Ridley Cracker Barrel to bring 175 new jobs to the county
RIDLEY TOWNSHIP » Local residents can look forward to more than just mouthwatering biscuits, cornbread, dumplings and grits and relaxing on a porch full of wooden rocking chairs when the new Cracker Barrel Old Country Store opens this fall. They can also expect a barrel-load of new job openings. Before the popular restaurant’s first Delaware County location is up and running, Cracker Barrel plans to interview and hire approximately 175 full and part-time employees from the community.
“Cracker Barrel’s Ridley store will begin hiring for all skill positions on both the restaurant and retail side approximately one month before our targeted mid-November opening” stated Breeanna Straessle, manager of Cracker Barrel’s corporate communications. “This includes servers, hosts and hostesses, retail sales people, bussers, cooks and more. We are excited to meet our future employees that embody our ‘Pleasing People’ mission and look forward to serving the Ridley community.”
Straessle said that candidates for all skill levels and positions are encouraged to apply on the company’s website, https://www.crackerbarrel.com/careers/in-store-jobs, beginning in October.
According to Straessle, construction at the restaurant, which began in the spring, is already 25 percent complete. Framing of the walls, floors and roof is currently underway. The restaurant is expected to seat 180 diners at one time.
The new 10,000 squarefoot Cracker Barrel Old Country Store is located on a 2-acre site at 125 S. Stewart Ave., in close proximity to the I-95 on and off ramps and the Industrial Highway. Part of Ridley Square, a new business development that has been steadily growing since 2013, Cracker Barrel will have entrances/exits from both Sellers and Stewart avenues. Other businesses in Ridley Square include a Royal Farms convenience store with gas, Wendy’s fast food restaurant and Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndom.
The Cracker Barrel will include the iconic front porch, known for its classic white rocking chairs, and a full retail store. The interior of the restaurant will feature antique decor on the walls which will be customized to the local community and contains no replicas. Over the past year, a design team has researched the area and planned Pennsylvania-centric décor. The antiques are now being mocked up at Cracker Barrel’s home office in Tennessee and will be sent to the Ridley restaurant for installation about a month before it opens.
“Most people don’t realize the décor on our walls are real antiques and especially that they’re tailored to the local community,” Straessle explained. “They’re really quite unique!”
Antiques selected to be displayed at the Ridley Township location will include a hockey display that pays homage to the Philadelphia Flyers; several pieces that mention Pennsylvania, including a high school diploma from nearby Montgomery County and a guide to Pennsylvania game birds distributed by the Pennsylvania Game Commission; memorabilia from former Pennsylvania companies, including a 1953 Bethlehem Steel calendar, a 1931 Carnegie Steel safety poster, a Pennzoil aluminum sign, a 1956 Gulf Oil calendar that mentions the Gulf Building in Pittsburgh, a 1945 Esso (“Standard Oil Company of Pennsylvania”) calendar, and a macaroni ad from Philadelphia-based Giuseppe Garibaldi; a Popular Science magazine cover dedicated to shipbuilding; pieces commemorating the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR), including a framed illustration, a 1934 General Electric calendar with an illustration of a PRR train, and a full-page magazine ad; and an American-themed wall to celebrate Philadelphia’s rich history during the founding of our country, including a tribute to George Washington and antique memorabilia from each branch of the U.S. military.
Ridley Township Board of Commissioners President Bob Willert encouraged local residents to apply for the multitude of jobs that will be easily accessible online in October.
“Cracker Barrel will be bringing almost 200 jobs to the township,” Willert stated. “This will not only be a boost to Ridley’s economy and the local job market, but to Delaware County’s as well. Ridley commissioners are always happy and proud when we can bring a larger employer to our town.”