<P> The number of combined restaurants and stores owned by Cracker Barrel increased between 1997 and 2000 , to more than 420 locations . In 2000 and 2001 , the company addressed staffing and infrastructure issues related to this rapid growth by implementing a more rigorous recruitment strategy and introducing new technology , including an order - placement system . From the late 1990s to the mid-2000s , the company focused on opening new locations in residential areas to attract local residents and workers as customers . It updated its marketing in 2006 to encourage new customers , changing the design of its highway billboard advertisements to include images of menu items . Previously the signs had featured only the company 's logo . By 2011 , Cracker Barrel had opened more than 600 restaurants in 42 states . On January 17 , 2012 , company founder Dan Evins died of bladder cancer . </P>
how many cracker barrels in the united states
more than 600