Cracker Barrel eyes city site

By By Leada Gore, Hartselle Enquirer
After years of trying to lure the restaurant chain to the city, Hartselle could soon be home to a Cracker Barrel.
City officials are currently working with the Lebanon, Tenn.-based family restaurant chain to purchase 18.8 acres the city owns on Interstate 65. Leaders have been courting the restaurant for several years. Cracker Barrel officials have been in Hartselle in past weeks to look at the property.
If they build in Hartselle, it will become the second Cracker Barrel in Morgan County. The other is located on the Beltline in Decatur.
The decision on whether to build in Hartselle won’t necessarily be a quick one, Davis said.
The city has been working with marketers to sell its interstate property since it purchased the land in 2007. It paid $2.2 million for the land.
Cracker Barrel was founded in Lebanon, Tenn. in 1969. They currently operate 594 stores in 41 states. Each restaurant serves about 7,350 guests per week and average $4.18 million in sales.