Regional Favorites and National Companies Topped the Ranking of America's Top Restaurant Chains for 2023. Did Your Go-To Make the List? The list includes more than 220 winners across 16 categories. But did Olive Garden and Chick-fil-A make the cut?
By Madeline Garfinkle •
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Despite many individuals cutting back on spending due to rampant inflation and recession fears, Americans still love eating at chain restaurants.
There are more than 100,000 chain restaurant locations across the country, and total annual sales are expected to be around $900 billion this year, according to Newsweek.
In collaboration with global data firm Statista, Newsweek on Tuesday released its second annual roundup of America's favorite restaurant chains. The results are based on a survey of more than 4,000 customers and employees of restaurant chains across the country, and there are 220 winners in 16 categories — from Tex-Mex to coffee.
The survey ran from July to August 2022. The respondents were instructed to pick one of three ethnic cuisines and 13 dish categories, then were asked to rate the chains based on nine assessments of the experience such as food, service and accessibility.
To rank at the top of the list, a chain needed to receive a minimum number of recommendations and an overall score of at least seven out of 10. Additionally, it must have at least three locations across different cities within at least two U.S. states.
Here are some chains that came out on top.
Chinese:
Big Bowl
Inchin's Bamboo Garden
Mark Pi's
P.F. Changs
Pick Up Stix
Italian:
Brio
Johnny's Carino's
LaRosa's Family Pizzeria
Maggiano's Little Italy
Olive Garden
Romano's Macaroni Grill
Vinny's Italian Grill & Pizzeria
Tex-Mex:
Abuelo's
California Tortilla
Carlos O'Kelly's Inspired Mex
Chevys Fresh Mex
Chuy's
La Parrilla
Moe's Southwest Grill
Pappasito's Cantina
Salsarita's
Tumbleweed
BBQ:
Dreamland BBQ
Full Moon Bar-B-Que
Lucille's Smokehouse Bar-B-Que
RibCrib
Rudy's Real Texas Bar-B-Q
Smokey Bones
Texas Roadhouse
Burgers:
Bad Daddy's Burger Bar
BJ'S
Chili's
Culver's
Freddy's
In-N-Out Burger
Red Robin
Shake Shack
Smashburger
Chicken:
Chicken Express
Chick-fil-A
Cracker Barrel
Hooters
Jollibee
Raising Cane's
Texas Roadhouse
Coffee & Tea/ Baked Goods:
Duck Donuts
Dutch Bros Coffee
Panera Bread
Peet's Coffee
Starbucks Coffee
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
Tim Hortons
Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt:
Andy's Frozen Custard
Bruster's
Carvel
CherryBerry
Cold Stone Creamery
Culver's
Graeter's
Orange Leaf
Rita's
sweetFrog
Juice & Smoothies:
Jamba
Juice Bar
Planet Smoothie
Smoothie King
Tropical Smoothie Cafe
Noodles & Ramen:
Gyu-Kaku
Honeygrow
Ichiddo Ramen
Pho Saigon
Teriyaki Madness
Pizza:
Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza
Aurelio's Pizza
Bertucci's
Brixx Wood Fired Pizza
Fazoli's
Giordano's
Johnny's Pizza
Lou Malnati's Pizzeria
Mountain Mike's Pizza
Pizza Inn
Sandwiches:
Capriotti's Sandwich Shop
Einstein Bros. Bagels
Jersey Mike's Subs
McAlister's Deli
Panera Bread
Penn Station East Coast Subs
Togo's
Seafood:
Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.
Legal Sea Foods
Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville
Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen
The Juicy Crab
Soup:
Au Bon Pain
Zoup!
Steak:
Black Rock Bar & Grill
Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar
Fogo de Chão
Morton's
Ruth's Chris Steak House
Texas Roadhouse
The Capital Grille
Sushi:
Roy's
Sugarfish
You can check out the full list here.
