When Aaron Jenkins began working for Cracker Barrel Old Country Store three years ago, the 2007 Caledonia High School graduate didn’t envision that career path would eventually lead right back home. But on July 27, he will open the doors of the first Cracker Barrel location in the Golden Triangle, on 18th Avenue North in Columbus. Not only is it an event the area has long anticipated; it marks a milestone for Jenkins as well. The homecoming is his debut as a general manager within the chain founded in 1969.
“We’re all coming home and bringing the grandkids,” Jenkins said Tuesday. He referred to the imminent move from Brandon to Columbus for his wife, Rebecca, originally from New Hope, and two children, 4-month-old Juliette and son Brayden, almost 7. Most of the young couple’s relatives, including his children’s grandparents, live in Columbus and the New Hope community.
Jenkins has lately been staying with his parents, Allen and Donna Jenkins in New Hope. He relocated in advance, to prepare for the opening and conduct interviews to build a staff of about 190 people.
For him, the past year has been filled with working at a Cracker Barrel in Pearl, completing a managerial training program and learning at other store sites.
“I knew in the back of my head (a Columbus location) could be a possibility, and I had to make sure I was promotable,” Jenkins said.
Open arms
There is no shortage of welcoming committee for Aaron’s and Rebecca’s return.
“Family gatherings just got bigger,” laughed Jenkins’ mother, a former teacher at Caledonia School. “It’s going to be awesome.”
His paternal grandparents, Howard and Linda Jenkins, echo the sentiment, as do his maternal grandparents, Thurman (Bud) and Margaret Shackelford.
Howard Jenkins remarked, “We followed him all through school while he played baseball, soccer and football, then on to EMCC. And now he’s in the restaurant business and still just going and going — we’re very proud of him.”
The new Cracker Barrel manager even has civic club ties already in place; he became a member of the East Columbus Lions Club after finishing high school, working on service projects alongside his granddad, Howard.
Family support is a major asset during start-up of the 200-seat restaurant opening in just more than two weeks. Preparation is intense. The network surrounding Jenkins during the rest of his family’s move to Columbus allows him to focus energy on demands at hand.
“We’re training brand new people,” he said. “To get that speed and accuracy that we want, it’s important that I can continue that balance with work life and personal life.”
Those who haven’t been in a Cracker Barrel in a while may find a few things a bit different, said the manager. That’s partially due to the company’s technology updates. And the restaurant is always trying to make the menu better, with healthier selections, he added.
Interviewing continues as the opening nears. Jenkins expects them to go through July 16 (with the exception of July 14).
His main priority, he emphasized, is getting the restaurant and country store “shipshape.”
“This is something I’ve said time and time again — that I want Columbus to be proud of this.”
Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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