I never much cared for Cracker Barrel until just recently. My Mom enjoys going there and I got to confess, after several visits there with her it’s kind of won me over.
Then the other day I happened to read on their menu the history of the franchise and it sealed the deal for me. I am now officially a Cracker Barrel fan.
Here is a quick synopsis of how Cracker Barrel got its start 50 years ago in 1969:
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| https://www.crackerbarrel.com/ |
Evins was a sales rep for Shell Oil and came up with the restaurant/gift shop idea as a way to improve gasoline sales (click here.) His restaurant and gift shop did so well that Evins eventually dropped selling gas.
A couple of years after opening his first store, Evins rounded up some investors, most of whom were his friends, and began expanding operations. Today, there are over 600 CB’s throughout the country.
Evins decided to incorporate a country store backdrop for his business. He modeled it based upon local country stores that he grew up near.
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| https://www.crackerbarrel.com/about/dan-evins |
Note: I tried to locate which country store it was that had impressed Mr. Evins but was unable to do so.
Wonder if any ladies like the little honey featured in this video ever hung out at the country stores that Mr. Evins visited in his youth.