Note: I live in a major market, I travel quite a bit, and I have had several clients in the restaurant industry, so my numbers are going to be skewed.
Lowest ranked, eaten at: #372, Ram Restaurant and Brewery (it’s the preferred hang-out at the GenCon gaming convention in Indianapolis)
As a YUM stockholder, and employee of the ad agency for #2 and #8, you make me cry. 
1. What is the highest ranking chain that you’ve never eaten at (or otherwise visited)?
2. What is the highest ranking chain you’ve never seen in person (but may have heard of)?
3. What is the highest ranking chain you never even heard of?
I too hadn’t even heard of Zaxby’s until a few weeks ago when one opened up in our neighborhood. We ate there. It is pretty fair chicken wings and chicken strips in various iterations. But it is waaaaay overpriced for the quality.
#13 Sonic, although it must be nearly 20 years since I ate at #2 KFC and I’ve only been to #8 Taco Bell once.
Never heard of or been to #41 Whataburger.
I put down Carl Jr’s for the lowest restaurant that I haven’t been to or eaten at, but maybe it’s really Starbucks. I’ve never actually been to a standalone Starbuck’s- I’m not really sure if this counts, but I bought a bottled juice or something at a Starbuck’s sponsored or franchised “coffee counter” in, of all places, a hospital. So I guess they got their corporate claws into me without any choice on my part.
It seems like the demarcation for marketing recognition and experience for me are the California based limited Franchises (Carl’s Jr and Cheescake Factory) which is interesting to note. West coast chains can’t break the top 15 (with the exception of Taco Bell). I only know about Carl’s Jr because of that Paris Hilton carwashing commercial, otherwise I wouldn’t even know they existed. I’ve heard popular culture references for the cheesecake factory here and on TV, I think it was some comedian, but it just flies over my head and doesn’t register…
Somebody asked about Golden Corral above, and I figure I will have to reference it as such… think a really, really, good Steakhouse Buffet ala Ponderosa or Sizzlers. It’s more like a Ryan’s Steakhouse, however, if you’ve heard of one of those. They grill cheap sirloin and serve all you can eat, with a huge buffet of salad bars, sides bars… fish and chicken a couple different ways, roast beef, sausage, meatloaf, a taco bar, a baked potato bar, a dessert bar… everything, really. It’s one of the better buffet style restaurants.
I have eaten at 161 of the 400. Not bad. huh?
Never eaten at a (10) Dunkin’ Donuts.
Never seen a (13) Sonic.
Never heard of a (22) Panera Bread.
Craziness. I live in the Cincinnati area and I have seen, heard of or eaten at almost every single place you all mention never having seen or been to.
Chick-Fil-A?
Panera?
Logan’s?
Texas Roadhouse?
Sonic?
Popeye’s Chicken?
Cheesecake Factory?
Perkins?
Waffle House? (Really?)
Ruby Tuesday?
Etcetera.
Weird.
Chick-Fil-A? The McDonald’s of Chicken Burgers
Panera? Soup and Sandwich place. Surprisingly Good
Logan’s?
Texas Roadhouse? ** BBQ, Steaks, Burgers, and fixin’s, as in I’m fixin to eat!Sonic? Burgers
Popeye’s Chicken? Watch the movie “Little Nicky”. Spicy Fried Chicken…
Cheesecake Factory? It takes 20 minutes to read through the menu, not including the 20-odd flavors of cheesecake they sell.
Perkins?
Waffle House? (Really?) ** - It feels good at the Waffle House… Hash browns 7 different ways…c’mon now!
Ruby Tuesday? - Who could hang some food on you?..ouch!
Wait, I was saying that I have eaten or heard of all these places (and a lot more of them) living here in the Cincinnati area. I was expressing my surprise at many of the names on the list that so many had never heard of.
I mean…Waffle House…isn’t there one off of almost every interstate exit ramp?
To completely answer the OP (I had previously only answered the first question):
What is the highest ranking chain that you’ve never eaten at (or otherwise visited)? Burger King
What is the highest ranking chain you’ve never seen in person (but may have heard of)? Chik-Fil-A
What is the highest ranking chain you never even heard of? Panera Bread
I, too, have eaten at 161 of these places. Some of them (Miami Subs) I didn’t even know were chains.
My wife and I have a special fondness for Waffle House - it’s the first restaurant we went to after we were married and we try to eat there every Christmas. After all, it’s the only restaurant open on Christmas. We probably don’t go but once, twice a year however - it’s not the healthiest food in the history of mankind, that’s for sure!
Also like Ruby Tuesdays and their salad bars. Yum!
Never eaten at:
#22 Panera Bread
Never been to:
#35 Cheesecake Factory
Never even heard of:
#38 Buffalo Wild Wings
#58 Zaxby’s
I think I might have passed by a cheesecake factory here or there, but I never ate there. I know it is the first place I ever heard of that handed out beepers to people waiting for a table.
Thinking about it I might have heard of Buffalo Wild Wings. Is that the chain with the tv commercials were the fans are able to change sporting events so they can stay and eat and have more fun? If it isnt that. It isn’t ringing any bells. I have never heard of Zaxby’s. I have no idea what that is.
Lowest I have heard of:
#400 The Spaghetti Warehouse
Lowest I have eaten at:
#373 Red Hot and Blue
#353 Fresh Choice
If that Red Hot and Blue is the same BBQ joint that was in DC 11 years ago or so, I have been there. Otherwise Fresh Choice gets the prize.
Kind of neat to see that even after national chains have taken over the fast food world some regional chains can rank so highly. Fun list thanks for sharing!
2-for-1 beer may have contributed to your opinion of their food…
Joe
I’ve never heard of it. Or Panera, or Chik-Fil-A, or Whataburger. However, I’ve lived on the West Coast all my life, and I’ve only been east of the Rockies twice.
The one that blows me away is that so many people haven’t seen or heard of Jack In The Box. I thought they were a national chain, but I guess not.
I never saw one until I moved to St. Louis - I grew up in NH. I’m not sure if they’re in the northeast, but if they are, they’re not common.
I’d heard of them, but only in the context of the e coli incidents.
I’ve lived in a number of big cities and travel a lot all over the country, so I thought I’d have to go way down the list, but not really as it turns out.
Lowest on the list is # 398 Good Times, but they’re headquartered about 15 miles from here.
I feel sorry for all the people who have never heard of Panera Bread. Of the ones I’ve been to, it is the best on the list until you get to Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse. For fast/moderate food, it is the best of all of them.