# Restaurant Chains You'd Like to See in Your Area **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 19, 2005, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-chains-youd-like-to-see-in-your-area/317703 "2005-08-19T02:42:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2005, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-chains-youd-like-to-see-in-your-area/317703/21 "2005-08-19T06:26:31Z")
I like Panera/St. Louis Breads and Ruby Tuesday, neither of which are anywhere near me in Westchester, NY. While we’re at it, how about a Skyline Chili and a Salt Lick BBQ? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2005, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-chains-youd-like-to-see-in-your-area/317703/22 "2005-08-19T06:47:13Z")
Not really a resstaurant, but in the dog days of summer i dream about having a Jamba Juice around the corner. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2005, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-chains-youd-like-to-see-in-your-area/317703/23 "2005-08-19T06:50:28Z")
> [@jrfranchi](#): > > There was a small chain in San Diego area called Soup Plantation. > I wish they would decide to open there first North-East location near my home. Is there a Soup Exchange/Sweet Tomatoes near you? IMO, they’re nearly indistinguishable from Soup Plantation. As for the OP, I’d like to see a Dave & Buster’s near me, just for the easy access to the games. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bambi_Hassenpfeffer)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2005, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-chains-youd-like-to-see-in-your-area/317703/24 "2005-08-19T07:51:45Z")
> [@rjung](#): > > Is there a Soup Exchange/Sweet Tomatoes near you? IMO, they’re nearly indistinguishable from Soup Plantation. Sweet Tomatoes / Souplantation are the same company. [Website and location finder](http://www.souplantation.com). I don’t miss any restaurants, but I’m going to echo **Lou** ’s lament in re Trader Joe’s and IKEA. 16 million people in this state, most of whom are crammed into 4 metro areas, and we don’t have either. Tempe, AZ has an IKEA, for God’s sake – why don’t we? ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2005, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-chains-youd-like-to-see-in-your-area/317703/25 "2005-08-19T08:02:47Z")
I don’t know if such a chain even exists, but I’d love a fast food Indian type place. There are some good Indian restaraunts around, but they’re all the sit-down fancy schmancy type. I’d love like something like what Fazoli’s is for Italian food. ---
**Author:** ![mojave66](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@mojave66](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mojave66)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2005, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-chains-youd-like-to-see-in-your-area/317703/26 "2005-08-19T08:10:02Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > I don’t know if such a chain even exists, but I’d love a fast food Indian type place. Curry n’ Naan here in SF seems to be doing that job. I come from the city that birthed Del Taco, and I soooo miss 'em, even in the land of the Mission Burrito. I’d also like to have a Stuckey’s here, but mainly for the surrealism. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2005, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-chains-youd-like-to-see-in-your-area/317703/27 "2005-08-19T12:10:34Z")
There’s a chain of Portuguese-style (“Peri-Peri”) chicken restaurants in the U.K. (and possibly some other countries that I would like to expand to the U.S. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2005, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-chains-youd-like-to-see-in-your-area/317703/28 "2005-08-19T12:11:56Z")
Oops, I forgot to say that the chain is Nando’s. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2005, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-chains-youd-like-to-see-in-your-area/317703/29 "2005-08-19T12:39:00Z")
Oddly enough, there’s only about 10 Burger King’s inside the beltway, and only a couple within 5 miles of me, and I live in a major metropolitan area. I’d like to try an In n Out. There’s no White Castle within 50 miles, and probably farther, which is damned silly. There used to be a local chain called Little Tavern, which had little burgers like White Castle, except they were fresher and meatier, and just freakin’ awesome. Sadly they’ve gone out of business, but you still see their distinctive little white buildings holding other businesses. My city, Arlington, seems to have some kind of fast food phobia. Nimby pricks. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2005, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-chains-youd-like-to-see-in-your-area/317703/30 "2005-08-19T12:45:38Z")
> [@Bambi Hassenpfeffer](#): > > I don’t miss any restaurants, but I’m going to echo **Lou** ’s lament in re Trader Joe’s and IKEA. 16 million people in this state, most of whom are crammed into 4 metro areas, and we don’t have either. Tempe, AZ has an IKEA, for God’s sake – why don’t we? I keep hearing rumors that they’re opening an IKEA in Sawgrass Mills, the huge outlet mall in Broward County, in 2006, and possibly near the high-end Millenium Mall in Orlando as well. I’ll believe it when I see it, but that would be like a license to print money for that company, opening one or two stores in Florida! ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2005, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-chains-youd-like-to-see-in-your-area/317703/31 "2005-08-19T12:45:59Z")
> [@Big Bad Voodoo Lou](#): > > There are two Skyline Chili locations in South Florida (I’ve eaten at both), but it would be nice to have one of them closer up here. We’ve got (at least) two Skylines out here, one in Dunedin on US-19 and one on Clearwater Beach. May be closer for you than whereever you currently go. Also, the Publix chains here tend to carry the stuff in the freezer section near the TV dinners, if you really need it. I generally prefer smaller, less well known places than national chains. It may be because we have just about every chain here, except for In-n-Out. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2005, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-chains-youd-like-to-see-in-your-area/317703/32 "2005-08-19T12:47:10Z")
> [@Honey](#): > > Morrison’s Cafeteria. I’ve only ever seen them in Florida. They all became absorbed by Piccadilly Cafeteria, in case you have those. There aren’t any Morrison’s left now, even here. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2005, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-chains-youd-like-to-see-in-your-area/317703/33 "2005-08-19T12:49:21Z")
> [@Seeker74](#): > > They had great fish tacos. MMMMMM. Why am I giggling uncontrollably? 😉 > [@Seeker74](#): > > Hey, remember a restaurant called Grandy’s? I seem to recall it was a chain but I could be mistaken. They had the best chicken and yeasty dinner rolls ever. There is a Grandy’s in Gainesville, Florida. Great greasy Southern home-cookin’, awesome breakfasts, salad bar, fried chicken, all that good stuff. ---
**Author:** ![phall0106](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phall0106/32/5934_2.png) [@phall0106](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phall0106)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2005, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-chains-youd-like-to-see-in-your-area/317703/34 "2005-08-19T12:57:41Z")
Sonic and Schlotzsky’s. I miss them both from Tulsa. I see their commercials all the time, but neither are within miles of here (central Pennsylvania). ---
**Author:** ![Winnie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e480ec/32.png) [@Winnie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winnie)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2005, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-chains-youd-like-to-see-in-your-area/317703/35 "2005-08-19T13:19:57Z")
**SONIC SONIC SONIC!!!** I had breakfast at a Sonic in North Carolina and a green chile cheeseburger at another one in New Mexico. WHY DON’T WE HAVE ONE IN VIRGINIA even though the stupid tv commercials are aired on our local networks? I needs me some Sonic. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2005, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-chains-youd-like-to-see-in-your-area/317703/36 "2005-08-19T13:26:40Z")
> [@Winnie](#): > > **SONIC SONIC SONIC!!!** > > I had breakfast at a Sonic in North Carolina and a green chile cheeseburger at another one in New Mexico. WHY DON’T WE HAVE ONE IN VIRGINIA even though the stupid tv commercials are aired on our local networks? > > I needs me some Sonic. I’ve lived in three Florida cities, and Sonic advertised heavily on TV in all of them. Strangely, Miami never had any locations, and neither did Gainesville (although it has one now, since I moved away). Orlando has a couple, so it’s nice to finally get Sonicky goodness whenever I feel like it. ---
**Author:** ![Lips\_Obsession](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bbce88/32.png) [@Lips\_Obsession](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lips_Obsession)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2005, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-chains-youd-like-to-see-in-your-area/317703/37 "2005-08-19T13:28:37Z")
Sadly, we’ve lost several that I wish would come back… Fazoli’s is the main one. They went out of business near me when a Golden Corral opened near them and took most of their business. Fuddruckers is another I’d like to see in this area. Lastly, is a Hardee’s. They always seem to have “interesting” burgers, not just the “typical” kinds you see at the other major burger chains. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2005, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-chains-youd-like-to-see-in-your-area/317703/38 "2005-08-19T13:36:25Z")
Waffle House! There’s one about forty minutes away, but that’s really too far to be its own trip. Five Guys – a local D.C. chain – I wish there was one either near my house or downtown, near my office, but the closest one is way around the Beltway and, again, too far for its own trip. (Although you can bet that I hit it if I ever get invited to a party in Old Town or Georgetown.) I too would savor an In ‘n ’ Out around here, and I’d love to see Sonic. I love drive-ins (I’m from Akron, the only place on Earth where they actually survived from the 50’s to the present). I’ve never been to a Sonic though, even though I too see their commercials around here. There’s one near my folks’ place but whenever I visit them we always end up going nice places. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2005, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-chains-youd-like-to-see-in-your-area/317703/39 "2005-08-19T13:45:27Z")
> [@Cliffy](#): > > Waffle House! There’s one about forty minutes away, but that’s really too far to be its own trip. > > I too would savor an In ‘n ’ Out around here, and I’d love to see Sonic. I love drive-ins (I’m from Akron, the only place on Earth where they actually survived from the 50’s to the present). I’ve never been to a Sonic though, even though I too see their commercials around here. There’s one near my folks’ place but whenever I visit them we always end up going nice places. > > –Cliffy Dude, if it was feasible, I would happily mail you some Waffle House or Sonic. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2005, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-chains-youd-like-to-see-in-your-area/317703/40 "2005-08-19T13:46:05Z")
> [@rjung](#): > > Is there a Soup Exchange/Sweet Tomatoes near you? IMO, they’re nearly indistinguishable from Soup Plantation. > > As for the OP, I’d like to see a Dave & Buster’s near me, just for the easy access to the games. 😉 & Thanks to **Bambi Hassenpfeffer** Well thats good info, I’ve been out of San Diego since 1989 and every time I go back I made it a point to go to SP. Last time was 98. On their website they have nothing in the North East but I do travel to Tampa sometimes, so I will go to the Sweet Tomatoes in Tampa next time I’m there. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-chains-youd-like-to-see-in-your-area/317703.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-chains-youd-like-to-see-in-your-area/317703.md?page=3)