Do you want to start a food truck business and you want to know who you are up against? If YES, here are top 45 restaurants that operate food trucks.
Today, food trucks now have to compete with a handful of sit-down style restaurant owners who’ve decided to try their hand at the food truck business. National Restaurant Association cites a poll conducted in 2012 which showed that over 20 percent of fast casual style restaurant operators were considering implementing a food truck.
The same poll found that 13 percent of family dining and quick service restaurant owners were debating whether to extend operations to a food truck.
Franchises and restaurant chains saw the potential to expand their businesses without laying out the hundreds of thousands of dollars needed to build another establishment. Furthermore, mobile trucks solve one of the biggest risks that new restaurants face – picking a location that will support a profitable business. Food trucks go where the people are, while old-fashioned restaurants must wait to be discovered by local customers.
Today, you can see many of the nation’s most familiar names jumping into the food-truck niche, including TGIF Fridays, McDonald’s, Taco Bell, In-N-Out Burger, Sizzler, Fuddtruckers, Pizza Hut, Steak n Shake, Hard Rock Café, California Pizza Kitchen and many more. Let’s take a look at a few of the restaurants that have taken it on the road with a food truck.
Competitors Analysis: 45 Restaurants That Operate Food Trucks
- Upstairs Bistro
Those who live in the Finger Lakes region of New York state are aware of the tasty culinary creations concocted at Upstairs Bistro’s restaurant. Located on beautiful Canandaigua Lake, Upstairs Bistro is the perfect place to enjoy a casual meal with friends or family. The lake view seating is the restaurant’s hallmark along with its delicious meals made from locally sourced ingredients.
To the delight of many, Upstairs Bistro has taken its act on the road with a food truck. The truck ventures around the greater Finger Lakes area serving New York-centric eats and lovely cool treats. While the Taco of the Day is one of the truck’s most popular items, regulars are preferential to the Marinated Veggie Pita with tzatziki sauce and the House Smoked BBQ Pulled Pork served on a brioche roll with baby Gouda cheese and Finger Lakes style slaw.
Other menu options include the PBLT Panini which features pork belly, tomato and lettuce on sour dough bread with cheddar, pickled red onion and roasted red pepper aioli.
- Chef’s
Anyone who has been to Buffalo, New York has probably heard of Chef’s. It’s the city’s best Italian restaurant for good reason. Chef’s serves heaping portions of scrumptious pasta that always hits the spot. Chef’s took note of the city’s burgeoning food truck scene and started one of its own, “Chef’s Mobile Kitchen.”
This food truck has an array of menu options, many of which will appeal to the health-conscious crowd (salads, sandwiches etc). One of the truck’s highlights is the Black Bean and Corn Fritter slider. It features all sorts of amazingly tasty ingredients like chipotle aioli, guacamole, pico and cotija cheese. You can also pick up Chef’s favorites like Chicken Parmesan or Spaghetti Parmesan right out of the truck.
- BannaStrow’s
BannaStrow’s has a sterling reputation throughout the greater Miami area. Company owner, Mauricio Acevedo, now offers potential franchisees the chance to operate a crepe chain from their choice of food truck. The first costs $150,000 and the second runs around $80,000. Taking the restaurant on the road wasn’t a tough decision as BannaStrow’s crepes require a few basic ingredients along with a griddle for cooking.
4. Dunkin’ Donuts
In 1946, Bill Rosenberg founded Industrial Luncheon Services, a company that delivered meals and snacks to workers in the Boston area. The success of Industrial Luncheon Services convinced Rosenberg to start The Open Kettle, a doughnut shop in Quincy, Massachusetts. Two years later, The Open Kettle changed its name to Dunkin’ Donuts.
Today, Dunkin’ Donuts stores can be found in over 32 countries, and they serve 70 varieties of doughnuts, along with hot and cold coffee drinks, bagels, breakfast sandwiches and other baked goods. Today, Dunkin Donuts have taken it on the road with their food trucks. Dunkin’ Donuts parent company, Dunkin’ Brands Inc., also franchises Baskin-Robbins, and the two concepts are sometimes co-branded.
- Mac Mart Cart
This food truck offers simple, comfort food in the way of multiple takes on macaroni and cheese. What began as a food truck in 2013 on the campus of Drexel University in Philadelphia, has become a local staple. Marti Lieberman capitalized on her own version of mac and cheese. She then began experimenting with different recipes before she took the plunge and purchased her truck.
Diners can choose from a seven-cheese mac and cheese that’s topped with potato chip panko crunch, her most popular chicken bacon ranch, or even mac topped with crabmeat. The options are endless, and diners love being able to create their own delicious version, too. In addition, Lieberman recently opened a brick and mortar restaurant due to her widespread popularity.
- Urban Sugar
This food truck is one sweet shop! It’s a mobile food truck serving up donuts and sweets in Portland. Like the Mac Mart Cart, they recently opened their first brick and mortar location due to their incredible popularity. They serve hot and fresh bite-sized gourmet donuts, both sweet and savory.
They also rotate through a wide selection of baked goods and pastries as well as coffee, purchasing local beans. Miss Rosie, the truck, makes her rounds all over town, at weddings, and other venues serving such delicacies as Ol’ Blue Eyes – a lavender pastry cream with lemon curds and Nilla wafer crumbs.
- The Flying Stove
Wichita hosts a huge food truck presence and even has a food truck event at the ICT Pop-Up Park where people from all over come to sample the many food trucks in town.
At The Flying Stove, the menu changes ever week.While one week you may enjoy burgers, a marinated kale and avocado sandwich, and a spring chicken ciabatta sandwich, other weeks may find you enjoying carnitas tacos. What you can count on every week are their incredible truffle fries dusted in Parmesan cheese and fresh thyme and their fries smothered in grilled port and Chile cheese sauce.
- Curry Up Now
This truck serves several locations in California but is see most often in San Fran. They bring samosas, chicken masala, and other Indian street food to people. Of particular delight are their Itsy Bitsy Naan Bits. Their street food is delicious and manages to cater to a wide variety of people. They are dedicated to creating a brilliant menu that uses clean ingredients and stays true to their earth-friendly belief system.
- Farmers and Foragers
The focus of this popular food truck is on locally-sourced, organic ingredients. They want to support sustainable farming in their area while celebrating Vermont farmers.
Their delicious menu rotates based on what they get fresh from their local farmers. You might find Vermont Cheesesteak, Lake Champlain Perch Po’Boy, Crispy Squash Blossoms, Truffle Fries, Pork Belly Banh Mi, and many others.
- Basic Kneads Pizza
This pizza mainstay has four trucks that pop up all over town serving high quality, artisan pizzas, made to order. You’ll find them at breweries, food festivals, music events, and more. Their trucks in feature their own wood ovens The owners of Basic Kneads Pizza use pizza dough made from Colorado-milled flour, and vegetables from organic producers.
- Cinnamon Snail
Their website says they offer: “Vegan kosher food made by a gaggle of wild ponies who live in a magical tree. They also have gluten free options in that lovable tree.” This pretty much sums up the food truck that serves vegans and those who aren’t vegan and sure didn’t think they’d like it.
Chef Adam Sobel launched his truck in 20eight to share vegan fare with New York city. They serve incredible sandwiches such as the Lentil Artichoke Burger, Blue Corn Pancakes, Apple Pecan Pancakes, Creole Grilled Tofu and much more.
Like others on this list, he added to his trucks by opening a brick and mortar location at Pennsy Hall in Penn Station. Another one pups up in New York City’s financial district later this year.
12. Philly Cheesesteak
Philly Cheesesteak is a sandwich made with super thinly sliced ribeye steak, caramelized onion, and provolone cheese. The restaurant started as a brink and mortar affair before it plunged into food trucks. The Philly Cheesesteak has been modified on the West Coast to include bell peppers and mushrooms but a true “Philly” only has steak, onion and cheese served over a roll.
13. Nathan’s
Nathan’s Famous, Inc. is an American company that operates a chain of fast food restaurants specializing in hot dogs. The original Nathan’s restaurant stands at the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues in the Coney Island neighborhood of the Brooklyn borough of New York City, New York. Nathan’s Famous premium, all-beef hot dogs with natural sheepskin casing come five (5) in a pack.
They’re made with the same secret seasoning recipe developed by Nathan’s wife, Ida, 100 years ago. And the original flavor Nathan himself grilled up for a nickel on Coney Island. Nathan’s now have their food trucks in the streets of America.
In 1916, Polish immigrant Nathan Handwerker started a nickel hot dog stand on Coney Island with a $300 loan from two friends and his wife’s secret spice recipe. Today, Nathan’s is the most famous hot dog in the world, with restaurants across the globe, products in every supermarket in America and millions of fans.
14. Applebee’s
Applebee’s is an American company which develops, franchises, and operates the Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill + Bar restaurant chain. The Applebee’s concept focuses on casual dining and food trucks, with mainstream American dishes such as salads, chicken, pasta, burgers, and “riblets” (which is considered Applebee’s signature dish).
The original Applebee’s, which was named T.J. Applebee’s Rx for Edibles & Elixirs, opened in Atlanta in 1980. The founders of the original restaurant, including Bill and T.J. Palmer, wanted to name the restaurant Appleby’s, but that spelling had already been registered.
15. Seoul Taco
With locations in St. Louis, Columbia, and even locations in Illinois, this Korean-Mexican fusion truck serves incredible tacos, Gogi bowls, quesadillas, burritos, and more. The owner of this truck, David Choi, not only operates one of the most popular truck in St. Louis, but he cares about the underserved areas of town as well.
On Mondays, he donates all of the proceeds from his trucks to the St. Louis Metro Market, a non-profit, mobile, farmers’ market that delivers healthy, local foods to the city’s poorer neighborhoods.
16. Fava Pot
“Eat Healthy for a Good Cause” is the motto at Fava Pot, a beloved D.C. truck that’s also birthed a brick-and-mortar business. That means every purchase of gluten-free fava bean falafel, antibiotic-free grilled Cornish hens sprinkled with sumac, and Egypt’s vegetarian street staple, koshary (lentils, rice, chickpeas and pasta, bathed in spicy tomato sauce) goes to fund founder Dina Daniel’s work with Coptic Orphans.
Building on their Valuable Girl Project (a development program that empowers young women through educational mentoring), she currently sponsors Coptic Girl Rising, offering scholarships to gifted girls with college aspirations.
17. Roti Rolls
Not only is Roti Rolls consistently voted Charleston’s best food truck, but for a time it was the South Carolina city’s one and only food truck. To be sure, the “Green Machine” is always a welcome sight on the streets, serving roti parathas padded with Caribbean-, Asian- and Indian-inspired fillings made from locally grown ingredients.
The restaurant features coconut-green-curried local vegetables, the Thurman Murman with braised local short rib and Creole mac ‘n’ cheese, and the Shrimpin’ Ain’t Easy, featuring pickled local shrimp and butter bean chow-chow.
18. Dairy Queen
Dairy Queen basically got its roots from ice cream. Most businesses came about as a result of experiments, and it was the same with Dairy Queen. Its founder J.F. McCullough was experimenting with a recipe for a new frozen dairy product, owing to his belief that ice cream tasted better when it was soft and served fresh from the freezer, not frozen solid.
The first Dairy Queen opened in 1940 in Joliet, Illinois, and they sold only soft-serve ice cream in form of ice cream sundaes, take-home pints, quarts and cones. Over the years, other ice cream treats were added to the menu like banana splits and Dilly Bars. Today, they have modified to include hot dogs, hamburgers and chicken strips through the Dairy Queen’s Grill and Chill concept. Dairy Queen launched it mobile food truck in 2010.
19. Starbucks
Starbucks Corporation is an American multinational chain of coffeehouses and roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. As the largest coffeehouse in the world, Starbucks is seen to be the main representation of the united states’ second wave of coffee culture.
The Seattle company opened its first shop in 1971, and all these years later, the coffee giant is still brewing up addictive drinks and venti-sized controversy across the globe. They have long taken their business on wheels.
20. Nong’s Khao Man Gai
Nong Poonsukwattana immigrated from Bangkok to Oregon back in 2003, with $70, two suitcases and one badass recipe for khao man gai. And as it turns out, that’s all she really needed to open one of the most-sought-after mobile food vending operation in one of America’s most-food truck-obsessed cities.
Not only has Nong been on the receiving end of major, high-profile press (everywhere from The New York Times to the Washington Post, as well as CNN, Ted Talks, Eater, Munchies and more), but she was able to open a restaurant too, on the strength of a single dish.
All patrons need to do is order white or dark meat, from free-range chicken simmered in ginger, garlic and pandan. The chicken is served with a concentrated broth made from the poaching liquid, and jasmine rice toasted in the poultry’s rendered fat.
21. Tot Boss
Who knew that those freezer-section potato nuggets could form the basis of an entire business? Yes, the tots at St. Paul’s mobile spud slinger come courtesy of good old Ore-Ida, while the truck tends to indulgent toppings.
Here, tots are wrapped in bacon, substituted for corn chips in nachos, tricked out like pizza, doused in gravy and cheese curds for poutine, and even styled into that Minnesota staple, hot dish — a meat, veggie and canned-soup casserole paved with crunchy tots. Tot boss also has its brick and mortar restaurants.
22. Wayback Burgers
Wayback Burgers is a fast casual restaurant chain dedicated to providing hungry customers with delicious burgers. It was previously known as Jake’s Wayback Burgers and was based in Cheshire, Connecticut. In addition to hamburgers, Wayback serves hot dogs, chicken sandwiches, milkshakes and salads along with a variety of regional selections.
Currently operating in 28 states, Wayback Burgers’ potential has been demonstrated by their loyal following. And while looking for alternative to the high maintenance cost of brick and mortar restaurants, Wayback Burger hopped on the food trailer trend in 2017.
23. Pincho Factory
Pincho factory serves fresh, 100% natural, anti-biotic free, made to order, and award winning food. The food truck dispenses their signature burgers, chicken sandwiches, hot dogs, fries and tots, and drinks.
Pincho Factory, the award-winning burgers, skewers and bowls concept inspired by Latin street food culture, dropped the “Factory” and will now be known simply as PINCHO. Dedicated to serving the highest quality fresh food, PINCHO is a movement built on flavor, culture and passion
24. Johnny Rockets
Johnny Rockets is an international restaurant chain that offers varieties of food, fun and friendliness of the classic, timeless, feel-good Americana. Johnny Rockets restaurant and food trucks serve simple, great-tasting food from a menu of all-American favorites including juicy burgers, crispy American Fries, classic sandwiches and rich, delicious hand-dipped shakes and malts.
The restaurant offers friendly service, flavorful food, uplifting music and relaxed, casual fun. With its delectable offerings, the company has an annual sale in excess of $300 million. In April 2016, the 30-year-old restaurant chain best known for its hamburgers and handspun milk shakes started its first international food truck in La Serena, Chile. A month later, a second food truck hit the streets of Lagos, Nigeria.
25. Gigi’s Cupcakes
Gigi’s Cupcakes is a bakery that specializes in delicious cupcakes. The company’s desserts are cooked with fresh ingredients each morning. Gigi’s Cupcakes changes its menu each day so customers can discover new, exciting flavors on a regular basis.
Some of their more unique tasty treats include Lemon Poppy Seed, Merry Margarita, S’mores, White Midnight Magic, Hunka Chunka Banana Love, Hot Fudge Sundae, Kentucky Bourbon Pie, and Champagne. Advanced ordering is also available for weddings and other special events. Gigi’s Cupcakes requires that its franchisees go through 120 hours of training and they offer ongoing assistance to them.
26. CHURROMANIA
Opening its doors in March 1997, CHURROMANIA has grown from its initial storefront in Venezuela to over 125 locations across North and South America, and its first franchise opened in 1998. Serving fresh, hot, sugar coated churros, the restaurant gains customers because of the delicious smells wafting out from the store and because of the childhood memories customers are reminded of. Their food truck started much later.
CHURROMANIA stands out with its Business model among those in the pastry world, since they only sell churros and beverages, and not a dizzying area of merchandise that can get lost in the shuffle. Their two most unique items are their signature treat TWISTMANIA, which offers an array of inviting toppings, and the BIGMANIA, which offers the customer the filling of their choice.
27. Mannino’s Cannoli Express
Ice cream trucks are a dime a dozen. But if you’re seeking a quick sugar fix in New Jersey, what could be better than on-the-go cannoli? Drawing on years of experience working at her father’s restaurants (where she was often tasked with making pastries) as well a culinary degree, which inspired her to experiment with techniques and flavors, Gabriella Mannino Tomasello has really made the sweet Sicilian treat her own.
In addition to traditional vanilla ricotta cannoli, there are inventive seasonal specials such as fresh blueberry and peach, maple bourbon bacon, pumpkin and caramel apple, and limoncello and fig.
28. The Halal Guysy
What began as a humble New York meat cart is now a full-on global franchise (seriously, you’ll find The Halal Guys in other locations from Wisconsin to the Philippines). Yet its midtown Manhattan location still attracts some of the city’s longest lines for street food — no small feat — wooing office workers, cab drivers and tourists alike with gyro sandwiches and chicken over rice, slathered in proprietary red and white sauces.
29. Burmese Bites
While it’s possible to find fare from just about anywhere in the world in New York City, there are precious few places dedicated to Burmese cuisine. That explains much of the excitement around Burmese Bites, winner of the People’s Choice honor in the 2018 Vendy Awards (honoring the city’s best street-food purveyors).
A primary cause of the fuss, though, is the incredible keema palata, which owner Myo Lin Thway learned to how to make from a trishaw driver, in his hometown of Hinthada. A flatbread — formed from unleavened dough, swung in the air and slapped down repeatedly so it forms paper-thin, ultraflaky layers — is wrapped around juicy chunks of chicken spiced with masala imported from Myanmar.
30. ZooHoo’s Eatery
ZooHoo’s is a fast casual restaurant on wheels. The mobile restaurant features hand-patted grass-fed burgers, fresh vegetable and portabella mushroom wraps, hand-cut French fries, and quality soft serve ice cream, all served from the custom made ZooHoo’s Eatery mobile food service trailer.
In addition, they offer fish sandwiches, conch fritters, fresh mescaline salad with grilled vegetables and chicken, as well as turkey burgers and natural chicken served on a bed of Boston lettuce. This mobile food service franchise eliminates the added startup costs and overhead expenses associated with a brick and mortar establishment.
31. Gandolfo’s New York Delicatessen
Gandolfo’s New York Delicatessen is a stationery restaurant that also runs a food truck. The average initial investment to open a single Gandolfo’s New York Delicatessen ® restaurant ranges from $302,450 to $558,950. These costs include franchise fee, lease deposits, leasehold improvements, fixtures and equipment, miscellaneous suppliers, opening inventory, initial advertising, signs and working capital.
32. Kono Pizza
Kono Pizza is a casual dining restaurant that serves especially pizza cones with a variety of specialty fillings, including classic pizza ingredients, salads and drinks. The company offers stationary restaurants, location-based units (kiosk units), as well as mobile units that may be moved to and from different events or locations.
These mobile units include; The Cart which can be operated indoors or outside, at events or from permanent or semi-permanent locations; The Food Truck which is a fully equipped motorized vehicle that can travel from location to location; The Concession Trailer which is not a motorized vehicle itself, but can be moved by a motorized vehicle attached to it.
33. Kona Ice
Kona Ice, also called the Kona Entertainment Vehicle is a basically a truck that sells shaved ice. The truck has over 10 flavours of shave ice that customers can mix by themselves. The Kona Ice truck can serve up to 500 people in an hour, and in all these they ensure speed and dexterity while serving customers.
Kona Ice was named the number one New Franchise by Entrepreneur Magazine 2013; top in Franchisee Satisfaction (Franchise Business Review and Franchise Update), number one in Dessert Franchise category in Entrepreneur Magazine and they made the Fastest Growing List for the past five years. All these were made possible by the combination of a fresh concept, strong corporate support with a vision, and a desire to make the world a better place.
34. Captain D’s Seafood restaurant
Captain D’s is a seafood restaurant that also operates a mobile food truck. Captain D’s has more than 500 locations nationwide, with a large cluster of restaurants in the Southeast and an expanding footprint in other states. About half of the company restaurants are owned by franchisees.
Captain D’s is the fast-casual seafood leader with restaurants in 21 states and they are the number one seafood franchise in America. They equally ranked number 224 in the 2015 franchise 500 rank.
35. Toppers pizza
Toppers Pizza is a chain of pizzerias in the United States. The pizzeria was founded by Scott Gittrich in 1991 in Champaign, Illinois. The first Toppers Pizza location in Wisconsin opened in Whitewater in 1993 and they started franchising in 1997 with its first franchise store opening in Eau Claire, WI. The company franchises currently produce very high average unit sales of over $941,000 per year.
In 2014, Toppers was ranked No. 54 in Pizza Today on the “Top 100 Pizza Chains in the United States”. Entrepreneur Magazine equally ranked Toppers as one of the top 500 franchises in the U.S and QSR Magazine listed Toppers as one of the year’s Best Franchise Deals.
In July 2011, Toppers Pizza launched its first-ever mobile pizza store. The truck mainly focused on the late night bar scene aiming to feed hungry college students, but today Toppers mobile pizza truck has diversified its customers.
36. Cousins Maine Lobster food truck
This food truck started in 2012 when Cousins Jim and Sabin from Maine got together and bought a food truck. When they opened they had one truck, a small staff and very little restaurant experience, but their passion saw them through, and on the first day, they experienced lines of 50 to 60 people.
From that day, demand increased resulting to more sales and a future desire to expand the business, which led them to franchising. Cousins Maine Lobster Food Truck sells the freshest and most succulent lobster one can ever enjoy on the streets. Their food offering include an amazing selection of Rolls, Quesadillas, Tacos, Tots, and more, all stuffed to perfection in plump, flavorful fresh Maine lobsters. The truck also offers catering services.
Today, Cousins Maine Lobster has 20 food trucks in 13 locations throughout the country, a restaurant in West Hollywood, California, and an online distribution that sells CML meals anywhere in the U.S. The success of the company can be attributed to a number of factors.
37. Little Caesars
In 1959, Mike and Marian Ilitch opened their first pizza restaurant in Garden City, Michigan. The restaurant also served Italian staples such as spaghetti, as well as fried chicken, but pizza was their top seller. They opened a second location two years later, and the first Little Caesars franchise got its start in 1962.
By the end of that decade, Little Caesars franchises had reached the 50-unit mark. In 1980, Little Caesars franchises accounted for $63.6 million in sales across 226 units, and its “Pizza Pizza” ad campaign – offering two identical pizzas in a single takeout package for one low price – was the hit of the Midwest.
38. Hard Rock Café
Hard Rock Cafe Inc. is a chain of theme restaurants founded in 1971 by Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton in London. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and roll memorabilia, a tradition which expanded to others in the chain. HRC is known for its collection of rock-and-roll memorabilia.
The cafes solicit donations of music memorabilia but also purchase a number of items at auctions around the world, including autographed guitars, costumes from world tours and rare photographs; these are often to be found mounted on cafe walls.
39. Steak n Shake
Steak ‘n Shake Operations, Inc. is an American casual restaurant chain concentrated primarily in the Midwestern United States with locations also in the South, Mid-Atlantic and Western United States, Europe, and the Middle East. Steak ‘n Shake was founded in February, 1934 in Normal, Illinois. Gus Belt, Steak ‘n Shake’s founder, pioneered the concept of premium burgers and milk shakes.
After 85 years, we are continuing Steak n Shake’s tradition of serving the country’s best, freshest, and tastiest burgers and shakes. Today, the restaurant now runs chains of food trucks. There are over 550 Steak ‘n Shake restaurants in 28 states. They are adding new restaurant franchise territories across the United States, as well as backfilling voids within their traditional core markets.
40. California Pizza Kitchen
California Pizza Kitchen is a restaurant chain that originated in Beverly Hills, California in 1985 by attorneys Larry Flax and Rick Rosenfield. They are widely known for their innovative and non-traditional pizzas like BLT, Original BBQ Chicken pizza, Jamaican Jerk Chicken pizza, and Thai Chicken pizza.
Almost immediately after the first location opened, they expanded from California to more than 250 locations in more than 30 states and 11 countries. But it doesn’t stop there; you’ll also find them bringing smiles to the pizza aisle in a grocer’s freezer, taking the edge off travel fatigue in major airports all over the world, feeding eager fans at sports stadiums and students on college campuses through their food trucks.
41. White Castle
White Castle is an American regional hamburger restaurant chain with 377 locations across 13 states, with its greatest presence in the Midwest. It has been generally credited as the country’s first fast-food chain. It is known for its small, square hamburgers.
In 1921, Billy Ingram launched a family-owned business with $700 and an idea, selling five-cent, small, square hamburgers so easy to eat, they were dubbed Sliders and sold by the sack. In 2014, Time® Magazine declared our iconic Original Slider® the most influential burger of all time.
Today the family-owned business sells the same humble, 100 percent USDA beef patty with onions and pickle, creating memorable moments for Craver generations everywhere through their restaurants and food trucks.
42. Texas Roadhouse
Texas Roadhouse is an American chain restaurant that specializes in steaks and promotes a Western theme. Texas Roadhouse Corporation is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. The name of the restaurant makes you think that it all began at a little diner somewhere in the great state of Texas.
The truth of the matter is that the first Texas Roadhouse restaurant opened its doors in February of 1993 in Clarksville, Indiana. Kent’s goal was to own not just a family restaurant and not just a steak restaurant, but a place where everyone, of all ages, could come and have a great meal and great fun for a great price. Today, the man has achieved that and has also taken the business on the road.
43. Aunt Annie’s
Auntie Anne’s, Inc., is an American chain of pretzel shops founded by Anne F. Beiler and her husband, Jonas, in 1988. Auntie Anne’s serves products such as pretzels, dips, and beverages. They also offer Pretzels & More Homemade Baking Mix. Auntie Anne’s is known for hand-baked pretzels to be enjoyed with a refreshing lemonade, and it takes its delicious fare to its customers wherever through their food truck.
44. In-N-Out Burger
In-N-Out Burger is an American regional chain of fast food restaurants with locations primarily in California and the Southwest. The chain is currently headquartered in Irvine, California and has expanded outside Southern California into the rest of California, as well as into Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Texas, and Oregon.
Whether it’s a corporate picnic, birthday or wedding, their Trucks are a great way for your guests to enjoy a hamburger, cheeseburger or Double-Double® without leaving the party. Every burger is made fresh to order and served by their team of friendly Associates who know how to make an event a big hit.
45. Taco Bell
Taco Bell is an American fast food chain known for its inventive, often whimsical, Mexican-inspired menu items. Along with KFC and Pizza Hut, Taco Bell is owned by Louisville, Kentucky-based Yum! Brands and serves 42 million customers a week at nearly 7,000 restaurant locations worldwide. The restaurants serve a variety of Mexican and Tex-Mex foods that include tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and nachos.
Taco Bell was founded by Glen Bell, who first opened a hot dog stand called Bell’s Drive-In in San Bernardino, California in 1962 in Downey, California. In 1967, the 100th restaurant opened at 400 South Brookhurst in Anaheim. In 1970, Taco Bell went public with 325 restaurants, and it has since added it food trucks to the mix.