TUALATIN, Oregon – They finally did it! An Indiana couple has accomplished their goal of visiting every Cracker Barrel location.
Ray and Wilma Yoder, 80, of Goshen, Indiana, flew out west over the weekend so the couple could visit their 645th Cracker Barrel on Monday morning at the grand opening of the new Tualatin, Oregon location. The monumental occasion also happened to be Ray’s 81st birthday, and the restaurant even put up a sign to welcome them.
Ray Celebrated with blueberry pancakes, and Wilma had eggs and sausage. All expenses were paid by Cracker Barrel, according to KOIN6.
“Well, it’s quite special. These little farm kids aren’t used to all this hype,” Ray told KOIN6.
Their quest began 40 years ago when Ray delivered recreational vehicles across the country for Coachman. He always chose to eat at Cracker Barrel because he liked the food, and more importantly, he liked the atmosphere.
“It took the boredom out of being on the road,” Ray told the Lebanon Democrat. “It has a down-home spirit, and everybody is friendly. It’s like being at home.”
His wife Wilma eventually joined him on the trips, and after spending over 30 years together on the road, they checked off hundreds of Cracker Barrel locations from their list.
But don’t worry; this isn’t the end of their journey. Cracker Barrel is opening two new locations next year in Beaverton, Oregon and Jantzen Beach, Oregon, so they plan to take another trip out west very soon.