An Indiana couple is about to reach a remarkable milestone in their 60-year marriage.
Ray and Wilma Yoder are heading to Portland, Oregon, for a meal at a Cracker Barrel Old Country Store. The couple is 80 years old. When they get to Portland, they will have eaten at every single Cracker Barrel location in the country. That's a lot of biscuits and fried apples. The Yoders started visiting the restaurant and gift shop chain in the '60s while travelling the country in an RV.
The quest to visit every Cracker Barrel store started 40 years ago when Ray Yoder worked for Coachman delivering RVs across the country. He said Cracker Barrel was more than a place to get some food during his travels. He said it was like a visit home--and everyone was always friendly. After a while, his wife, Wilma started joining him on the road--and visiting Cracker Barrels became a thing!
They always enjoyed the meals there. Ray says, "I've not had a bad experience anytime. I've always walked away feeling refreshed." The couple does, however, follow two rules when the couple visits a location – buy something and leave a good tip. In spite of buying something every visit, they have given Cracker Barrel gifts at Christmas only a handful of times.
Over the past 50 years, the couple has eaten at all but one of the chain's 645 locations. They even once stopped at eight locations in one day. It has been an over 5-million-mile journey to visit every Cracker Barrel!
Ray says, "For two old people, we're pretty fast moving. We're still healthy and we enjoy it so we keep doing it." The last location they have to cross off their list is the one in Portland, and they expect to get there this year.