Voting Station

Cracker Barrel

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Corporation

The Resume

    (September 19, 1969- )
    Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc.
    Country-themed restaurant-gift store chain
    Founded by Dan Evins (1935-2012)
    Headquartered in Lebanon, Tennessee
    Known for serving breakfast all day
    Specializes in Southern-style 'down home' comfort food
    Serves an estimated 11 million orders of Chicken n' Dumplins and 13 million Chicken Tenders annually
    Store sells 1950-60's themed toys, puzzles, woodcrafts, cookbooks, baking mixes, kitchen novelty decor, and early classic brands of candy
    Known for their lucrative partnerships with major names in the country music industry, selling exclusive albums by Alabama, Amy Grant,Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, and Alan Jackson
    Operates 639 stores in 43 states (as of 2012)
    Sparked outrage after announcing it would no longer sell certain Duck Dynasty products in response to several controversial remarks made by Phil Robertson which were perceived as 'anti-gay' (Dec. 20, 2013)

Why they might be annoying:

    Regional cuisine novelties introduced, such as Bagels and Tortilla dishes, failed miserably.
    Customers are required to pay for their meals at the front counter.
    This inevitably leads to cheapskates ducking out of tipping employees (telling the cashier 'the tip is on the table' when it isn't).
    Patrons have been accused discriminating against minority customers, many of whom complained of segregated seating and inferior service quality.
    It drew the ire of gay-rights organizations in the early 90s when a policy was unveiled reserving the franchise employers' right to dismiss employees who did not 'display normal heterosexual values.'
    It would go on to receive the lowest grade of all rated food/beverage companies in the HRC’s Corporate Equality Index measuring LGBT workplace equality (between 2008 and 2013 ranging from 15 to 35 out of 100).
    In an attempt to prove that they aspired to a culture of tolerance, they jumped at the chance to remove ‘Duck Dynasty’ merchandise from their store shelves when Phil Robertson offended a sizable chunk of the LGBT community in a GQ interview. It backfired spectacularly.
    After only two days, during which time its (usually devoted) fan base boycotted the chain, it reversed the decision and restocked the shelves with 'Dynasty' items.
    A satirical petition circulated on Change.org demanding that the chain change its name to 'Caucasian' Barrel actually caught fire before being debunked ('everybody knows crackers don't come in barrels!').
    It unveiled an incredibly annoying 'Country Dinner Plate' ad campaign, in 2016, with some sting-playing Troubadour who actually makes Eric Violette look bad-ass by comparison.

Why they might not be annoying:

    Until the late 70's, many early locations doubled as gas stations.
    It sponsored the NASCAR Atlanta 500 race at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, between 1999 and 2001.
    It was also the inaugural presenting sponsor for The Grand Ole Opry, endowing it with connections to the Nashville music scene.
    Their two-disc Dolly Parton record received Gold Certification by the RIAA (2012).
    It has a tie-in with Wounded Warrior Project and provided disaster relief to Gulf Coast areas during Hurricane Katrina.
    Hannibal Buress reviewed the chain during his on-tour V-log, and is a huge fan.
    Its apparently easier to solve the restaurant's Peg Game, in less than one minute, than it is to solve a Rubiks cube (but we wouldn't know).
    The 'general stores' are usually a lot of fun to browse through (and most of the items in stock are American-made).
    Restaurant decor for locations is populated with actual vintage items related to local history (they partner with antique dealers to fill an entire warehouse with regional artifacts).
    They partnered with Kimberly Schlapman of Little Big Town in launching a popular 50-piece line of home-goods/kitchenware.
    Their top-selling trademark 'front porch rocking chairs' are manufactured by the five-generation old Hinkle family business (they manufacture close to 200,000 a year).
    They're a Thanksgiving favorite for Americans unable to fix dinner, and operate a nifty 'to go' service on the holiday.

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 28 Votes: 46.43% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 7 Votes: 57.14% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 37 Votes: 40.54% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 23 Votes: 8.70% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 5 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 16 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 8 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 24 Votes: 50.0% Annoying