The 15 best regional fast food chains that you need to try

Everyone’s heard of McDonald’s and Wendy’s, but these regional fast food chains are like hidden gems scattered all over the country.

Here, we’ll rank the best regional fast food chains, and give you a recommendation of the best items to order to get a true experience of that restaurant.

Some of these chains started off as regional and are now more widespread, but others have stayed in their home states, meaning you might have to take a road trip to see what all the hype is about.

The best regional fast food chains in the US

15. Cook Out – North Carolina

Cook out is a good old-fashioned diner-style restaurant that is known for its hamburgers, milkshakes, and North Carolina-style pork barbecue. The portions are huge and inexpensive, and you’re met with an at-home family feel.

There are locations in most states in The South, as well as Virginia and West Virginia, so be sure to check it out if you find yourself near a Cook Out Restaurant.

Must-try meal: Barbecue sandwich, fries, and a chocolate cherry milkshake.

14. Dick’s Drive-in – Washington state

Dick’s Drive-In, founded in the early 1950s in Seattle, is like the hamburger place that your grandparents remember. They serve up simple burgers, fries, shakes, and ice-cream; and that’s all. Their menu have not changed one bit since they opened, and the food has always been fresh and absolutely delicious.

There are nine of these retro-style drive-ins across Washington state, so be sure to grab a burger if you’re in the area.

Must-try meal: Deluxe burger, fries, and a strawberry milkshake.

13. Bojangles – The South

Bojangles is a fried chicken joint that you can rely on. Although they opened in 1977 in North Carolina, the Southern chain became a bit of an online hit when YouTubers Rhett and Link hyped them up on their channel. They never freeze their chicken, and everything is made from scratch.

There are 822 locations across North and South Carolina, Louisiana, Kentucky, Georgia, Virginia, Tennessee, Alabama, Florida, and Texas.

Must-try meal: Two-piece leg and thigh meal, with a legendary sweetened iced tea.

12. Slim Chickens – Arkansas

Another chicken chain that’s doing things right. They make all the things you’d expect like fried chicken, buffalo chicken, fries, and of course, Texas toast. It’s not that that makes them special though, it’s the range of dips that these guys have. From your regulars like buffalo and ranch, to some more out-there options like gravy mayo and Inferno sauce.

Although they originated in Arkansas, they now have branches across 32 states as well as internationally, just check their website to find one near you.

Must-try meal: Chicken and waffles, with a side of fried pickles and an Oreo milkshake.

11. White Castle – The Midwest

White Castle was recently ranked number 16 on our definitive best burger list. It originated in Kansas in 1921, making it the first ever fast-food burger chain. They get some hate online, but their slider bread is pillowy soft, and you can eat more than one so as to try out more of the menu.

White Castle has around 345 locations, that are mainly located in places like Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, and Tennessee.

Must-try meal: The 1921 Slider with a side of Hidden Valley Ranch Chicken Wings, and a Coca-Cola.

10. Wawa – East Coast

Okay so technically Wawa is a chain of gas stations, but they have a large range of fast food that tips them over into more of a gray area. They are known for their enormous jugs of iced tea, standard gas station snacks like jerky and candy, and most importantly, their massive hoagie-style sandwiches.

There are over 1,000 branches across The East Coast in Delaware, Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

Must-try meal: Chicken cheesesteak hot hoagie, an apple fritter, and a gallon of iced-tea.

9. Duchess – Connecticut

Duchess offers fast food, and then some. You have a selection of burgers with various topping, but they also provide a nice selection of comfort-type food. Hailing from Connecticut, you can get big, freshly made sandwiches, as well as omlettes, chicken nuggets, and deep-fried cookies.

There are over 120 locations spanning Connecticut, Ohio, and Virginia.

Must-try meal: Big-D turkey, bacon, and chicken sandwich, chili cheese fries, and some deep-fried Oreos.

8. Taziki’s Mediterranean Cafe – East and South Coast

Taziki’s is a fast-casual restaurant that specialises in fresh, high-quality European-style food at affordable prices. If you’re a fan of Greek food, hummus, or big sharing platters, these are all sold here. It’s also a nice deviation from other fast food places because they offer something a little more exciting than burgers and fries.

Taziki’s has nearly 100 locations across the East and South Coast.

Must-try meal: Whipped feta lamb burger with a watermelon slush.

7. Waffle House – The Midwest

Waffle House isn’t just famous because of the Jonas Brothers song. They open 24 hours a day and have the vibe of a local, cozy diner. The prices are great and their scrambled eggs are really tasty.

There are 430 locations across the Midwest, and parts of the South, with most of the stores being in Georgia.

Must-try meal: The All-Star special with a classic cup of joe.

6. Culver’s – The Midwest

This place is very popular with Wisconsinites, but it should be a favorite of every fast food fan once they’ve tried their burgers. Why? Because they butter the buns before they put the beef patties on, and the beef patties are farm-fresh.

As of April 2024, there are 998 Culver’s restaurants in the United States. These restaurants are located in 26 states and territories and 793 cities. The state with the most Culver’s locations is Wisconsin, with 136 restaurants.

Must-try meal: The ButterBurger, cheese curds, root beer and some fresh frozen custard.

5. Krystal – The South

Krystal was founded in Tennessee in 1932 and has remained a classic all-American burger joint ever since. They boast Southern hospitality in everything they make, including their famous square burger patties and fries. Their menu is also made up of smaller items, so you can pig out how you like and sample a lot of the menu.

They have restaurants in every state in the South, but Georgia and Tennessee each have over 70 restaurants each.

Must-try meal: 4 Krystals combo, strawberry lemonade and glazed bombs (donut centres).

4. Zippy’s – Hawaii

This one is really an exclusively regional fast food chain, as you’ll only find these restaurants in Hawaii (and one in Las Vegas), so you may need to go on vacation. Reflecting the influence of Japan, China, Korea, and Native Hawaiian and American cuisines. It’s that diverse menu that makes Zippy’s a local icon.

There are only 23 of these restaurants across several of Hawaii’s islands, as well as a single one in Las Vegas.

Must-try meal: Chicken katsu, grilled cornbread and a Lilikoi drink (Hawaiian-passionfruit flavored soft drink).

3. Biscuitville – The South

Biscuitville does what it says in the name. They make fresh biscuits filled with a plethora of different fillings. They roll out fresh biscuits in front of customers every 15 minutes and use local ingredients.

As of February 2024, there were 82 locations in the U.S. states of North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.

Must-try meal: Fried chicken biscuit with homestyle potatoes.

2. Whataburger – The South

Whataburger makes a great, basic burger. Their ingredients are always fresh, and this is a wholly underrated chain. They just launched a brand-new burger that is taking fans by storm and are also probably one of the better known regional fast food chains in the country.

Find all their locations here.

Must-try meal: Sweet and spicy bacon burger with fries and a strawberry malt.

1. In-N-Out – The West Coast

In-N-Out won our top spot on the definitive ranking of every fast food chain in the US. Everything is cooked fresh, nothing stays on a warmer and the fries are made fresh too right in the restaurant and are never frozen. Order your burger animal-style for a taste sensation. They also won the top spot on our best burger list.

In-N-Out has the most locations in California, with a total of 401 restaurants across the country.

Must-try meal: Double Double animal style with animal fries.

If you’re still hungry for more, check out our definitive ranking of the best fast food burgers and the best fast food chicken nuggets.