The 10 chains that are poised to become the next Chipotle
Can you spot the difference?
Chains Gone Glam
how Chain, a cheffy, celebrity-driven pop-up that reimagines the chain food of your youth, is cashing in
Finish with a tasty treat from our chain archives
“When you’re here, you’re family!”
Lesley Suter
Find the buzzwords
Connect the dots
Happy Hour!
How do you chain a cocktail bar? For Death & Co., it’s a fine line between expansion and relevance.
to reveal our chef
Christ in the Garden of Endless Breadsticks
The agony and the ecstasy of America’s favorite chain restaurant
American Pie
How sharing a Hawaiian pizza from Pizza Hut became a Beijing family tradition
Celebrating, coming out, and mourning at Outback Steakhouse
Me, Myself, and McDonald's
Making peace with my body in the glow of the Golden Arches
Editorial Lead
Nat Belkov
Creative Director
Atomic Wings. . . . . . . . . est. 1989, New York
Brothers Zak and Ray Omar were Dunkin’ franchisees before approaching the Atomic Wings founder Adam Lippin about branching into another food concept. Lippin offered to sell them the wing business instead, which aims to nearly double its size this year. Number of locations: 25; at least 20 in development
Biscuit Belly. . . . . . . . . . . . .est. 2019, Kentucky
Biscuit Belly founders and former pharmacists Chad and Lauren Coulter sold their chain of wine-focused restaurants, LouVino, to build Biscuit Belly, a “craft casual” biscuit-focused brunch spot that’s eyeing national growth. Number of locations: 16; more than 20 in development
Bonchon. . . . . . . . . . . . .est. 2002, South Korea
Jinduk Seo sold sauces in Korea before shifting to saucy, crispy Korean fried chicken in 2006. With its strongest sales ever in 2023, Bonchon hopes to hit 500 U.S. stores in the next five years. Number of locations: around 124 in the United States; more than 420 worldwide
Chicken Salad Chick. . . est. 2008, Alabama
In 2008, Stacy Brown started selling her grandmother’s chicken salad out of her home kitchen. She and husband Kevin Brown eventually went legit, and now Chicken Salad Chick is booming, opening 32 restaurants in 14 states in 2023 alone. Number of locations: More than 250; at least 53 in the works
Eggholic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .est. 2018, Illinois
Living outside Chicago, cousins Lay and Bhagyesh Patel missed the street foods of their native Gujarat, India. They launched their “eggetarian” chain in 2018, selling saucy egg-based, Gujarat-style dishes like surti gotalo and egg bhurji. Number of locations: 20; at least nine more on the way
Honeygrow. . . . . . . . . . est. 2012, Pennsylvania
Justin Rosenberg conceptualized the fast-casual stir-fry and salads operation as an MBA student in 2009. After getting stalled by the pandemic, Honeygrow had its best year ever in 2023 and grew its stores by 30 percent. Number of locations: 41; more than 12 in development
Jollibee. . . . . . . . . . . .est. 1978, The Philippines
The reigning fast-food chain of the Philippines thanks to its crispy chicken and sweet Filipino spaghetti, Jollibee has largely focused its American presence in California. Now, it’s aiming for 500 stores in North America by 2030. Number of locations: 74 in the U.S.; more than 1,500 worldwide
Layne's Chicken Fingers. . . est. 1994, Texas
College student Mike Garratt mowed lawns behind the original Layne’s in College Station, Texas. In 1999, he bought the place from founder Mike Layne, and now the chain is making moves, aiming for 50 units open and 200 more sold by 2025. Number of locations: 13; at least four in development
Tous les Jours. . . . . . .est. 1997, South Korea
This French and Asian-inspired bakery, which started with a single location in Guri, Korea, sells a wide range of sweets and savories. Already popular globally, it hopes to hit 1,000 locations in the U.S. by 2030. Number of locations: more than 110 in the U.S.; 1,740 worldwide
Vicious Biscuit. . . . est. 2018, South Carolina
In 2017, George McLaughlin read a review of an aggressively named South Carolina biscuit catering company and liked what he saw — so much so that he partnered up with chef-founder Michael Greeley to turn Vicious Biscuit into a chain, which plans to open 75 stores in the next five years. Number of locations: seven, with 10 times as many on the way
Jess Mayhugh
Project Manager
Erin DeJesus
Chloe Frechette
Editors
Ryan Bradley
Mike Diago
Bettina Makalintal
Meghan McCarron Amy McCarthy
Jordan Michelman Adam Reiner
Jaya Saxena
Khushbu Shah
Contributors
The Outback
Special
Marcello Bevilacqua
Lille Allen
Designers
Barry Brecheisen Bonnie Durham
Josh Huskin
Wonho Frank Lee Alex Staniloff
Drew Anthony Smith
Kate Thompson
Photographers
Adam Mazur
Illustrator
Nadia Q. Ahmad Amanda Luansing Cynthia Puleo
Catherine Sweet
copy editors
Kelsey Lannin
Fact Checker
Kaitlin Bray
Avery Dalal Frances Dumlao
E Jamar
Engagement editors
Talia Baiocchi
Amanda Kludt Ellie Krupnick Stephanie Wu
Special Thanks To
The Holdout
The Secret
The Up-and-Comer
Pizza legend Anthony Mangieri’s argument for staying small in a world that rewards going big
Psst, your favorite independent restaurant may actually be a chain
How EggHolic aims to bring egg-based Gujarat food to fast-casual diners, without compromising a thing for the mainstream
