Chicken-and-biscuit counters, burger stands and a couple of seafood shacks, every one of them launched in the South.
1Chick-fil-ATruett Cathy opened the Dwarf Grill in Hapeville, Georgia, in 1946, and the first Chick-fil-A restaurant followed in an Atlanta mall in 1967.1000pts
2WhataburgerHarmon Dobson opened the first Whataburger as a burger stand in Corpus Christi, Texas, in 1950.860pts
3Pollo TropicalBrothers Larry and Stuart Harris opened the first Pollo Tropical in Miami, Florida, in 1988, serving citrus-marinated grilled chicken.617pts
4BojanglesJack Fulk and Richard Thomas opened the first Bojangles' Famous Chicken 'n Biscuits in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 1977.573pts
5Raising Cane'sTodd Graves opened the first Raising Cane's in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 1996 with a menu centered on chicken fingers.532pts
6Long John Silver'sSeafood chain whose first restaurant opened in Lexington, Kentucky, in 1969, serving batter-dipped fish and hushpuppies.524pts
7Church's Texas ChickenGeorge W. Church Sr. opened Church's Fried Chicken To Go in San Antonio, Texas, in 1952.469pts
8CheckersJim Mattei opened the first Checkers in Mobile, Alabama, in 1986 as a double drive-thru burger stand.469pts
9Jack'sJack Caddell opened the first Jack's in Homewood, Alabama, in 1960; the chain serves burgers, fried chicken and biscuits.407pts
10PopeyesAl Copeland opened Chicken on the Run in Arabi, Louisiana, in 1972 and relaunched it as Popeyes, built around Louisiana-style fried chicken.407pts
11Burger KingFounded as Insta-Burger King in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1953, it was taken over and renamed Burger King by Miami franchisees James McLamore and David Edgerton.406pts
12Zaxby'sZach McLeroy and Tony Townley opened the first Zaxby's in Statesboro, Georgia, in 1990, built around chicken fingers and wings.335pts
13Hardee'sWilber Hardee opened the first Hardee's drive-in in Greenville, North Carolina, in 1960.253pts
14Cook OutMorris Reaves opened the first Cook Out in Greensboro, North Carolina, in 1989, known for char-grilled burgers and dozens of milkshake flavors.253pts
15KrystalRody Davenport Jr. and J. Glenn Sherrill opened the first Krystal in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in 1932, selling small square hamburgers.253pts
16Captain D'sRay Danner opened the first restaurant, then called Mr. D's, in Donelson, Tennessee, in 1969, and it grew into a fried fish and seafood chain.253pts
17Sonic Drive-InTroy Smith opened the Top Hat Drive-In in Shawnee, Oklahoma, in 1953, and the chain took the name Sonic in 1959.156pts
18WingstopAntonio Swad opened the first Wingstop in Garland, Texas, in 1994, specializing in chicken wings tossed in a range of sauces.156pts
19KFCHarland Sanders developed his fried chicken recipe at his roadside café in Corbin, Kentucky, before franchising it as Kentucky Fried Chicken from 1952.0pts
Photo credits
- Chick-fil-A — Walker Kinsler, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Whataburger — Dameon Hudson, CC BY 3.0
- Pollo Tropical — Fiesta.1055, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Bojangles — Harrison Keely, CC BY 4.0
- Raising Cane's — Tdorante10, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Long John Silver's — Masontinal, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Church's Texas Chicken — Sikander Iqbal, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Checkers — Pokemonprime, CC BY 4.0
- Jack's — The Bushranger, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Burger King — Harrison Keely, CC BY 4.0
- Zaxby's — Harrison Keely, CC BY 4.0
- Hardee's — Ildar Sagdejev (Specious), CC BY-SA 4.0
- Cook Out — Michael Rivera, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Captain D's — Ildar Sagdejev (Specious), CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sonic Drive-In — Corey Coyle, CC BY 3.0
- Wingstop — 3HeadedMonster, CC BY-SA 2.5
- KFC — Ktkvtsh, CC BY 4.0
Comments 1
Georgia, Louisiana and Texas each claim a chain here, and Burger King, KFC and Sonic were born in the South too: https://youpick.best/articles/chick-fil-a-vs-popeyes-ranked
YP
ypb-team2h ago
