leadership 500 Summit.
Helping the Community
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Cracker Barrel supports many charities through donations, special events, and partnerships. They have helped communities where their restaurants are located, like the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Nashville after severe flooding in 2010. In 2010, Cracker Barrel also started Cracker Barrel Cares Inc., a non-profit group funded by employees to help other Cracker Barrel employees.
Cracker Barrel has also partnered with the Wounded Warrior Project, which helps injured veterans, and Operation Homefront, which supports military families. To improve its image after some past issues, the company has offered scholarships and job skills programs with groups like the National Black MBA Association and 100 Black Men of America. In November 2021, Cracker Barrel started "Food for Families" to help with food shortages and reduce food waste in rural areas. They also partnered with the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Foundation and Feeding America.
Fairness for Everyone
In the early 1990s, Cracker Barrel had a policy that caused problems. After protests from groups supporting fairness for all people, the company changed its policy in March 1991. They stated they would not treat people unfairly based on their personal lives. The company's founder, Dan Evins, later said the old policy was a mistake.
Over the years, shareholders (people who own parts of the company) pushed for Cracker Barrel to add fairness for all people to its non-discrimination policy. In 2002, most shareholders voted in favor of this change.
Between 2008 and 2021, Cracker Barrel greatly improved its rating on the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index. This shows their commitment to fairness and inclusion. Since 2017, the company has sponsored Out & Equal, a non-profit organization that works for equality in the workplace.
Legal Matters
Ensuring Fair Treatment
In the early 2000s, some lawsuits were filed against Cracker Barrel. These lawsuits claimed that the company had not treated all customers fairly. The NAACP supported these lawsuits. Cracker Barrel officials said they were committed to treating all employees and customers fairly. In 2004, the U.S. Justice Department also filed a lawsuit against Cracker Barrel, saying the company had not treated minority customers fairly.
Cracker Barrel settled these lawsuits. They agreed to put in place clear policies and procedures to ensure fair treatment for everyone. They also hired an outside expert to make sure they followed these agreements.
Cracker Barrel Name Dispute
In 2012, Cracker Barrel allowed another company to sell a line of meat products using the Cracker Barrel name. However, Kraft Foods, which had been selling cheese under the Cracker Barrel brand since 1954, said this was a problem. Kraft Foods filed a lawsuit in 2013, saying it was using their trademarked name. A judge stopped the sale of the meat products with the Cracker Barrel name. Because of this, Cracker Barrel agreed to sell its products in grocery stores under the name "CB Old Country Store" instead.
