Cracker Barrel not only provides an affordable place to eat, but also a warm gift shop in St. George.

During our many travels through Southern Utah, there is a landmark business that seems to work like a magnet drawing us to its doors all times of year.

And at the risk of sounding like the company’s publicist, I have to say that we get a real kick out of the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, which is a combination restaurant and gift shop that not only makes sure I get fed for a decent price but enlightens me at the same time.

I mean, in this day and age of escalating prices and dwindling profit, it seems to me that the folks at the Cracker Barrel have the right idea because the store situated just east of I-15 in St. George is enjoying good crowds virtually every time we go in the door.

In Duck Creek, it’s Aunt Sue’s that we frequent. When we’re heading home or en route to our getaway, it’s Cracker Barrel that we frequent, although there’s certainly a good array of restaurants available throughout St. George and Cedar City.

There is a fascinating story behind the creation of Cracker Barrel based on Dan Evins, who worked as a Shell Oil “jobber” traveling the highways and interstates.

Evins discovered that people needed a place they could trust when they traveled, and he opened his first Cracker Barrel Old Country Store in the late 1960s on Highway 109 in Lebanon, Tenn. The thought was to combine a good gas station with a place to eat and the idea has grown to include Cracker Barrel sites all over the country.

On Saturday, a friend of mine and I made a day trip out of Duck Creek just to check on things and on the return home we decided to see the folks at Cracker Barrel. While I have been there countless times in the past, I still feel like a little kid in a candy store every time I return.

Cracker Barrel is pure country, meaning everything about it is old-fashioned. It has an allure in which every facet of it adds up to a full belly and a wide array of gifts that include everything from candy to rocking chairs to antiques.

While I have never had the pleasure of eating a good old-fashioned meal in somewhere like North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky or Missouri, that’s what I feel like I’m experiencing when I go to the Cracker Barrel in St. George.

First off, we had a chicken and rice dinner on a recent Saturday complete with corn bread and vegetables for something like nine bucks.

Nine dollars, for Lord’s sakes! Add in the fireplace and the friendliness of the employees and you’d swear you were at Grandma’s place in the 1900s. Just to add the perfect icing to the cake, there are countless rocking chairs for sale at the entry of the Cracker Barrel and you can find rocking horses inside, to name a few of the really cool items available including music.

When you combine the atmosphere and the pricing with the friendly people of Cracker Barrel, it’s evident that everyone involved deserves a huge pat on the back for this place. There are restaurants all over the country going belly-up because of the economy, but I think Cracker Barrel’s bottom line is doing just fine.

There’s good reason for the success considering the history, consistency and charm. We’ll be back over and over again, I assure you.

E M A I L  M I K E  H E N L E