Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. is an American chain of combined restaurant and gift stores with a Southern country theme. The company was founded by Dan Evins in 1969; its first store was in Lebanon, Tennessee. The corporate offices are located at a different facility in the same city. The chain's stores were at first positioned near Interstate Highway exits in the Southeastern and Midwestern United States, but expanded across the country during the 1990s and 2000s. As of September 1, 2019, the chain operates 660 stores in 45 states.Cracker Barrel's menu is based on traditional Southern cuisine, with appearance and decor designed to resemble an old-fashioned general store. Each restaurant features a front porch lined with wooden rocking chairs, a stone fireplace, and decorative artifacts from the local area. Cracker Barrel partners with country music performers. It engages in charitable activities, such as its assistance of victims of Hurricane Katrina and injured war veterans.\nEmployees there wear a choice of either white, yellow, blue or pink shirts.\nDuring the early 1990s, the company became the subject of controversy when founder and then-CEO Dan Evins instituted an official company policy prohibiting the hiring of any individual whose \
Cracker Barrel