“The Mc-what?”
“Yeah, I never heard of it either but they say they have over 2,000 locations in this state alone.”
“Hmm… Must’ve sprung up over night.”
@pulykamell 's mention of Harold’s Chicken Shack reminded me of another Chicago-area fried-chicken chain: Brown’s Chicken.
Brown’s was pretty big in the Chicago area when I moved here in the late '80s. However, their restaurant in suburban Palatine was the site of a horrible mass murder in 1993, which led to a decline in Brown’s sales (apparently because people didn’t want to go to a chain where there had been a mass murder), and they closed a number of locations. Brown’s is still around, but much smaller than it used to be.
Also, Brown’s former company president, Frank Portillo, was the brother of Dick Portillo, the founder of the Portillo’s hot dog chain, which I mentioned upthread.
It’s not local anymore, but Freddy’s, which opened its first location in Wichita in 2002, has the tasiest burgers in the area. Combined with its French fry sauce and delicious frozen custard, it’s easily the best fast-food location around.
There are now over 400 locations in 37 states. It’s one of the fastest growing franchises in the country.
Honorable mention to Spangle’s, which has the best sweet onions on a fast-food burger that I’ve ever had. Plus, they now serve alcohol.
I didn’t like Burgerville at all. It was mediocre at best. Now Killer Burger, a Portland chain that, at last count, has 19 locations in Oregon and up into Vancouver, has won awards for their burgers and rightly so.
Portland also has Pizzicato restaurants, which serve a pretty good pie. They also get pretty inventive with ingredients.
And then there’s PDX Sliders. There are technically three locations, as they have at least one or more food trucks along with their two brick and mortar places. It started out in a food truck a few blocks from where we lived and was an instant hit. They use their own blend of ground meats for the patties and it is a killer combination. They get consistent rave reviews and were, at one point, considered to be the 4th best burger joint in the country.
Somehow it didn’t register to me that Brown’s was a local chain. I also never connected their demise with the mass murder. I think there may still be one at 47th and Wood, near where I was born, but the one I would occasionally visit on Archer closed down a few years ago. I loved their mushrooms and livers. There was also one near my parents, but that closed, too, about a decade or more ago.
In the Northeast (New England, New York area) we have Friendly’s, though it’s gone through bankruptcy and closed many locations.
And a smaller Connecticut-based chain is Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana. It started off in 1925 as a single location in New Haven, but in recent years, nine grandchildren of the founder built a company to expand it. There are about ten locations in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, Maryland and Virginia.
It looks like there are about 20 still around. Sadly, none are within a quick hop from my house but, boy, it sure sounds good right now. I remember riding my bike to get fried mushrooms with allowance money as a kid. For quite a while, my family had a Christmas Eve tradition of picking up Brown’s Chicken and heading to my grandparents’ place.
It taaastes better.
Hmm… looks like there’s one opening just down the road from me.
They used to have a location in Colorado Springs in the 1980s. I don’t remember anything about them other than the name and the white suited mascot.
We have a chain here in Arkansas called David’s Burgers that serves, you guess it burgers. The only menu items they have are burgers, chicken sanwiches, grilledcheese, fries, and custard. I can’t vouch for the chicken sandwiches or grilled cheese, but everything else tastes pretty good.
They have locations in southern Oregon as well. I’ve eaten at the one in Medford on Barnett Rd. several times.
Also one in North Little Rock. I went there a few months ago for dinner and was not impressed. Maybe their breakfasts fare is better?
I suppose I should mention Culver’s. It’s a Wisconsin burger, cheese curd, and custard place that used to be quite local but has successfully spread to 26 states now so no longer really fits the definition of local/regional.
We also have Kopp’s, with 3 locations serving up burgers, custard etc. in the greater Milwaukee area.
Sheboygan, WI also recently got a new Rocky Rococo, so that regional chain has started to grow a bit again.
Mark’s Pizzeria (twenty-seven locations) To be objective, there’s nothing special about this chain. They make good pizza but it’s not better or worse than other pizza.
Bill Gray’s (fourteen locations) Burgers and such. Again, good food but nothing outstanding and the prices are a little high for what you get.
Tom Wahl’s (nine locations). Another burger place, which is now owned by the same company that owns Bill Gray’s. They’re known for their excellent root beer. They used to serve pepper rings, which were like onion rings but made with sliced green pepper.
Mighty Taco (nineteen locations) Pretty good “Mexican” food (they openly acknowledge their food isn’t very authentic). I like the Buffitos, which are burritos made with Buffalo-style chicken and blue cheese dressing. The downside is they closed their Rochester locations.
Honorable mention: Avanti Pizza (two locations only since they closed their Brockport location) Very good pizza. They do the classics (cheese, pepperoni, meat lovers, white) plus specialty flavors (BBQ, Greek, taco, chicken cordon bleu, Country Sweet) and they sell really big slices.
Dick’s is fast and cheap. The burgers aren’t anything to get excited about but they’re fine. For the money and convenience it’s two thumbs up. I’ll never turn down a bag of Dick’s.
I grew up on Ivar’s. I have eaten a lot of clam chowder and to me, nothing ever beats them. (Not even Duke’s.) To me growing up, Ivar’s was as common as McDonald’s or KFC.
Thinking about them now, I’m suddenly hungry for their clam strips.
One of the most deeply weird, authentically 21st Century Japanese things we did on our 2017 Japan trip was eating at a Shakey’s in Hakata.
Speaking of Seattle, my late dad’s favorite local chain was Spud Fish & Chips. Always nifty locations on the shore, and decent food.
Pizza buffet with mojo potatoes!!! That was the one we went to. Next you’ll tell us about the milkshakes you had a Farrell’s after cruising The Mall.
Actually, I was mistaken - it was the one on Reseda at Devonshire - and it’s still there!!
Cool looking place! I noticed the Mohnbeugel and the Nussbeugel which my grandmother used to make only she called them makos kifli and dios kifli. They were usually half moons, not crescents, though.
I remember them from back in their expansion! There was one at Forum 303 Mall in Grand Prairie. Every once in awhile, I get the flavor of their pizza in my head and miss them.
Yep, not the greatest, but normally open 24 hours and pretty reliably tasty. They had an expansion and retraction, too, but they seem to be recovering.
My local burger chain to contribute is Chapps Burgers. Great burgers, even if they’re a little pricey.
My favorite local Pizza chain is Mama’s Pizza. An unusual crust, almost like soft pretzel dough. Thin under the sauce/cheese/toppings with a thick, chewy edge. I’m glad I looked them up, because I thought all of their locations were in Tarrant County. Turns out, there’s one on Inwood in Dallas! I know what I’m suggesting next time we have pizza!
Their chicken gumbo soup is fantastic. I don’t know what they put in it because it’s not really much like a traditional Cajun or Creole gumbo, but it’s very tasty. I used to work at a place down the street from an L. George’s, and I’d often get a quart to go.