Restaurants

The Biggest Changes In Cracker Barrel History By Andy Beth Miller Sept. 16, 2025 10:40 am EST

Few restaurant chains are as instantly recognizable as Cracker Barrel. For many, it is the epitome of roadside Americana: rocking chairs lined up on a wide wooden porch, a stone fireplace crackling in the colder months, and a gift shop stocked with checkerboards, vintage candies, and country-themed knickknacks that beg to be browsed while you wait for your table. However, it's also a brand weighed down by decades of missteps, tone-deaf corporate decisions, and a sometimes rocky relationship with the very communities it serves.

Founded in 1969 along an interstate in Tennessee, Cracker Barrel was built to capture the nostalgia of small-town general stores while catering to A

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