The Only States In The US Where You Won't Find A Cracker Barrel

I don't know why I like Cracker Barrel so much. Growing up in the South, it's kind of like going to a hypothetical Olive Garden in Italy — what's the point when you can get the real thing just about anywhere else? Still, the chain restaurant that purports to serve up genuine Southern cooking has a certain charm to it. The decor is rustic enough without feeling too much like something at an amusement park, and it has a pretty rad gift shop with all sorts of corny knick-knacks. Oh, and the food's okay, too.

If you're like me and you've now got the hankering for some classic Cracker Barrel chicken fried chicken — and, like me, you've moved recently — you might want to make sure the restaurant is even present where you live. Cracker Barrel's list of locations is a good guide to where the chain is, but not where it isn't.

In the United States, there are quite a few states that are not graced by the Cracker Barrel brand — Alaska, Hawaii, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and Wyoming all lack a Cracker Barrel. Sadly, the same goes for Washington, D.C., and the territories of Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands.

The Tennessee-based restaurant chain does have some Southern pedigree. Founded in 1969 off Highway 109 in Lebanon, Tennessee, Cracker Barrel opened locations throughout the southern United States in the first few decades of its existence and eventually expanded to more than 400 spots across the country by the turn of the 21st century.

For its 50th anniversary in 2019, Cracker Barrel actually hauled a 269-square-foot "New York City-sized" tiny restaurant to the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Complete with a front porch and rocking chairs, the iconic fireplace, and even a requisite gift shop, it certainly captured the indomitable New York spirit of making do with a shoebox studio apartment.

Despite its old-fashioned character, Cracker Barrel has courted younger fans and tried to adapt to changing times. It's one of Gen Z's favorite chain restaurants and has even introduced plant-based meat alternatives (to the outrage of certain Facebook users). But that hasn't been enough to keep some of its locations from closing in recent years. 

Just this year, Cracker Barrel abruptly closed four locations across the country. It may not seem like much considering the company has more than 600 Cracker Barrels operating as of 2024, but these were in California, Oregon, and South Carolina. Oregon's closure marked the departure of the last Cracker Barrel in the state after three other restaurants shuttered in 2023.

With customer traffic dropping and menu prices climbing, it's not looking great for the Old Country Store. "We're just not as relevant as we once were," said CEO Julie Felss Masino in a May conference call (per CBS News). To combat the downward trend, the company is looking to make some adjustments to its pricing structure and its menu. It launched a new loyalty program in 2023 to help bring customers back. Even the famous decor is up for a revamp, as Cracker Barrel is already testing remodels at some of its locations. And, incredibly, the company still plans to expand its footprint in 2025, albeit with smaller restaurants. Maybe not as small as that tiny New York one, though.