The State Cracker Barrel Didn't Last Long In Before Closing All Locations

As of this writing, there are more than 650 Cracker Barrel locations in 44 states across America. However, one of the only states in the US where you won't find a Cracker Barrel is Oregon. There was a time when the Beaver State lay claim to not one but several of the Tennessee-based restaurant chain's locations; in 2017, many Oregonians got to experience Cracker Barrel menu items as first-time customers when a restaurant location opened in Tualatin. Over time, other locations opened in Beaverton, Jantzen Beach, Bend, and Medford. It wasn't long, though, until the rocking chairs at the Jantzen Beach location sat empty for good after it closed its doors in August 2022.

At the time, employees of the Jantzen Beach location were able to transfer to nearby Cracker Barrels. However, the Bend, Beaverton, and Tualatin locations soon fell to the same fate as Jantzen Beach and served their final meals in Spring 2023. Eventually, the last remaining Cracker Barrel in southern Oregon closed in 2024, laying off 29 employees, 50 of whom were full-time. 

Seven years of operation in one state is a blip on the timeline for a restaurant like Cracker Barrel, which has been around since 1969. But for Oregonians, the popular franchise's entrance and exit was a whirlwind experience. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a large chunk of the restaurant's time in the state went without patrons, making the timeline seem even shorter for many Cracker Barrel fans.

Some of the biggest changes in Cracker Barrel's history came after the COVID-19 pandemic. Like other restaurants, it experienced financial difficulties during the lockdown, with a 41.5% decrease in quarterly revenue in 2020. Ultimately, finding new and innovative ways to adapt was necessary. But revamped menus and the use of delivery services like DoorDash wouldn't be enough to save some locations. 

In a statement made to Rogue Valley Times, Cracker Barrel cited store performance as a reason for the final Oregon location's closure (the first closures were said to be due to lingering impacts of the pandemic). However, employees at the former Jantzen Beach location stated that prior to closing, a meeting was called to discuss safety concerns due to local crime. 

For some Oregonians, though, the closure came as no surprise. In a Reddit thread discussing the closures, one commenter made it clear that the chain wouldn't be missed. "I didn't realize the others were closed. I went to the one in Tualatin (soon after they opened) at the insistence of a couple of family friends. Hands down the worst chicken-fried steak I've ever had. How does a 'southern country' style restaurant screw that up?" 

In a separate Reddit thread, another user hypothesized that crime wasn't the real issue. "Having eaten at both a Cracker Barrel and the restaurants in Portland, I don't think it's the crime. There's a certain expected quality of the food in Portland." Maybe some restaurant chains don't find a home everywhere, but for those in Oregon who enjoy Cracker Barrel, it's surely missed.