Cracker Barrel comes to Southern California

VICTORVILLE, Calif. (KABC) -- Cracker Barrel is coming to Southern California.

The popular restaurant-store chain known for its Southern-style cooking will open its first California location in Victorville on Monday.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday drew Ray and Wilma Yoder of Goshen, Indiana. The Yoders have visited all 649 Cracker Barrel locations across the country.

"It's so much like home, doesn't matter where it's at," said Ray Yoder. "We can dress like we would at home."

Cracker Barrel is a staple across the South and Midwest.

"It's a place where it's half restaurant, half retail," said Thomas Pate, a Cracker Barrel vice president. "But it's all about Southern hospitality and how we make people feel."

The country store at the Victorville location will sell items that pay homage to the local area, Route 66 and the California Gold Rush era.

The new restaurant also created 300 new jobs.

A second location will open in Sacramento in May and four more will open throughout California over the next two years.