Regional Restaurant Chains That Should Go National

There's something special about regional restaurant chains that only area locals know and love. These are the spots to take out-of-town guests, the restaurants serving up flavors that define entire childhoods, the restaurants we miss when we move away, and the first places we go when we return. Some of these chains are way too good to keep secret, though, and we've found some we think deserve to find fame on a national scale.

Will one of these chains be the next McDonald's or the next Chick-fil-A? They should be, as far as we're concerned, because we're going to talk about some of the chains we think bring something just a little bit extra to a market that's already chock-full of restaurant options all fighting for your business.

There are, of course, a ton of chains that are found in one or only a handful of states, so to make our picks for those worthy of expansion on a grand scale, we looked for neat restaurants that have captured the hearts of those who hail from their home states. These are the ones bringing something new or not often seen to the table, that are breathing new life into old classics, and making longtime staples really well. We're also of the opinion they're worthy of being a road trip destination, and who knows — maybe someday, everyone will be fortunate enough to have one of these restaurants opening in their town or city.

If you're from Western New York, there's a good chance Taco Bell isn't even on your radar when you're craving some fast food tacos or burritos. Instead, you're going to be heading to Mighty Taco. Ask anyone who's left the area if they miss their usual order of a Super Mighty with a Nachos Deluxe on the side, and you're likely to get a fond sigh of nostalgia, and you can't forget about the Mighty Cheddar-Jalapeño Crunchers. How can you not love cheesy hot peppers in a dippable, crispy roll form? Mix things up with a Buffalo wing-inspired burrito — a Buffito — then throw on an apple empanada for dessert, and it'll take away the pain of even the most disappointing Bills game of the season.

It's more than just the food that's made Mighty Taco a beloved institution since 1973. It's renowned for being the place that doesn't take itself too seriously, known for fun advertising, affordability, and the occasional gimmick that does, in fact, end up making national news. That happened back in 2014 when the chain officially banned Vladimir Putin, and while the Facebook post was picked up by major news outlets, there was no word on what Putin himself thought.

There's certainly no shortage of burger chains in the country, but Braum's is so much more. Check out the menu here, and you'll find not just burgers but outstanding bagel and biscuit breakfast sandwiches, biscuits and gravy, breakfast burritos, chicken sandwiches, and — best of all — ice cream. Lots and lots of ice cream. That's kind of what started it all, as the roots of this Midwest chain go back to 1933 and the Braum family's butter processing plant. That expanded into ice cream, and the rest is oh-so-delicious history.

The ice cream here is still coming from Braum's herd of dairy cattle, and it's a huge operation, reportedly producing a million glasses of milk every day. This has allowed the company to keep a tight hold on quality control, to guarantee a fantastically fresh product that puts this place in the running for the best regional chain in the country, and there's something else going on here, too. Before you leave, you can stop by the grocery section and pick up some super-fresh, deliciously creamy milk that'll ruin all other milk for you.

Somewhere in between fast food and sit-down restaurants are the old-school drive-ins, and we would seriously like to know why there aren't more of these. Swenson's Drive-in has the market cornered in Ohio, and there are no ordinary burgers here. Since 1934, customers have lauded ultra-juicy patties made with a recipe that's top secret, served with funky sauces (that are also something of a secret), and ultra-thick milkshakes that are not to be missed. Always-friendly staff are front and center to guarantee an experience that some customers say is life-changing, and honestly, this world needs more smiles.

Swenson's is the kind of place that caters to entire generations, and although specials and limited-time offerings are always stellar, the classic staple — The Galley Boy burger — is a favorite for a reason. It's the taste of childhood, and simpler, better times. If you've ever wondered what elevates a mere burger to the realm of being called legendary, this place will show you.

Fast food can get a little boring, especially if you're in a place where your choices are limited to burgers. That's one of the reasons we love Lion's Choice, the Missouri-based chain that's built its reputation on roast beef sandwiches. It's been that way since 1967, and there's no weird mystery meat here. The beef is slow-roasted medium-rare, and seasoned with a top-secret blend right in the kitchen at every location. You can also opt for things like Italian beef, a French dip, a hot chicken sandwich, or a Cubano.

It's undoubtedly the roast beef that's the star here, as it's the kind of thinly sliced beef that you can tell was made fresh and cut from a genuine roast instead of the weird processed deli-style slices in some sandwich shops. The flavor is on point, and there's a very good reason for that: It's sliced from top round cuts, and employees are carefully trained in prep. It's the kind of chain that inspires loyal fans — and even tattoos! — and there's something special about that. 

Sure, there are a lot of places where you might be able to get a perfectly serviceable sandwich on a biscuit, but few places take biscuits as seriously as Biscuitville. They don't get much fresher than this Southern restaurant chain that turns out fresh-baked biscuits every 15 minutes. The sandwiches are far from ordinary, too, and while there are the fan-favorite sausage or bacon, egg, and cheese, there's also smoked sausage with peppers and onions, spicy and fried chicken, country ham, country fried steak, and a variety of platters, too.

Biscuitville has a strange history that goes back to 1966. The chain started out as a bakery, switched to pizza, and expanded to offering biscuits as a way to capture early morning business. Those biscuits were so popular they became the sole focus by the 1970s. Today, it's going strong with 89 locations in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. And we get it, because seriously, who doesn't love fresh biscuits? Loyal fans say that these are the best around, and when it's served up with a heaping helping of Southern hospitality, you can't ask for a better meal.

Macayo's Mexican Food hasn't made it past the borders of Arizona, and that's a bummer. It opened way back in 1946, and has grown from a little six-table spot to 10 locations across the state, and it's one of the restaurants that lays claim to the invention of the chimichanga. That might be up for debate, but what's not up for debate is that the frozen margaritas are unparalleled, happy hour is always a super fun time, and yes, the chimichangas live up to the hype. 

There's a lot to love at Macayo's — including affordable lunch specials, plenty of vegetarian options, house-made chips and guacamole, and a variety of chimichangas. You can also pick up a souvenir mug that repeat customers can reuse to get some serious dollars off the price of your drinks, and how fun is that? We'd love to see this spread across the country, bringing fun vibes and drink specials with it. 

Skyline Chili is perhaps the most popular super-local chain that many people have never been to, thanks in part to its television appearances. Anthony Bourdain famously had some thoughts on Skyline Chili, and it's one of those things that makes you do a double-take. For those not in the know, the chain's signature dish is its chili served over a plate of spaghetti noodles, then topped with an almost irrational amount of cheese. You can get the same chili on hot dogs, fries, potatoes, and burritos, and you definitely should.

Just so we're clear, this isn't any of your ordinary chili. The actual recipe is still top secret, but one bite of this brings heavy flavors of cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg, and sure, it's polarizing. Cincinnati chili is absolutely and utterly its own thing, and it's proud to be so. It's been called every name in the book, both good and bad. But we respect the places that are unabashedly doing something different, and that's been happening at Skyline since the first one opened back in 1949. So go on — give it a chance and you'll see why customers call it a simply singular experience. 

Head to a Cook Out, and you'll find yourself at a Southern fast-food chain that serves full, hearty meals for a steal. We're talking about heaping trays of burgers, hot dogs, chicken sandwiches or nuggets, wraps, and corn dogs, all finished off with your choice of sides like hush puppies, coleslaw, chili, and onion rings. We haven't even gotten to the best part, which are the milkshakes. 

There's no ordinary shake menu here. Instead being filled with flavors like banana nut, cappuccino, and peach cobbler, with eggnog showing up in December. Those milkshakes have a ton of loyal fans who say they have no problem getting in the car and driving for an hour or so, as long as they know there's a shake at the end of the trip. That's dedication. 

The Food here is always hot, always fresh, and has earned this chain a massive following, but interestingly, the company itself is pretty secretive. We're not saying that's a bad thing, though. While other restaurants are happy to shout about themselves from the rooftops, Cook Out simply lets its food and following do the talking for it, and we can respect that.

This Buffalo native can attest to the fact that when you walk into a Ted's Hot Dogs, there's a certain smell that hits you. It's the smell of summertime, and by that we mean it's the mouth-watering aroma of hot dogs sizzling and cracking over a charcoal grill. The charred-skin dogs are delicious and have set Ted's apart for decades — along with onion rings that are perfectly battered, immaculately fried, and just the right amount of greasy. You'll also find loganberry drinks and milkshakes, which is another of Buffalo's quintessential flavors. If you know, you know.

Ted's has a pretty neat history, too, and yes, there was a real Ted. In 1927, Theodore Spiro Liaros swapped his mobile food cart for a permanent location in the shadow of the newly built Peace Bridge, and a local icon was born. Today, you'll find locations across Buffalo and its suburbs, as well as in Tempe and Chandler, Arizona — because you can't tell folks from Buffalo what to do.

Most locations of the Broken Yolk Cafe are in Southern California, with a few outliers in Texas, Idaho, and Arizona. That gives us hope that this one might be dipping a toe into going national, because when you tell us you're taking us to a restaurant with a breakfast and brunch menu that has this much variety, you've made a friend for life. Here, you'll find everything from machaca and huevos rancheros to Greek omelets, steak and eggs, and a Monte Cristo made with slices of brioche French toast.

The first cafe opened in 1979, and the chain continues to pride itself on holding onto those chill vibes and relaxed atmosphere that you expect from a place that opened not far from the San Diego beach. Visit any, and you can expect mimosas and bloody marys to be flowing, churro French toast will get rave reviews, avocado toast is on point, and seriously, did we mention mimosa flights? Who wouldn't want one of these in their neighborhood?

It's no secret that chain BBQ restaurants range from reliably tasty to downright awful, and honestly, there aren't nearly enough good ones. We get that BBQ is hard to scale into a chain restaurant setting, and that's part of what makes Wood Ranch so impressive. This decently-sized, California-based chain — which announced it was expanding into Arizona in 2027 — has earned buzzy press and accolades for a menu full of wood-fired BBQ, salads, seafood, steaks, burgers, and all the sides you expect to find at a stellar BBQ joint. It also offers a peanut coleslaw, which is intriguing, to say the least.

Wood Ranch is on the map for some seriously great Texas-style BBQ. It gets high praise for everything from the baby back ribs to the tri-tip, the ribeye, and the sides, including that funky coleslaw. Even the garlic rolls are so good that they get included in rave reviews. This is the kind of meaty, saucy paradise we'd like to see popping up across the country.

If you're wondering whether or not the country needs another nationwide burger chain, hold off on that judgment. Burgerville is a West Coast burger chain that's famous for its locally sourced ingredients, and that includes things like using beef from local family farms. Regional flavors are front and center with seasonal favorites like marionberry shakes and drinks, and the chain also gives information on what local growers those fruits are coming from. Add in wild-caught Alaskan cod for sandwiches, funky shakes, and drinks like blackberry jasmine iced tea, and it's easy to see how neat this ultra-local idea could be if it applied the same principles to regions across the country.

Customers rave about the kind of quality you can taste, and details down to the hazelnut sauce on ice cream sundaes get praise for putting this above and beyond. It's the kind of place that locals take visitors to, because no matter what local goodness is on the menu, it's bound to be a win. Gluten- and dairy-free menu items are also delish.

Boston is home to all kinds of amazing restaurants, so standing out as a Boston-based chain might seem a little tricky. Legal Sea Foods got its start in Boston back in 1950, and it's now grown to locations across Boston, other parts of Massachusetts, and outposts in Chicago, New Jersey, and Rhode Island. The chain still takes pride in being a champion for New England's fishing industry, and when we did a spotlight on chain restaurants with the best fried fish here at Tasting Table, this one was included for its stellar fish and chips.

Granted, going nationwide and keeping the same commitment to sourcing only the freshest fish from the coast would present some challenges. Still, we'd like to see them give it a shot, as there's definitely some room in the market for a chain that's serving up highly recommended fish-based delights like tuna watermelon tartare, swordfish, lobster rolls, crab cake sliders, and cocktails worth writing home about. 

Most Sugarfire Smoke House locations are in Missouri, but at the time of this writing, there's one in Illinois and one in Colorado as well. As we've noted, chain BBQ is a hard thing to pull off, but this particular one has gotten a ton of press and accolades from places like the Travel Channel. It's appeared on the Food Network, and the Cuban Reuben sandwich brought home top honors when it was named best sandwich in the world at the World Food Championships. 

All the standard BBQ meats are on the menu, including the celebrated best brisket of any chain restaurant in the country. Also, chef specialties like the Big Muddy brisket sandwich and The Gribby — a grilled cheese with rib meat — really make this place stand out from the crowd. Add in rave-worthy ribs, outstanding smoked turkey, and a coffee BBQ sauce that's life-changing, and it's easy to see why this one needs to spread its wings.

Yes, we know it's called Nashville hot chicken, but we're still saying it's the chicken at this Chicago-based chain that needs to go nationwide. These chicken sandwiches are massive, fried in beef tallow — the way nature intended — and as for the heat levels, everyone's covered. You can definitely opt for a mild sandwich, but descriptions of heat go all the way up to "Call 911" and beyond, to "R.I.P." This restaurant has been beyond successful, and it was all started by Joe Fontana. He quit his office job and decided to make a go of it in the restaurant industry, and although it was a slow start, it's grown to 10 Chicago-area locations and a massive fan base.

The secret is in that beef tallow, and that's no joke — if you think McDonald's fries aren't as good as they used to be, that's because the chain stopped using beef tallow. Even the more extreme heat levels bring plenty of flavor, and seasoned fries are the perfect accompaniment. What's more, you know how food rarely looks as good in real life as it does in the advertisements? There are no shortage of fan photos that prove this place is the real deal.