12 Things You Didn't Know About Cracker Barrel

The first Cracker Barrel location was opened on Highway 109 in Lebanon, Tennessee in 1969 by a man named Dan Evins. Back then, even the cornbread was made from scratch, a practice that is still going strong today.

It doesn't matter if you've been a legal adult for decades; Cracker Barrel lets "kids of all ages" (AKA anyone who's young at heart—or just mild-to-moderately hungry) order from this menu. Bring on the crayons and grilled cheese!

Cracker Barrel has long been a must-visit place to eat on a long road trip, but this summer, they're bringing a taste of your ultimate destination right to the table with its "campfire meals." You can order chicken or beef with vegetables—red skin potatoes, corn on the cob, carrots and tomatoes—which is dusted with a secret 'campfire blend' seasoning, then wrapped in aluminum foil and slow-cooked until fork-tender.

Why bother with mosquitos and struggling to pitch a tent when you can have a fire-roasted dinner made for you?

When Evins opened the first Cracker Barrel, he was working for his grandfather's gasoline business. Back in the late '60s, the interstate road system was still in its nascent stages, and Evins wanted to find a way to better service the needs of drivers, while also expanding his family's oil business. He thought a down-home country store inspired by the ones he'd visited as a boy in Tennessee would be more enticing to homesick travelers than fast-food restaurants. More Cracker Barrel locations were opened throughout the early '70s, all of which included gas pumps, but when the oil embargo of the mid-seventies hit, new locations were built without pumps. These days, Cracker Barrel is no longer in the fuel game—however, 32 current stores do have electric vehicle charging stations.

All of those tools, signs, photographs and toys that decorate the walls of your local Cracker Barrel? They're all authentic vintage items—no reproductions allowed. Back when the first Cracker Barrel opened, founder Dan Evins asked Don and Kathleen Singleton, a couple who ran a local antiques store, to help him decorate the space in the style of an old country store. Today, the couple's son, Larry Singleton, is still in charge of finding unique regional artifacts for new restaurant locations. In fact, Larry runs an entire "Decor Warehouse" filled with over 90,000 artifacts at the company's headquarters in Tennessee, where his team restores and archives every fabulous antique item that he purchases.

While each restaurant features unique local finds that reflect the community's history, every Cracker Barrel Old Country Store has an ox yoke and a horseshoe hanging over the front door, a traffic light over the restrooms, a rifle over the mantel, a wall telephone next to the mantel, and a cracker barrel with a checker board in front of the fireplace.

Cracker Barrel restaurants also serve 151 million eggs, 121 million slice of bacon, 56 million pancakes, 37 million portion of grits, 13 million pounds of chicken tenders, and over 4 million Moon Pies annually.

American country stores in the late 19th century stocked barrels of soda crackers, which customers would often gather around to chat and socialize (think of them as the water coolers of their day). The term "cracker-barrel" eventually came to refer to the simple, rustic informality and straightforwardness that was characteristic of these conversations and the country stores they took place in.

Cracker Barrel often partners with some of the biggest names in country music to release exclusive albums that can be purchased at its Old Country Stores and on its website. In addition to working with singers like Alabama and Alan Jackson, the chain teamed up with the one-and-only Dolly Parton to release a two-disc album titled An Evening with... Dolly Live in 2012, which went on to be certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. Cracker Barrel also released Dolly's Backwoods Barbie Collector's Edition disc in 2008.

On November 12, Cracker Barrel became the exclusive retailer of a 50-piece home goods and kitchenware collection designed by Kimberly Schlapman of the country group Little Big Town. The Oh Gussie! line, which is available in Old Country Stores and online, includes vintage-inspired dishes, nostalgic holiday items, and a set of pieces called "Paw Paw Pottery" inspired by the singer's father's love of creating handmade pottery items. "[They] hold a special place in my heart as they are all inspired by items my sweet daddy created by his own two hands on the potter's wheel," said Schlapman in a press release.