Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. - Specimen Stock Certificate
Inv# SE1244 Specimen Stock
Specimen Stock printed by American Bank Note Company.
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc., operating as simply Cracker Barrel, is an American chain of restaurant and gift stores with a Southern country theme. Founded in 1969 by Dan Evins, the company’s first store was located in Lebanon, Tennessee. The corporate offices are situated in a different facility within the same city. Initially, Cracker Barrel’s stores were strategically placed near Interstate Highway exits in the Southeastern and Midwestern United States. However, the company expanded its presence across the country during the 1990s and 2000s. As of August 10, 2023, the chain operates an impressive 660 stores in 45 states.
Cracker Barrel’s menu is a delightful fusion of traditional Southern cuisine, while its appearance and decor evoke the charm of an old-fashioned general store. Each location boasts a welcoming front porch lined with wooden rocking chairs, a cozy stone fireplace, and decorative artifacts that showcase the local area’s heritage.
Beyond its culinary offerings, Cracker Barrel actively engages in charitable activities. The company has been involved in various initiatives, including providing assistance to victims of Hurricane Katrina and supporting injured war veterans.
However, during the early 1990s, Cracker Barrel faced controversy when its founder and CEO, Dan Evins, implemented an official company policy prohibiting the hiring of individuals whose “sexual preferences fail to align with conventional heterosexual values.” This policy sparked widespread public backlash and led to significant pressure from prominent shareholders, such as the New York City Employee Retirement System, who threatened to oust the entire upper management. Consequently, Cracker Barrel reversed its controversial policy.
Cracker Barrel, founded in 1969 by Dan Evins, a Shell Oil representative, initially conceived as a plan to boost gasoline sales. Evins, inspired by his childhood memories of traditional country stores, designed the restaurant and gift store concept to resemble these establishments. The name, chosen to evoke a Southern country theme, was inspired by the soda crackers sold in small-town stores across the American South in the early 1900s. These barrels served as gathering places for people to chat and catch up, similar to contemporary office water coolers. The first Cracker Barrel restaurant opened in Lebanon, Tennessee, near Interstate 40 on September 19, 1969. Serving Southern cuisine such as biscuits, grits, country ham, and turnip greens, the restaurant quickly gained popularity. In February 1970, Evins incorporated Cracker Barrel, and the company soon expanded its presence by opening more locations. During the early 1970s, Cracker Barrel leased land on gasoline station sites near interstate highways to build its restaurants. Notably, these early locations featured gas pumps on-site. However, during gasoline shortages in the mid to late 1970s, the company adapted and began constructing restaurants without pumps.
Stock and Bond Specimens are made and usually retained by a printer as a record of the contract with a client, generally with manuscript contract notes such as the quantity printed. Specimens are sometimes produced for use by the printing company's sales team as examples of the firms products. These are usually marked "Specimen" and have no serial numbers.
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