type public traded as nasdaq cbrl industry restaurants founded september 19 1969 1969 09 19 founder dan evins headquarters lebanon tennessee united states number of locations 639 area served united states key people michael a. woodhouse director & executive chairman sandra b. cochran president & ceo 1 revenue us 2.580 billion 2012 2 operating income us 190.98 million 2012 2 net income us 103.08 million 2012 2 total assets us 340.96 million 2012 3 total equity us 305.88 million 2012 3 number of employees 70 000 website www.crackerbarrel.com 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 which remains the company headquarters . the chain s stores were at first positioned near interstate highway exits in the southeastern and midwestern us but it has expanded across the country during the 1990s and 2000s . as of september 18 2012 update 4 the chain operates 639 stores in 43 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 is known for its partnerships with country music performers . it has received attention for its charitable activities such as its assistance of victims of hurricane katrina and injured war veterans . during the 1990s the company was the subject of controversy for its official stance against gay and lesbian employees and for discriminatory practices against african american and female employees . a u.s. department of justice usdoj investigation found that cracker barrel discriminated against minority customers ; patrons complained of racially segregated seating and service quality . in an agreement with the usdoj cracker barrel has implemented non discrimination policies and pledged to focus on improving minority representation and civic involvement particularly in the black community . company shareholders added sexual orientation to the company s non discrimination policy in 2002 . contents 1 history 1.1 first location and early company history 1.2 new markets and refocus 1.3 recent operations 2 restaurants 2.1 food and gift shop 2.2 locations service and decor 2.3 awards 3 corporate overview 3.1 investment and business model 3.2 community involvement 4 controversies 4.1 lgbt policies 4.2 race and gender based discrimination lawsuits 5 licensed products 6 references 7 external links history edit first location and early company history edit cracker barrel was founded in 1969 by dan evins a sales representative for shell oil who developed the restaurant and gift store concept initially as a plan to improve gasoline sales . 5 designed to resemble the traditional country store that he remembered from his childhood with a name chosen to give it a southern country theme 6 cracker barrel was intended to attract the interest of highway travelers . 5 the first restaurant was built close to interstate 40 in lebanon tennessee . 7 it opened in september 1969 8 serving southern cuisine including biscuits grits country ham and turnip greens . 7 evins incorporated cracker barrel in february 1970 5 and soon opened more locations . in the early 1970s the firm leased land on gasoline station sites near interstate highways to build restaurants . 6 these early locations all featured gas pumps on site ; during gasoline shortages in the mid to late 1970s the firm began to build restaurants without pumps . 5 into the early 1980s the company reduced the number of gas stations on site eventually phasing them out altogether as the company focused on its restaurant and gift sales revenues . 8 cracker barrel became a publicly traded company in 1981 to raise funds for further expansion . 5 7 it floated more than half a million shares raising 4.6 million . 6 following the initial public offering cracker barrel grew at a rate of around 20 percent per year ; 9 by 1987 the company had become a chain of more than 50 units in eight states with annual net sales of almost 81 million . 5 new markets and refocus edit a cracker barrel in morrisville north carolina the company grew consistently through the 1980s and 1990s attaining a 1 billion market value by 1992 . 7 10 11 in 1993 the chain s revenue was nearly twice that of any other family restaurant . 6 in 1994 the chain tested a carry out only store cracker barrel old country store corner market in suburban residential neighborhoods . 11 in addition it expanded into new markets through the establishment of more traditional cracker barrel locations the majority of them outside the south and tested alterations to its menus to adapt to new regions . 12 the chain added regional dishes to its menus including eggs and salsa in texas and reuben sandwiches in new york but continued to offer its original menu items in all restaurants . 10 by september 1997 cracker barrel had 314 restaurants and aimed to increase the number of stores by approximately 50 per year over the following five years . 12 the firm closed its corner market operations in 1997 and refocused on its restaurant and gift store locations . its then president ron magruder stated that the chain was concentrating on strengthening its core theme offering traditional foods and retail in a country store setting with good service and country music . 9 the chain opened its first restaurant and gift store not located near a highway in 1998 in dothan alabama . 13 in the 2000s in the wake of incidents including charges of racial discrimination and controversy over its policy of firing gay employees the firm launched a series of promotional activities including a nationwide book drive and a sweepstakes with trips to the country music association awards and rocking chairs among the prizes . 14 recent operations edit the number of combined restaurants and stores owned by cracker barrel increased between 1997 and 2000 to more than 420 locations . in 2000 and 2001 the company addressed staffing and infrastructure issues related to this rapid growth by implementing a more rigorous recruitment strategy and introducing new technology including an order placement system . 15 from the late 1990s to the mid 2000s the company focused on opening new locations in residential areas to attract local residents and workers as customers . 13 it updated its marketing in 2006 to encourage new customers changing the design of its highway billboard advertisements to include images of menu items . previously the signs had featured only the company s logo . 16 by 2011 cracker barrel had opened more than 600 restaurants in 42 states . 17 18 19 it was announced on january 17 2012 that company founder dan evins had died of bladder cancer . 20 restaurants edit a cracker barrel gift shop food and gift shop edit as a southern themed chain cracker barrel serves traditional southern comfort food often described as down home country cooking and sells gift items including simple toys representative of the 1950s and 1960s toy vehicles puzzles and woodcrafts . also sold are country music cds dvds of early classic television cookbooks baking mixes kitchen novelty decor and early classic brands of candy and snack foods . 21 22 breakfast is served all day and there are two menus one for breakfast the other for lunch and dinner . since the first restaurant opened the menu has featured southern specialties including biscuits fried chicken and catfish ; 5 seasonal and regional menu items were added during the 1980s and 1990s . 5 12 in 2007 cracker barrel announced plans to remove artificial trans fats from its menu items . 23 24 locations service and decor edit a cracker barrel guest playing peg solitaire for much of its early history cracker barrel decided to locate its restaurants along the interstate highway system 5 and the majority of its restaurants remain close to interstate and other highways . 25 26 27 cracker barrel is known for the loyalty of its customers 10 particularly travelers who are likely to spend more at restaurants than locals . 12 the locations are themed around the idea of a traditional southern u.s. general store . items used to decorate each store are authentic artifacts 7 including everyday objects from the early 1900s and after . 28 each restaurant features a front porch lined with wooden rocking chairs a wooden peg solitaire game on every table 29 and a stone fireplace with a deer head displayed above the mantel . 30 in fact each location has five common items a shotgun a cookstove a deer head a telephone and a traffic light . 31 the peg games have been present in cracker barrel since the opening of the first store and continue to be produced by the same family in lebanon tennessee . 32 the decor at each location typically includes artifacts related to the local history of the area including antique household tools old wall calendars and advertising posters and antique photographs ; 26 these are centrally stored in a warehouse in tennessee where they are cataloged and stockpiled for future use by individual store locations . 33 awards edit destinations magazine has presented the chain with awards for best chain restaurant 34 and in 2010 and 2011 the zagat survey named it the best breakfast . 35 36 the chain was selected by the outdoor advertising association of america as the 2011 obie hall of fame award recipient for its long standing use of outdoor advertising . 37 it was also named the best family dining restaurant by a nationwide choice in chains consumer poll in restaurants & institutions magazine for 19 consecutive years . 30 corporate overview edit investment and business model edit cracker barrel restaurants are aimed at the family and casual dining market as well as retail sales . 9 the chain also advertises to people traveling on the interstate highways as the majority of its locations are close to highway exits . 11 the company has promoted its cost controls to investors . 38 39 the company has stated its goal to keep employee turnover low to provide better trained staff . 39 since the 1980s the firm has offered a formal training program with benefits for progressing through it to all of its employees . 5 40 the board of directors of cracker barrel has repeatedly been at odds with the largest shareholder biglari holdings inc. . 41 the owner of biglari holdings sardar biglari controls a 19.9 % share of the company 42 just short of the 20 % needed to trigger a shareholder rights plan more commonly termed a poison pill . 43 the poison pill was adopted after biglari holdings sought approval to purchase a 49.99 % share of the company and join the board of directors . 43 biglari holdings purchased shares of cracker barrel in 2011 and has been often critical of the transparency to shareholders overspending on advertising lack of customer value 44 capital funds mismanagement 45 and not maximizing shareholder value . 46 biglari has requested to be on the board of directors three times and has been denied each time by a vote of shareholders . 41 biglari holdings has also put forward a request for a one time 20 share dividend to address perceived overly conservative capitalization 46 which was also rejected by shareholders . 45 cracker barrel has responded by claiming biglari has a hidden agenda and a conflict of interest by holding shares in other restaurant chains such as steak n shake . 47 48 community involvement edit cracker barrel has supported a wide range of charities through one off donations promotional events and partnerships with charitable organizations . 49 the chain has supported