From coast to coast: The best regional fast-food chains to try

AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images // Getty Images Beloved fast-food chains are scattered across the country, even stretching past international borders. McDonald’s, Burger King, and Wendy’s are three of the most common burger chains across the country, along with other treasured chains like Subway, KFC, and Starbucks. The love for quick-service food certainly has expanded. According to an IBISWorld tally, there are 197,163 fast-food restaurants in the United States, and a survey run by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 36% of U.S. adults eat at those fast-food restaurants daily. However, while numerous fast-food chains have an extensive reach around the country, there are also an impressive number of regional chains that customers love to frequent. Between using local ingredients and cuisines, customers who love supporting local businesses while snatching a delicious, quick meal cherish these fast-food chains. Whether you frequent these chains or are on the hunt for some delicious places to stop on your next road trip, Stacker compiled this list of 20 fast-food chains that are only in certain states, making them must-tries for those traveling around the United States. You may also like: Signature dishes from 30 American cities Northeast: D’Angelo Grilled Sandwiches John Greim/LightRocket // Getty Images – Year founded: 1935 – Original location: Springfield, Massachusetts – Number of locations: 121 – Current states: Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina Your favorite ice cream brand comes from a chain of East Coast restaurants founded by Prestley and Curtis Blake during the Great Depression. Although the shop initially opened to serve their ice cream creations at just 5 cents a pop, the chain soon expanded into a restaurant serving classic diner favorites–burgers, fries, and of course, massive ice cream sundaes. Northeast: Wawa Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group // Getty Images – Year founded: 1964 – Original location: Folsom, Pennsylvania – Number of locations: 965 – Current states: Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida, and Washington, D.C. Wawa is more than just a convenience store at a gas station–it’s a lifestyle. Sure, the chain looks like a typical gas station on the outside, but inside is a wonderland of food that makes it a go-to for customers hungry for hoagies (a sandwich staple in the Pennsylvania region), breakfast, lunch bowls, and the biggest cups of coffee you can find. Customers can grab Built-to-Order food where they customize what they want to eat through a touch screen ordering system and watch as the food is assembled fresh right in front of them. Northeast: Xi’an Famous Foods Ilikefood // Wikimedia Commons – Year founded: 2005 – Original location: New York City – Number of locations: 12 – Current states: New York The chain may be small, spanning within New York City lines, but the food makes it mighty. Xi’an Famous Foods is best known for serving comforting dumplings and hand-ripped noodle bowls, authentic to the historic city of Xi’an where founder Jason Wang came from, located in the northwest region of China. The chain infuses culinary culture from both China and Middle Eastern flavors with dishes like the spicy cumin lamb burger stuffed into a crispy flatbread-like bun. You may also like: 11 celebrity cooks who changed how we eat Midwest: Cousins Subs Michael Steeber from USA // Wikimedia Commons – Year founded: 1972 – Original location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin – Number of locations: 96 – Current states: Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin Cousins Bill Specht and Jim Sheppard set out to bring their favorite style of sandwich–the “sub,” which originates from New England–to their hometown. It seems customers also enjoyed their sub sandwiches as Cousins Subs quickly expanded, serving a variety of subs, including a selection of cheese steaks and melty sandwiches, with fries and classic milkshakes. Midwest: Maid-Rite EWY Media // Shutterstock – Year founded: 1926 – Original location: Muscatine, Iowa – Number of locations: 31 – Current states: Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, and Ohio Back in 1926 when Fred Angell served one of his new sandwich creations to his deliveryman, he responded with, “this sandwich is made right.” So Maid-Rite was born, serving ground beef sandwiches on a fresh steamed white or wheat bun with ketchup, mustard, onion, and pickles. The beef comes from the Midwest, where the chain started, and is seasoned to perfection. Midwest: Schoop’s Hamburgers Lauren A. Little/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle // Getty Images – Year founded: 1977 – Original location: Charlotte, North Carolina – Number of locations: 789 – Current states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia This fried chicken chain has been a beloved one in the South for decades, with hundreds of locations in 14 states to order the fried chicken combos of your dreams. Founded by Jack Fulk and Richard Thomas, Bojangles is an authentically Southern chain serving all quintessential foods like classic fried chicken sandwiches or biscuits, and a family meal with crispy chicken and plenty of “fixins” for a crowd. South: Cook Out Nolichuckyjake // Shutterstock – Year founded: 1989 – Original location: Greensboro, North Carolina – Number of locations: 313 – Current states: Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia A trip to the Cook Out is all you need if you love a classic cookout and are craving essential barbecue foods–like burgers, hot dogs, and chargrilled chicken. Orders start with a tray where you choose whichever meat or sandwich you desire, two sides of your choice–including chicken nuggets, corn dogs, hush puppies, fries, and more–and a beverage of your choosing. At Cook Out, you can never go wrong with a creamy Fancy Milkshake, which comes in over 30 different flavors, including Peanut Butter Fudge, Choc Chip Cherry, and Banana Pudding. Morris Reaves, who currently serves as CEO and co-owns Cook Out with his son Jeremy, founded the chain. South: Pollo Tropical Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group // Getty Images – Year founded: 1988 – Original location: Miami, Florida – Number of locations: 155 – Current states: Florida and Puerto Rico Little did Larry Harris know that his simple studies to find the best chicken marinade would become a restaurant sensation. Serving up citrus-marinated chicken with his brother Stuart since 1988, this Miami-based chain is known for serving up the juiciest Caribbean-style meats–from grilled chicken to slow-roasted mojo pork and more. South: Whataburger Barre Kelley // Shutterstock – Year founded: 1950 – Original location: Corpus Christi, Texas – Number of locations: 931 – Current states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas Harmon Dobson had one goal when opening up his burger stand in Texas: make a burger big enough that you’ll need to hold it with two hands. The burger was so big (and delicious) that customers couldn’t help but exclaim, “what a burger!” These tasty burgers served on an enormous 5-inch toasted bun are now a staple across 14 states. You may also like: Food fads and their origin stories West: Burgerville Tada Images // Shutterstock – Year founded: 1961 – Original location: Vancouver, Washington – Number of locations: 40 – Current states: Oregon and Washington What if a burger joint was also a friend of the environment? This was George Propstra’s primary goal when opening up Burgerville, a 100% wind-powered chain of restaurants that focuses on serving local fresh food from farmers and businesses across the Pacific Northwest. It also has a seasonal menu that constantly changes to keep up with the growing crops around the region. The tasty burger chain uses range-fed beef and even composts regularly. West: Dick’s Drive-In