"I've not had a bad experience anytime," Ray Yoder, 80, told ABC News of his hundreds of visits to Cracker Barrels across the country. "I've always walked away feeling refreshed."
Yoder first developed an affinity for the omnipresent restaurant and gift shop chain in the 1960s when he traveled across the country in an RV and after marrying Wilma Yoder, 81, the couple realized how many different locations they had visited.
"I didn't keep much records then because I didn't ever think we'd do what we do," he said. "Then we began to take it quite seriously and said, 'Let's see if we can do them all.'"
As word of the couple's quest to visit every Cracker Barrel location spread they became VIPs at the restaurant chain.
"Many years ago, we began inviting them to our ribbon cutting ceremonies as we open new locations to help them on their journey," Cracker Barrel spokeswoman Janella Escobar said. "We look forward to seeing them and helping them complete their mission of visiting every Cracker Barrel in the nation!"
The couple attended a ribbon cutting at a location in Lavonia, Ga., for their 644th visit earlier in July, the Lebanon Democrat reported.
They do not consider a visit complete unless they've purchased something, ranging from a full meal to a trinket from the gift shop.
"We don't drive in the parking lot and say, 'Now we're here,'" Yoder said. "We go in a spend a little of money. We're not rich but we'll buy a coffee to go or a little bit of candy."
The couple has visited as many as eight locations in one day and have admitted to leaving breakfast at one location to drive to another stop for lunch in pursuit of their quest.
"For two old people, we're pretty fast moving," Yoder said. "We're still healthy and we enjoy it so we keep doing it."
