Dan Evins

Danny Wood Evins (October 11, 1935 – January 14, 2012) was an American entrepreneur and founder of Cracker Barrel, a Southern-themed restaurant chain.

Early life Evins was born in Smithville, Tennessee, on October 11, 1935, the youngest child of Estelle McCartney and William Jackson Evins. He enlisted in the US Marine Corps and attended Auburn University.

Views and retirement During the early 1990s, Evins instituted an official company policy prohibiting the hiring of openly gay individuals. Following backlash from large shareholders from progressive areas, such as the New York City Employee Retirement System, who threatened to vote out the entirety of upper management, the company reversed the policy.

Personal life On January 14, 2012, Evins died from bladder cancer at his daughter's home in Lebanon, Tennessee, at the age of 76.