Central Park Will Soon Be Home to Colorado's First New Cracker Barrel in Decades

The dining landscape is ever-shifting, and not even beloved sit-down chains are immune to the changes taking place. Last year kicked off with the closure of the last two remaining TGI Friday's in Colorado. Months later, Red Lobster shuttered four of its locations in the state.

But now another chain is getting ready to expand its Colorado presence for the first time in nearly three decades, giving Denver its first Cracker Barrel.

Cracker Barrel is a Southern staple and a go-to road-trip stop for comfort food like chicken and dumplings, meatloaf and pot roast. Plus, its country store is a great place to kill time if you have to wait for a table — where else can you find old-school peg games, flowy floral dresses, bags of Werther's candies, books about Elvis and Dolly Parton, rocking chairs, amd gnome-shaped salt-and-pepper shakers in one place?

The chain first moved into the state in 1995, when it opened eateries in Colorado Springs and Northglenn — which has long been its only location in the Denver area. It also has outposts in Loveland and Pueblo, which opened in 1997 and was the most recent addition in Colorado.

The new restaurant will be located at 9111 East 40th Avenue, just south of I-70 off the Central Park Boulevard exit. An opening date has not yet been announced, but this Cracker Barrel is currently hiring for 150 open positions, including cooks, servers, dishwashers, night maintenance, and guest services and sales (restaurant hosts who double as store cashiers).

The area, which is near the former Stapleton Airport runways, is currently being redeveloped. Other additions in the works include a Chik-fil-a and a Whole Foods, which would be the grocery chain's first location in the northeast part of Denver.