Love Charcuterie? Keep An Eye Out For This Rapidly Growing Chain

Visit any corner of the United States, and you're bound to find a fast food chain to your liking. From butterburgers at Culver's to frozen custard at Freddy's, there appears to be no shortage of options, even for the most particular diners. In fact, there's even a chain for those who prefer convivial, high-quality, and finger food-forward snacking. That's right: Graze Craze, a new franchise and catering chain centered around charcuterie and grazing boards that is popping up all over the United States at a rapid rate, and it's worth keeping in mind for your next party, picnic, or girl dinner.

Graze Craze first opened in Oklahoma in 2018, around the same time colorful charcuterie boards exploded on social media. The concept of the charcuterie board is nothing new: This particular method of serving meats, cheeses, and other such accoutrements has been around since the 15th century, when it first came about in France. However, traditional charcuterie focused primarily on cured and preserved meats. Today, there's a bit more room for creativity when building a charcuterie board, and fruits, nuts, and cheese are all welcome. That's one of the core concepts at Graze Craze, which offers homemade cranberry orange jam, peppermint chocolate bark, and fennel-spiced ham.

Graze Craze operates primarily as an order-ahead catering business, but there are grab-and-go options as well. The Char-Cutie-Cup is a small cup overflowing with high-quality and local fruit, cheese, meat, and crackers. For the hungrier solo snacker, the Grab & Graze is a bit more substantial, featuring dips and spreads like jam or hummus. However, the majority of the chain's offerings are ideal for sharing. Customers — or "grazers," according to the company's lingo — can order boards that can serve up to 20 people. There are options for picnic boards, game day boards, and holiday boards, and everything at Graze Craze is customizable depending on grazers' dietary restrictions or preferences.

Charcuterie boards aren't necessarily difficult to make at home, but they can be time consuming, especially if you're making a board for a crowd. When you're hosting, time is of the essence; being able to order a charcuterie board in advance allows you to skip the stress of figuring out how much cheese to serve per person, or how many bunches of grapes are enough. Plus, navigating a range of dietary restrictions or worrying about making a kid-approved charcuterie board can make the task even more time-consuming. Graze Craze's unique, helpful concept makes it appealing for a variety of reasons, and with 100 locations and counting, there's no doubt that you'll find one popping up in your city in no time.