Do you have a favorite fast food restaurant that unfortunately only has locations in one
region? If you grew up in New England maybe you loved Friendly’s. But on the West Coast
it doesn't exist. A favorite in SoCal is the beloved In-N-Out Burger, which you would be
out of luck trying to find on the East Coast. Here are 10 regional fast food restaurants
we wish were everywhere.
Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles
Let's not over think this, but isn't there something special about sweet and savory?
Juicy fried chicken and crisp golden waffles are a great example of this tantalizing flavor
combination. This combination used to be considered a strange pairing that many people used to
question, but it is a meal that has definitely caught on with chains such as IHOP and Dairy
Queen offering their own take on this food classic. Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles
is famous for this delicious mash up that is equally suited to breakfast or dinner.
Roscoe's has been a beloved Los Angeles institution since opening in Hollywood in 1975 by a man
named Herb Hudson. This is a famous chain that locals enjoy and out-of-towners feel
compelled to visit. There are six other locations in addition to the famed Hollywood location.
Although the chain continues to have a core fanbase, it did experience some tough times
about a decade ago. The rap star, Snoop Dogg, bought the chain and rescued it from bankruptcy.
Friendly's
For people who grew up in New England, Friendly's restaurants are like childhood fun food come
to life. They offer the usual patty melts, burgers, and pancakes and eggs. However, Friendly's
the chain really shines with its ice cream menu. Lots of New Englanders grew up loving
the massively awesome Reeses Pieces Sundae, but the current favorites include the Nor'
Easter Pothole Sundae, Mint Cookie Crunch, and a Waffle sundae for all the Roscoe's fans
on the East Coast. Friendly's opened in 1935 and has its headquarters in Wilbraham, Massachusetts.
The company boasts 177 locations across the northeast and also sells a selection of its
ice cream in supermarkets. Friendly's offers an ice cream treat known as the Jubilee Roll
that has become a holiday tradition for many families. But if summer is your favorite holiday,
it also offers a sherbet watermelon roll that is as refreshing as it is delicious. Friendly's
has gone through some tough times, but seems to have come back strong so hopefully the
company will continue to serve their delicious ice cream favorites.
Culver's
You might have never heard of the Culver's restaurant chain until now, but that's the
thing about these regional chains. They often enjoy an extremely loyal following in a given
region, but stay under the radar outside their area. Culver's has operated in the midwest
since 1984 and has quietly developed a fine reputation as a welcoming family spot that
offers quality meals. You don't hear a lot about frozen custard in many places, but in
the Wisconsin area, Culver's is famous for this frozen dessert. This chain is also known
for its savory butter burgers, and milkshakes, and because it's Wisconsin - cheese curds.
The Culver family had been involved in the fast food restaurant business in various capacities
before opening their first restaurant. Culver's currently has 695 locations spread primarily
across the midwest, but they do have locations as far west as Colorado. Perhaps it’s time
to take a visit and hit up a local Culver's to enjoy a butter burger and a frozen custard.
Taco Cabana in the Lone Star State
Everyone loves Mexican food and there is plenty of good Mexican food in California, but can
you get good Mexican food in other regions of the country? You can certainly get it in
Texas, and part of the reason is this Austin based chain, Taco Cabana. This taco chain
opened its doors in 1978 and has been a Texas hit ever since. Everyone has heard of Taco
Bell, but in Texas it’s Taco Cabana all the way. Unlike many fast food restaurants,
Taco Cabana prepares most of its food fresh everyday including the in-house made tortillas.
The restaurant features an open kitchen area in full view of the customers where items
are flame grilled. This chain is also known for its popular partially covered patios where
customers can enjoy outdoor dining. In 2018 the chain began offering all day breakfast
items, but the tacos remain the most popular items. As of 2017, Taco Cabana boasts 176
locations in Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico.
Clean As Krystal
Krystal's restaurants was founded in 1932 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. This regional chain
is most known for its square sliders or mini hamburgers with steamed onions. Although the
company was founded during the hard times of the Great Depression, the owners, Rody
Davenport Jr. and J. Glenn Sherill, were confident that customers would embrace a restaurant
that offered quality, inexpensive food served in clean locations. Their faith paid off and
Krystal's has been an institution in the southeast ever since. Something of a legend has come
up around the chain's name - the story goes that Mr. Davenport's wife saw a lawn ornament
in the shape of a crystal ball and opined that "clean as a crystal" was a good way to
market one of the tenets of the business: cleanliness. A "K" is used just to make the
name slightly more exotic. A number of Krystal locations have featured a crystal ball as
part of the restaurant's design. In another nod to crystal, the food used to be served
on real porcelain plates instead of the usual paper products used by fast food chains. By
2002 the chain had expanded throughout the South and had 420 locations in 11 states.
The chain is most known for its sliders, but the restaurant also offers small hot dogs
called pups. In a crowded fast food market, Krystals seems to have carved out a successful
niche for itself.
El Pollo Loco - The Crazy Chicken
Mexican restaurants have been known to do some very good things with chicken. El Pollo
Loco takes it to the next level, but do they do some crazy stuff? Maybe not crazy, but
the California based fast food chain is bonkers about offering its customers fresh ingredients
and is especially lauded for its fresh chicken broiled over an open flame. Juan Fransisco
Ochoa founded the first El Pollo Loco in Mexico in 1974. He followed this with his first U.S.
location six years later. If you've ordered food in California than you probably know
how popular avocados and guacamole are. They are pretty ubiquitous and not just on Mexican
food. El Pollo Loco takes these seriously, and according to its web site the employees
start every day slicing up avocados to make their own fresh guacamole recipe. The chain
restaurant offers a wide variety of offerings including family chicken meals, burritos,
bowls and stuffed quesadillas. For more health minded customers, El Pollo Loco offers some
lighter options such as salads, pinto beans and a chicken tortilla soup. Although Mexican
cuisine isn't really known for its desserts, El Pollo Loco's cinnamon churros make an excellent
dessert, breakfast treat, or afternoon snack.
Shaking Things Up at Shake Shack
"Shake" is of course in the Shake Shack name, but this fast food chain seems to tout their
delicious burgers even more than its frozen drinks. Surprisingly, Shake Shack did not
start its life in New York City as a shake or a burger joint, but as a simple hot dog
cart near Madison Square Park in 2001. In 2004 the cart started selling its well known
milk shakes and Angus beef hamburgers. Since its humble beginnings, Shake Shack has been
one of the fastest growing fast food chains, and offered stock for sale and became a public
company in 2014. Most of the company's 208 locations are on the East Coast, but it does
have some restaurants in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, as well as some international locations.
Shake Shack's milk shakes receive good reviews from customers and critics alike, but its
signature menu item is the ShackBurger, a classic American burger that comes with either
a single or a double hamburger patty and a "secret sauce." The menu also includes frozen
custard and beer and wine selections. In an effort to expand its brand recognition Shake
Shack has partnered with a firm called Staple Design. This company has helped Shake Shack
to create accessories such as t-shirts and sunglasses that the company calls Shack Swag.
Mr. Bojangle's
Bojangles' Famous Chicken 'n Biscuits was founded in 1977 in Charlotte, North Carolina
and has been a popular place for chicken and biscuits ever since. Loyal customers rave
about the cajun spiced food that gives it a chicken leg up on much of its fast food
chicken competition. Bojangles' expanded rapidly and celebrated the opening of its 300th store
in 2003. Much of its expansion took place in traditional Southeastern states such as
Florida. The company currently has more than 600 stores in 11 states and in foreign countries
including China and Mexico. Customers can choose from a number of combos, family meals,
boxes and side dishes. Most meals come with the cajun spiced fried chicken. The biscuits
are a big part of it because they are such a wonderful comfort food and are almost a
perfect food with a slab of butter. Customers can also choose the healthier option of grilled
chicken, but this is not nearly as popular as the traditional fried chicken and biscuits.
And if you like desserts as much as you like fried chicken and biscuits, you’ll be gratified
to learn that this fast food chain offers sweets including a cinnamon biscuit, Bo-Berry biscuit,
and a sweet potato pie.
Whataburger
Whataburger makes no apologies for the fact that it touts its hamburgers as the best in
the business. And many faithful customers claim that Whataburger are indeed among their
favorite. It is a San Antonio, Texas based chain founded in 1950 when it opened its first
store in Corpus Christi. As of 2017 there were 824 Whataburgers across the Southwest
and Southeast. In addition to its signature Whataburger and Whataburger Jr. there is also
the Justaburger. As its name implies the Justaburger is a simple affair topped only with mustard
and pickles - although you can actually get one with any toppings you like. Like many
fast food chains, Whataburger offers a breakfast menu. The bacon was so popular with customers
that the company began selling packages of its bacon in supermarkets in 2014. It also
sells its salsa, a dry pancake mix, and several versions of ketchup, mustard and barbecue
sauces. There has been some confusion with a similar hamburger chain based in Virginia
called What-A-Burger, which is also a regional, family owned fast food chain. Eventually the
two franchises wrangled in court over their similar names, but until 1970 the two companies
had not even been aware of each other. In 2015 Whataburger celebrated 65 years in business
and offered free upgrades on its meals to its customers.
SoCal's Most Popular - In-N-Out Burger
If you've recently moved to Southern California or are just visiting you've probably been
told you need to go to In-N-Out Burger. This regional fast food chain is a family owned
fast food chain that has been a SoCal favorite since the first one opened in October 1948
by Harry and Esther Snyder. The company's headquarters are located in Irvine, California,
the heart of SoCal. The chain has expanded to other areas of the west including Arizona,
Utah and Oregon. Unlike many fast food chains In-N-Out Burger has neither gone public or
franchised its operations. The family has always been very much concerned with the quality
of the food and the quality of the customer experience. This concern for the overall quality
of the restaurants has created an unusually loyal following that visits the chain on a
regular basis. The Double Double, a cheeseburger with two patties is probably the favorite
among customers. A not-so-secret secret menu allows customers in the know to order special
variations of menu items such as grilled peppers and onions on burgers, called animal style.
You can also get a Neapolitan milkshake layered with strawberry, vanilla and chocolate goodness
made with real ice cream. Little touches like this combined with quality food and a well
trained and friendly staff make for the most popular burger joint in the Golden State.
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