Rocking (and eating) Down the Highway

Maybe it's because my Dad and his people came from Texas. Or maybe it comes from watching too many hours of The Real McCoys and The Beverly Hillbillies on TV.  But, whatever the reason, I really like Cracker Barrel restaurants.

In fact, if I need to stop and eat on some long distance driving trip, there's a strong chance that location will feature a distinctive orange and brown logo, rocking chairs on the porch, and chicken and dumplings, cornbread, and three sides on its menu. Now I don't want to appear obsessive, but I find it comforting to know that on our frequent trips between our old South Jersey home and a our new DC area apartment, there is a Cracker Barrel just before the Delaware Memorial Bridge and another one almost exactly midway through the trip at Exit 80 on I-95. (And yes, I have eaten at both of them and no, never on the same trip).

Like so many good business ventures, the initial idea for the nostalgia-steeped project was actually the idea of one man - Dan Evins, who ran a petroleum firm in the South  In 1969, Evins opened the first Cracker Barrel,based on his desire to recreate the old country stores of his youth, in Lebanon, Tennessee. Today, there are more than 600 Cracker Barrels in 42 states.

But, despite my fondness for Cracker Barrels, I am not the number one fan I know.  That distinction would have to go to my old boss, former Bridgeton School Superintendent Vic Gilson. Vic likes Cracker Barrels so much he was determined to be the first person to eat at the Delaware Memorial Bridgeton location on the first day it opened for business. However, despite a really early start, Gilson found people all ready in line for the opening when he arrived.  Ever resourceful, Vic gobbled his breakfast, allowing him to be the first person to get a bill from the restaurant which he kept as a souvenir of the experience. Now that, my friends, is a sign of someone who values his  eating.