When looking at fast food restaurants in the North and in the South side by side, there are major differences. The differences do not usually relate to the type of food being served, but instead it is the actual brand of the company that changes.
In both areas, there is a plethora of your standard fast food joints. These places include McDonald’s, Burger King, Subway, Five Guys, Jimmy John’s, Chick-Fil-A, Arby’s, and Wendy’s.
However, the South differs from the North based on the fact that its popular fast food restaurants are called Crystal, Bojangles, and Zaxby’s. Twenty of these types of restaurants can typically be found within a 10 mile radius of wherever you are located in Tennessee.
Crystal is a place just like Burger King, being known for its square shaped burgers and mouth watering fries. It is extremely popular around the South and is a good go to restaurant if you are looking for a standard burger.
On the other hand, Bojangles is a more Southern style fast food restaurant. They serve foods that grandma would cook at home, such as biscuits, chicken tenders, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, and even some types of fish.
If you are looking for a taste of home cooked foods, Bojangles is the place to go. The food gives off a different feel than most standard fast food restaurants.
Finally, the most popular and raved about fast food joint in Tennessee is Zaxby’s. They are known for their chicken tenders, but serve salads as well.
They remind me of a KFC in the way that they make their food. In addition, if you are ever at a Zaxby’s make sure to get their Zax sauce to dip your tenders in, as it is extremely tasty and a key part of the experience there.
In addition, although the Sonic drive in restaurants are in both areas of the country, it is much more talked about in the South and is a typical after school place to go for high schoolers.
All of these restaurants are great, however the South is missing out on places like White Castle and Chipotle.
White Castle’s burgers cannot be replaced, and it is extremely difficult not being able to eat Chipotle every week. A lot of people down in Tennessee have never even heard of what Chipotle is, which is hard to even think about.
The reason for the difference in fast food restaurants is most likely due to where each chain was started originally. If they are making good money in the location that they are in now, why move to a different part of the country and take that risk to try again?
People in both regions seem to be content with the fast food places that they have. However, it will be interesting to see if maybe in the future places like Zaxby’s in the South and White Castle in the North will expand and pop up in other areas of the United States.
Jake Mossing, Staff Writer
