The East Coast is where some fan-favorite fast-food restaurants, like Chick-fil-A and Burger
King, started, but some of the lesser-known chains deserve their turn in the spotlight as well.
With any luck, they'll take their culinary delights to every state in the U.S.
If you're looking for fried chicken, there's no better place to get it than in the South.
Bojangles, a popular fast-food chain based out of North Carolina, serves chicken with a Cajun twist.
What makes Bojangles so delicious? The chicken is delivered fresh to individual stores, where
it gets marinated for a full 12 hours and then breaded using a complicated eight-step recipe.
Bojangles' Executive Vice President Eric Newman called the biscuit-making process,
quote, "an art form." Newman explained,
"It's a highly honored position in our restaurants. It's an intricate,
delicate process to manage."
"49 steps baked fresh, marinated 12 hours, steeped 12 minutes."
You can tell Bojangles is beloved by its passionate fanbase; in 2017,
North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis took to Twitter to defend the fried chicken chain
after it received a negative review in The Washington Post. Tillis wrote,
"With all due respect to the [Washington Post], their food tasters need to get their
tastebuds checked out. [Bojangles] makes the best 'fast food' biscuits, period."
Cook Out has over 200 locations across 10 U.S. states, primarily in the Southeast. Regardless,
it has attracted dedicated fans from around the world
thanks to its high-quality food. Cook Out's menu features classic fast-food dishes like burgers,
chicken strips, fries, and onion rings. But with unique offerings like barbecue sandwiches,
hushpuppies, and 40 different milkshake flavors, Cook Out definitely stands out from the crowd.
The Cook Out burger is hard to beat. With chili, coleslaw, mustard, and onions, it offers complex
flavors and textures you'd more so expect from a home-cooked meal than a roadside pitstop.
A fast-food chain this good only comes around every so often,
so we recommend a trip to the South as soon as possible.
A quick-service convenience store located across six states and Washington D.C.,
Wawa is practically a cultural landmark. The company began way back in 1803 as an iron foundry.
George Wood, the owner, took an interest in dairy farming toward the end of that century
and reestablished the business as a dairy farm, where he experienced widespread success thanks to
his careful sanitation process and high-quality products. In 1964, following a decline in milk
sales, George Wood's grandson rebranded the company, and the first Wawa Food Market was born.
These days, Wawa sells coffee, fuel, and made-to-order foods, in addition to the
dairy products the store was once known for — not your everyday gas station. According to a customer
interviewed in Taste of Home, the quality of Wawa's food is what keeps her coming back.
"They have the best gas station food for when you want a treat, but also have lots of healthy
alternatives [...] It's great for people who want to eat well and don't want to eat fast food."
The Varsity is, according to its website, an "Atlanta institution."
Since 1928, the Gordy family has owned and operated this Georgia-based fast-food restaurant.
The chain is on the smaller side, with only five locations in Georgia - spread across the
greater Atlanta metro area, after closing their Athens location in March of 2021,
but it has enough personality to make our list. Customers are greeted with a hearty
"What'll ya have?" and served burgers, hot dogs, onion rings, and shakes.
As the largest drive-in fast-food restaurant
in the world, The Varsity in central Atlanta stretches nearly five acres.
With enough parking for up to 600 cars, it can serve about 30,000 customers per day.
This fast-food behemoth is beloved among Georgia locals and visitors alike.
The comedian Nipsey Russell worked as a carhop at The Varsity before his career took off,
and it has attracted customers like Elvis Presley, Muhammad Ali, and even a few U.S. presidents.
Biscuitville, another fast-food chain based in the American South, is famous for its
biscuits — and lots of them. The company claims its biscuits are made fresh every 15 minutes,
promising customers a delicious experience at any time of day. According to the Biscuitville
website, the founder of the company, Maurice Jennings, was given the choice between the
family farm and the family biscuit recipe — we think you can guess which one he chose.
Despite its fast-food status, Biscuitville takes pride in its products. In each store,
you can find a list of the company's local suppliers displayed for customers to read.
Biscuitville still buys grain from the same family-owned company that has supplied them
with quality flour since the 1960s. Though many fast-food chains discourage customers
from thinking about where their food comes from, Biscuitville clearly considers this an integral
part of the dining experience — and lucky for us, it just makes the biscuits taste even better.
The first Friendly's was opened in 1935 by two brothers in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Curtis and Prestley Blake wanted to help boost morale during the Great
Depression — and what better way to do that than by selling ice cream?
Friendly's ice cream was immediately popular thanks to its low prices and catchy title.
As the business grew, the Blake brothers began serving food to go along with the desserts
they were famous for. The current Friendly's menu consists of items such as burgers, wraps, salads,
and sandwiches — and don't forget those desserts. Friendly's serves all kinds of ice cream from
single scoops to stacked sundaes. If you're in the mood to indulge, we recommend the Hunka Chunka PB
Fudge Lava Cake or the Retro Royal Banana Split. The sundae lives up to its title with strawberry,
chocolate, and vanilla ice cream atop a banana and drizzled with marshmallow,
fudge, and pineapple sauce, with a healthy dollop of whipped cream and a cherry on top.
Childhood friends Zach McLeroy and Tony Townley launched Zaxby's in 1990. Their
company was inspired by the chicken fingers McLeroy ate at a nearby restaurant while
attending the University of Georgia in Athens. Though the company got off to a slow start,
this multi-talented chain has seen massive growth in the last 15 years.
Located in 17 states, Zaxby's serves chicken fingers and wings, fried chicken sandwiches,
fried pickles, Texas toast, and fried mushrooms. If you're tired of fried chicken,
you've got options — from "Big Zalads" to "Zappetizers," there's something for everyone.
Zaxby's plans to continue its growth by expanding into more western states,
where many people don't even know it exists yet. But to attract customers,
the CEO claims they'll stay true to their roots and won't,
"make plans for any drastic moves, instead choosing to focus on the food chain's expertise:
chicken."
"It's hot in here."
"It's your kickin' chicken sandwich meal. It really brings the heat.
In 1984, a man named Bob Tumolo opened an Italian ice shop in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. Tumolo,
a firefighter, wanted to help his community stay cool during the summer while making a
little extra money to support himself during the off-season. He named his store after his wife,
Rita, but the slogan he came up with on his own — "Ice Custard Happiness."
It didn't take long before Rita's started growing. By 1987, just three years after launching,
the company had three locations. In 1996, that number jumped to 100. These days Rita's remains
popular with approximately 600 stores located predominantly in the Eastern United States
with a dozens of outliers across the country and abroad.
If you're looking for a frozen treat, Rita's is the way to go. From Italian
ice to a creamier custard option, this chain has something for every kind of sweet tooth.
For vegetarians, fast food is usually not an option. Bareburger, located primarily in
the Northeastern United States, seeks to change that. The company's menu is one-third vegetarian,
with gluten-free offerings and sustainably sourced meats and produce.
Even the restaurants themselves are built using recycled materials!
The Bareburger menu is a little more intricate than you'd expect from a fast-food chain.
With extensive salad options, sweet potato fries, and chicken-free chicken nuggets,
this is not your average burger fare. Even carnivores can feel better eating these
antibiotic-free, gluten-free, and hormone-free patties made from humanely raised cattle.
Before Impossible burgers became a worldwide sensation, they were sold solely at Bareburger
to vegetarians hungry for a quick bite. In 2017, when Impossible Foods perfected its veggie patty,
it was available only at the Laguardia Place location in New York. Now, of course,
you can find Impossible burgers just about anywhere. Hopefully Bareburger will follow suit.
In 2001, Chef Danny Meyer opened a hot dog cart in New York City's Madison Square Park.
As word spread, people began lining up at the original Shake Shack.
In 2004, Meyer opened a permanent store so he could offer delicious
treats to more and more people — and Shake Shack only grew from there.
Shake Shack gained its popularity largely due to the quality of its food. Even though it's
a fast-food chain, its products beat out even some of the best dine-in restaurants.
Shake Shack's website boasts sustainably sourced ingredients,
fresh hormone-free meats, and personal relationships with purveyors near and far.
Most importantly, Shake Shack prepares its food meticulously — from the burger buns to
the pan the meat is cooked in, Shake Shack chefs never skip a step. Even the fries, though frozen,
were carefully considered. Rumor has it, after the New York Times published a review that criticized
the company's fries, Shake Shack spent $1 million to research the perfect french fry.
The chain may be in over half of the United States with multiple international locations,
but there are still plenty of states in the U.S. missing out on these popular East Coast burgers.
Pal's Sudden Service, located in cities across Virginia and Tennessee, is one of the best
little-known fast-food chains you'll find. With humble beginnings in the 1950s under the direction
of Fred "Pal" Barger, Pal's serves burgers, hot dogs, sweet teas, and an impressive assortment
of breakfast foods. Believe it or not, Pal's was the first fast-food chain ever to win the
Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award, which is usually granted to hospitals, schools, and hotels.
This chain outshines its competition thanks to intense staff training
that emphasizes attention to detail and quality food. As a result, many employees who work at
Pal's stick around longer than most fast-food workers, often making careers out of it.
Those employees also tend to be friendlier and more helpful than many others.
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