After years of locals eyeing the long‑vacant restaurant pad across from Westfield Annapolis, Cracker Barrel has officially moved in. The chain’s long‑anticipated Annapolis outpost opened its doors on Monday, Feb. 2, bringing its trademark country‑store dining and retail combo to the busy Westfield Annapolis corridor in a ground‑up build that includes a full dining room, country store, and pickup window. It is Cracker Barrel’s first address within Annapolis city limits.
According to a company press release, the Annapolis restaurant, which is Cracker Barrel’s 10th location in Maryland, opened to the public on Feb. 2, will employ roughly 160 full‑ and part‑time workers, and launched with a $10,000 donation to the Maryland Food Bank, as reported by PR Newswire. John Link, the general manager of the new store, talked up the grand opening and the comfort‑food menu in an appearance on FOX45 News.
Built on a Familiar Pad Near the Mall
The restaurant takes over the former Fuddruckers parcel at Jennifer Road, a spot locals have watched sit empty and slowly transform as Annapolis Restaurant Park was repositioned. The pad went through a full ground‑up redevelopment and was marketed by Rosso Commercial during leasing, according to WMAR‑2 News. That long backstory helps explain why this opening drew more buzz than the average chain rollout.
What to Expect Inside
Guests can opt for dine‑in service, in‑store pickup, curbside pickup, or delivery ordered through the Cracker Barrel app or website, the company says in its announcement. The Annapolis location is scheduled to operate from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, according to PR Newswire. Inside, the décor includes nods to Annapolis’s naval and maritime heritage, and the restaurant is slated to participate in Cracker Barrel’s America250 programming this year, the company adds.
Jobs, Donation and the Local Bottom Line
For Annapolis, the arrival of a national chain at this high‑profile corner is about more than biscuits and gravy. Cracker Barrel projects about 160 jobs tied to the new restaurant and has already put $10,000 toward local hunger relief through its donation to the Maryland Food Bank, according to PR Newswire. For residents who have watched the site languish for years, the opening caps a drawn‑out redevelopment saga and adds another full‑service dining option to the Westfield Annapolis area.
