Regional Fast Food Chains You Should Try Before You Die

They're everywhere. From coast to coast, in big cities and small towns, fast food chains (also those categorized "fast casual" and "quick service") proliferate across the U.S. like mushrooms after a rainstorm. Of the 196,839 fast food businesses currently doing business in America, Alabama, Nebraska, and West Virginia have the most per capita (per Datafiniti). You could probably name the top 10 fast food chains without thinking too much: McDonald's, Starbucks, Chik-fil-A, Taco Bell, Burger King. But if you scan the entire list, you'll see fast food chains you may not have heard of. Many are specific to a state or region of the U.S., and the only way you can try them out is to go there. 

We've curated some of the best regional fast food restaurants all across the U.S., and if you're traveling to their locale, you should add them to your bucket list. You'll eat better burgers, better fried chicken, and better fries, each with a distinctive regional touch.

Wisconsin-based Culver's shows up on many "best of" lists, and in 2020, it actually beat out California's In-N-Out overall and for food and beverage as America's favorite fast food joint (via Restaurant Business). Culver's started in 1984 with primarily Midwest locations, but since then, its tentacles have reached out to the Southeast and Southwest with over 800 locations. Culver's  serves a lot of frozen custard, but the star of the show is their famous ButterBurger, a pressed and seared fresh beef burger with a buttered bun. Slapping a dollop of butter on a burger isn't as weird as you might think — in fact, it's delicious.

Wisconsin is the Dairyland State, and keeping true to Culver's Wisconsin roots, you'll find fried cheddar cheese curds, pretzel bites dipped in cheddar cheese sauce, and an ever-changing menu of daily-made frozen yogurt and shakes, including a root beer float, made with Culver's own root beer. Along with the usual chicken and fish sandwiches, Culver's also has "Homestyle Favorites," such as a pot roast and a pork loin sandwich. Culver's is fast-growing, and it's likely you'll eventually get to try this Wisconsin institution closer to home. But until that happens, it's worth the road trip.

If you're not from Ohio, you might scratch your head and wonder "What the heck is Skyline Chili?" It's a Cincinnati culinary institution dating back to 1949 when Nicholas Lambrinides created his secret recipe for a bean-less chili that's made with a unique blend of spices and does include a sweet taste, often thought to be cinnamon or nutmeg. At Skyline, the chili is ladled over spaghetti and then topped with a blizzard of shredded cheddar. It's not pretty, but many say it's incredibly delicious. This chili-spaghetti concoction is called "Ways" on the menu, referring to the number of ingredients. The chili-spaghetti-cheese combo is called a 3-Way. Add onions or beans, it's a 4-Way, and add both onions and beans it's a 5-Way. 

And then there's The Coney, which is basically a chili dog with gobs of cheese. They have salads, potatoes, and kids meals, but locals go there for the chili. Most of the Skyline Chili locations are in Ohio, but there are a few in Kentucky, Indiana, Florida, and Tennessee, all within 300 miles of the company's Fairfield, Ohio commissary. You can buy canned Skyline Chili on Amazon (or in many grocery stores), but you should try the real thing in Ohio and see what all the fuss is about.

Californians are really obsessive about In-N-Out Burger. Even celebrities make it a thing to celebrate after award shows by gorging on an In-N-Out Burger. According to Forbes, it opened in 1948 in Baldwin Park, California, in a small space with no indoor seating and a two-way speaker box connected to the kitchen. Owners Harry and Esther Snyder built their burger business by using only the freshest ingredients, keeping as much of the work in-house as possible, and treating their staff and customers alike with respect. It's enormous popularity has a lot to do with In-N-Out's ingredients. They use fresh beef, which they grind themselves, the vegetables are fresh, and the soft spongy buns that perfectly cushion the burger and toppings are baked daily. 

The menu is simple — burgers, fries, shakes, and soft drinks — and the not-so-secret menu gives you options for how many beef patties you want, toppings to choose from, protein-style, animal-style, and even a grilled cheese. For years, In-N-Out Burger had been exclusive to California, but it's since expanded to the Southwest, with over 300 locations. Still, they say not to expect nationwide expansion anytime soon, so try them when you get a chance.

One of the fiercest rivalries in the fast food industry is between Wawa and Sheetz. Even Pennsylvania politicians get heated up about which one is better (via The Philadelphia Inquirer) — there's a documentary about it. In 1952, Bob Sheetz bought one of his father's dairy stores and founded Sheetz Inc. In 1962, he brought in his brother to work part time at the Sheetz convenience store, and by 1972, they expanded to 14 stores, and the company has been growing ever since. 

When compared side-by-side, both chains have freshly made burgers, sandwiches, and salads, but Sheetz has more Mexican dishes (with that menu section titled "Mexamerican"). Sheetz also leans a little more heavily toward fried foods. Both are great for food-on-the-run and late-night munchies, and it comes down to location. So if you're driving east to west (or vice versa) in Pennsylvania, try them both, and join the Sheetz vs Wawa battle.

According to Business North Carolina, brothers R.B. and Maurice Jennings were given a choice by their grandmother as she was dying: the farm or the biscuit recipe. Maurice got the recipe, and when the biscuits surpassed the sales of pizza at his 12 pizza places, he transformed them into Biscuitville. Maurice's son took over the business, which now has 65 locations, almost all in North Carolina. As you might expect, biscuit sandwiches rule the roost at Biscuitville, and they are gems of Southern cookery. The buttermilk biscuits are made from scratch every 15 minutes, and you can watch the "biscuit boss" make them in real time. 

Biscuitville is only open for breakfast and lunch. Its menu has the usual breakfast sandwiches with egg, sausage, bacon, and cheese, but the addition of Southern-style ingredients — which Biscuitville sources from local farms — make the true biscuit-sandwich stars. The spicy chicken and honey biscuit, the pork chop biscuit, the country ham biscuit, the homestyle gravy biscuit, and even, the fried bologna biscuit (makes special appearances on the menu) are unique to Biscuitville. They're also famous for their baked goods — peach muffin, apple fritter, honey bun — all baked fresh in the morning. It's easy to understand why Biscuitville has been voted one of the 10 best regional fast food chains in America (via USA Today).

Penn Station is nowhere near New York's bustling train terminal. It's a chain of fast casual restaurants with over 300 locations in 15 midwestern and southern states. After sampling the famous Philly Cheesesteak in Philadelphia, founder Jeff Osterfield decided to bring the "East Coast flavor" to his hometown, Cincinnati, Ohio, and opened two sandwich shops (via The New York Times). Originally called the uninspiring Philadelphia Steak & Sub, he changed it to the more memorable Penn Station: East Coast Subs. The menu has a few wraps and salads, but almost all of the sandwiches are grilled or cold subs. 

Made to order with freshly baked bread, Penn Station's subs are stuffed with meats and cheeses in 20 different varieties, such as chicken cordon bleu, pizza (all the fixings of a pepperoni pizza), and, of course, cheesesteak. Most of the ingredients are fixed (but still customizable) for each sub, but the Dagwood (both hot and cold) lets you dream up your own sandwich. If you don't want to be weighed down by the roll, you can turn any sub into a wrap or salad or order a 3-inch "snack size." Fries are hand-cut and fried to order, and pounds of lemons are squeezed everyday for fresh lemonade. Penn Station offers you a more custom-built experience than other more famous sub chains.

Georgia-based Zaxby's was dreamed up in 1990 by childhood pals Zach McLeroy and Tony Townley, and although it was slow to expand, there are currently 919 locations situated in the South and Southeastern U.S. Today, Zaxby's is often compared to other chicken fast food restaurants. Known for their boneless and bone-in chicken wings and chicken fingers, Zaxby's also gets things right with its breaded, fried chicken filet that's topped with the top-secret Zax Sauce or the newer Spicy Zax Sauce. 

In fact, sauces are a big deal at Zaxby's. If you order chicken wings, you get to choose a sauce or dip from 15 that range in heat level from mild to "insane." Each meal comes with crinkle-cut fries and Texas toast, a thickly sliced bread that's been buttered on both sides and grilled. In March 2021, Zaxby's threw down the gauntlet by re-launching the "chicken sandwich war" with its Signature Sandwich, a behemoth that needs its own larger bun and wrapper. If you're down South and it's Sunday, when Chick-fil-A is closed, get your fried chicken fix at Zaxby's.

As the first fast-food chain restaurant in the world, White Castle is celebrating its 100th birthday this year. Co-founders Billy Ingram and Walter Anderson opened the first White Castle in 1921, and they sold their square "sliders" by the sack for 5 cents apiece. Back then, burgers were frowned upon as unsafe and unsanitary, so Ingram and Anderson set out to change public opinion by promoting their spotlessly clean restaurant, where patrons could watch the 100-percent beef being ground. Obviously, Ingram and Anderson's perseverance paid off. Still a family-run business, there are 375 White Castle locations in 14 states, mostly on the East Coast, Midwest, and Florida (per Forbes).

A lot has changed since 1921, and White Castle's menu reflects the update to more modern tastes. The Original Slider is still there, but what's new is the Impossible Slider, a seafood crabcake slider, a panko-breaded fish slider, and even a chicken and waffles slider. Sides run the gamut from traditional — fries, onion rings, mozzarella sticks — to a bit out there — chicken rings, fish nibblers, and clam strips. White Castle is considered a niche chain, but with the new menu items, the ol' timer is still making its mark as distinct.

Jollibee has been a Philippines institution since 1978. It started out as an ice cream parlor and wasn't profitable, until owner Tan Caktiong added savory items. He changed his two ice cream franchises into fast-food restaurants, featuring the YumBurger, and was an immediate success. The following year, Jolly Spaghetti and Chickenjoy were added, and Jollibee flourished. Jollibee landed on American shores in 1998, and today has 37 U.S. stores and 1,300 worldwide. Jollibee's menu is an intriguing melding of Filipino and American cultures. There's the usual fast-food fare — burgers, fried chicken, chicken sandwiches — but things get interesting with the sides. Jollibee's version of fried chicken, Chickenjoy, is served with mashed potatoes and gravy and steamed garlic rice or adobo rice. 

As to the famous Jolly Spaghetti, which can be ordered separately or as a side with Chickenjoy, it's an unlikely combo of spaghetti, banana-ketchup sauce, ground meat, sliced ham, and sliced hotdogs. According to a recent Washington Post review, dipping the Chickenjoy in the Jolly Spaghetti sauce is a must. There are a lot of traditional Filipino dishes to choose from, and American diners may shy away from fast food that's so decidedly different. Jollibee is one-of-a-kind, and if one pops up near you, give it a try. But leave room for the famous peach-mango pie.