New Scandal and Identity for Cracker Barrel

Established in 1969, Cracker Barrel is an American chain of restaurant and gift stores with a Southern country theme serving traditional Southern cuisine (biscuits, grits, country ham, fried chicken, et al) in a setting designed to resemble an old-fashioned general store (more on this later). Co-founded by Dan Evins and Tommy Lowe, the first restaurant and gift store was built close to Interstate 40, just outside of Lebanon, Tennessee, as a way to lure customers to Evins’ Shell Oil gas station and from that original concept the company expanded through 1970s, ’80s, and ’90s to now have 660 locations — each approximately 10,000 square feet (including the front porch and its popular rocking chairs) — in 43 states spread across the country’s highways that welcome over 230 million