As the old saying goes, persistence is the key to success.
It took years, but campaigns to bring Whataburger back to the Memphis area worked. Now the Memphis-area has three locations of the Texas-based burger chain, with one more on the way.
Since Whataburger is now here, we asked Memphians which other chains they would like to see come to town.
The responses to our polls included chains like Cava, Portillo’s, SweetGreen and Jack in the Box — but there were five restaurants that stood out above the rest, each receiving numerous mentions.
From chicken tenders to burgers to Tex-Mex, here are five restaurant chains that Memphians want to see expand to the Mid-South.
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Raising Cane’s
It’s all about the chicken fingers at Raising Cane’s. Hand-battered marinated chicken fingers are fried to order and served with crinkle-cut fries and Cane’s signature dipping sauce. Other than coleslaw and Texas toast, that’s about it on the menu of this restaurant that calls its loyal fans “Caniacs.”
This restaurant chain started as a campus restaurant by LSU in 1996 and has become one of the fastest-growing large restaurant brands in the US
There are currently two Raising Cane’s in Tennessee — but both are on the East side of the state. The closest to Memphis are Mississippi locations in Oxford and Tupelo.
Julia Doyle, Raising Cane’s director of public relations, said there may be good news in store for Memphis fans of the chicken finger chain.
“We are absolutely planning to open in Memphis and are currently in the early stages of planning,” he said, adding it is too early to share details.
In-N-Out Burger
California-based chain In-N-Out Burger is renowned for its burgers, fries and milkshakes, along with a “not-so-secret menu” for customizing burgers. Known for its freshness, each burger is cooked to order.
Orders like “The Double-Double” (two all-beef patties and two slices of American cheese) and a burger “Animal-style” (served with grilled onions) have become cult-like classics.
The chain currently only has restaurants in California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Texas, Oregon and Colorado.
In-N-Out Marketing Coordinator Patty Peña said the company currently does not have any plans to open locations in Memphis. “However, we’re delighted to hear that we have loyal customers there who’d like us to be close by,” she said.
Shake Shack
Did you know Shake Shack started as a hot dog cart in New York City’s Madison Square Park?
Founded by renowned New York City restaurateur Danny Meyer, the company now has more than 400 locations, including over 260 in the US across 32 states. It also has more than 140 international locations in cities such as London, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, Mexico City, Istanbul, Dubai, Tokyo and Seoul.
The popular burger chain touts itself as “a modern day roadside burger stand serving a classic American menu of premium burgers, hot dogs, crinkle-cut fries, shakes, frozen custard, beer and wine.”
The most popular order is the ShackBurger. Available in single or double, it features a 100% Angus beef patty topped with American cheese, lettuce, tomato and Shack Sauce. We recommend ordering it with crinkle fries and a hand-spunshake.
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Nashville has four Shake Shacks.
Shake Shack did not respond to requests about any future plans to come to Memphis. (Fingers are crossed they decide to open one here.)
Chuy’s
Founded in Austin, Texas, in 1982, Chuy’s owns and operates close to 100 full-service restaurants across 17 states.
Known for its flavorful and freshly prepared Tex-Mex fare served in a fun, eclectic and irreverent atmosphere, each location offers a unique, “unchained” look and feel, as expressed by the concept’s motto: “If you’ve seen one Chuy’s, you’ve seen one Chuy’s!”
The menu features recipes from across New Mexico, Mexican border towns, the Rio Grande Valley, South Texas and, of course, Austin. With an emphasis on freshness, the tortillas are made fresh in-house. There are 10 signature sauces ranging from the mild Tomatillo to the spicy Hatch Green Chile Sauce, and margaritas are made with freshly squeezed lime juice.
The first Chuy’s outside Texas opened in the Nashville suburb of Franklin in November 2009. Today there are six locations in the Nashville area. We think the next one needs to be in Memphis, don’t you?
Chuy’s did not respond to requests about any future plans to come to the area.
Culver’s
ButterBurgers, Fresh Frozen Custard and Wisconsin Cheese Curds have made Culver’s a popular Midwest fast food chain.
In 1984, Craig and Lea Culver, along with Craig’s parents, George and Ruth, opened the very first Culver’s in the family’s hometown of Sauk City, Wisconsin. The family restaurant has grown into a franchised corporation of more than 800 restaurants in 25 states.
So what is a ButterBurger? It all has to do with the bun. The recipe was inspired by Craig Culver’s mom, who buttered the top of her burger buns and grilled them until toasted. Made with fresh ground beef, each ButterBurger is seared until savory brown with light crispy edges and topped with the freshest ingredients, like real Wisconsin cheese, crisp lettuce and ripe tomatoes. A pickle slice tops each ButterBurger bun.
There are nine Culver’s locations in Tennessee, all but two are in Middle Tennessee near Nashville. Hopefully, the 10th location will be in Memphis.
Culver’s did not respond to requests about any future plans to come to the Memphis area.
Jennifer Chandler is the Food & Dining reporter at The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at [email protected] and you can follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @cookwjennifer.