You'll Have To Travel To The South To Eat At This Retro-Themed Chick-Fil-A Spin-Off Chain

While there is no shortage of Chick-fil-A locations nationwide, the chain has also experimented with a few spin-off concepts that devotees will have to travel to enjoy. The beloved chicken chain has expanded to over 3,000 locations in the U.S., but its small cadre of sister restaurants remain limited to the South, namely the company's home state of Georgia. The Dwarf House grew out of the original diner run by S. Truett Cathy, the founder of the family-run Chick-fil-A empire, and the vaguely Hawaiian-themed Truett's Luau followed suit. But the most fun may be the hybrid Chick-fil-A diner concept known as Truett's Grill.

The first Truett's Grill was founded in 1996 in honor of the 50th anniversary of its founder's pivot to the restaurant business. The diner concept was given a retro '50s vibe that has carried across all three current locations in Griffin, McDonough, and Morrow, Georgia. Truett's Grill is very much in the style of the era's now retro futurism, with curving walls of glass window blocks and classic diner booths. The decor also features model cars and trains, motorcycles, and even a seating area built to look like an old trolley car in one location.

Naturally, the service follows the style. While Truett's Grill offers drive-thru and counter service like any normal Chick-fil-A location, the diner also boasts full-service sit-down dining. Even better, there's an expanded menu to match the retro diner atmosphere.

The core of the menu at each Truett's Grill location is still Chick-fil-A chicken, but with a few more options. Yes, the classic Chick-fil-A sandwich and nuggets come standard, but they are also available as part of a platter that offers the choice of a just a chicken patty, sans sandwich. Each platter comes with two sides, several of which are not available at normal locations, such as sweet potato soufflé, fried okra, and cornbread. The lunch and dinner menu also feature salads and soups from the Chick-fil-A menu.

What really sets Truett's Grill apart is what so many come to diners for in the first place: breakfast. The restaurant features a full all-day breakfast menu, including omelets and full-sized waffles, not just the chicken and waffle sandwiches Chick-fil-A recently added to menu. Most options are pretty simple, like a two-egg breakfast that includes a side and biscuit or toast. But that just means you can get some grits with a Chick-fil-A chicken breakfast, which is even more of a taste of "Southern hospitality" than the chain typically offers.

Truett's Grill has more than just sausage or bacon. Biscuits and gravy, along with the biscuit breakfast sandwiches from Chick-fil-A's standard breakfast menu, are also featured. It may not be a total overhaul of what you expect from a Chick-fil-A, but it offers enough novelty to be worth the trip for fans already in Georgia — and, as Chick-fil-A knows, if ain't broke, don't fix it.