"ChainRestaurants" news and stories

Food snobs who typically ignore the scattered, smothered and covered charms of Southern greasy spoons have begun flocking to former Waffle Houses, partaking of the latest trend in start-up eateries down South.

A new generation of enterprising chefs is taking refuge in the abandoned shells of retired chain restaurants, realizing their edible ambitions in the very spaces where truckers once drank too much black coffee and elderly women paid for their grilled cheese sandwiches in change. Formidable Mexican, Thai and Italian restaurants have taken up residence where eggs and hash browns once reigned.

The Southeast is dotted with former Waffle Houses and Huddle Houses (WH's cut-rate cousin), their industrial-strength kitchens still very much intact. For restaurateurs with limited budgets and a boundless appreciation of late-night Dixie dining culture, the allure is irresistible.

Just about anywhere you go in the world, you can find a McDonald's. Burger King, Wendy's, KFC and Starbucks also blanket the country from coast to coast. It's once of the dubious mysteries of life that you can get the same thing to eat whether you're in Portland, Maine or Portland, OR. We take it for granted that these foods are always available. But all those chains had to start out someplace, with a single storefront and a little ambition.

The folks over at Walletpop have created a slideshow that documents the first location for many of your favorite food chains. Did you know that the first Dairy Queen was in Joliet, Ill? It opened in 1938 and by 1950 it had 1,446 locations nationwide. Bob Evans expanded a little more slowly, starting with a single location in 1948. Today they have 600 restaurants across 18 states. Want to know more about your favorite chain? Go see the slide show!

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