Why doesn't Long Island have a Cracker Barrel restaurant?

While some Long Islanders may have been yearning for a Cracker Barrel for decades, a local franchise of the homestyle restaurant remains elusive.

Long before a recent rebranding controversy involving the restaurant's logo — which resulted in the company quickly reversing its plans this week — the Tennessee-based restaurant and Old Country Store had not ventured onto Long Island, and previous plans for local expansion had stalled.

The family homestyle restaurant, specializing in fried chicken and biscuits and gravy, operates nearly 660 locations in 44 states. For Long Islanders, it remains out of reach along with other long-sought restaurants such as Waffle House and In-N-Out Burger.

What were past plans to bring Cracker Barrel to Long Island?

Previous plans to lure a franchise of the r