ST. LOUIS – You’re never too far from a McDonald’s, Chick-fil-A and Taco Bell restaurant around the St. Louis area, but what about those fast-food chains you don’t see on a daily basis?
Unfortunately, not every popular fast-food chain has a home in St. Louis.
In 2019, QSR Magazine released a list of the “The Top 50 Fast-Food Chains in America.” The rankings were largely based on sales, though companies closer to the top tended to have a large outreach in the United States.
For the most part, many these chains have some footprint in St. Louis. In fact, you have to go all the way down to 22 on QSR Magazine’s list before you find a fast-food restaurant outside the St. Louis region.
On the list, only seven of the most popular 50 chains currently don’t have at least one restaurant in St. Louis or within 50 miles. If you’re a fan of those, you’re going to need to travel.
FOX 2 compiled a list of those seven fast-food restaurants you can’t find in St. Louis, plus three more to highlight for ten can’t-miss restaurants if you’re willing to travel. In order from closest to furthest away, these are the ten selections:
Bojangles
Closest location: Mt. Vernon, Illinois (3101 S 10th St.)
Time from STL: 1 hour, 20 minutes
Distance from STL: 80 miles
Portillo’s
Closest location: Springfield, Illinois (3400 Freedom Dr.)
Time from STL: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Distance from STL: 100 miles
Taco John’s
Closest location: Cape Girardeau, Missouri (111 N Kingshighway St.)
Time from STL: 1 hour, 55 minutes
Distance from STL: 115 miles
Zaxby’s
Closest location: Columbia, Missouri (1411 Cinnamon Hill Ln.)
Time from STL: 2 hrs
Distance from STL: 125 miles
Braum’s
Closest location: Springfield, Missouri (604 N Glenstone Ave.)
Time from STL: 3 hours, 10 minutes
Distance from STL: 215 miles
Whataburger
Closest location: Springfield, Missouri (3880 W. Sunshine St.)
Time from STL: 3 hours, 20 minutes
Distance from STL: 220 miles
Del Taco
Closest location: Tulsa, Oklahoma (9637 E 71st St.)
Time from STL: 5 hours, 45 minutes
Distance from STL: 400 miles
Tim Horton’s
Closest location: Ashland, Kentucky (2524 Winchester Ave.)
Time from STL: 6 hours, 45 minutes
Distance from STL: 450 miles
El Pollo Loco
Closest location: Allen, Texas (386 E. Stacy Rd.)
Time from STL: 9 hours, 20 minutes
Distance from STL: 600 miles
In-And-Out Burger
Closest location: Denton, Texas (2835 W University Dr.)
Time from STL: 9 hours, 40 minutes
Distance from STL: 660 miles
Among the missing restaurants include ones with hot dogs, burgers, chicken and Mexican food as specialties.
The seven locations included in QSR Magazine’s list included Bonjangles, Zaxby’s, Whataburger, Del Taco, Tim Horton’s, El Pollo Loco and In-And-Out Burger. The three that weren’t on the list (Portillo’s, Taco John’s, Braum’s) are slightly more regional in the Midwest, just not based in St. Louis.
Whataburger and In-And-Out Burger have built excitement in Missouri in recent years. A few years ago, Whataburger opened its first Missouri location in Kansas City. In-And-Out Burger is likely targeting the same market as it intends to expand to Missouri.
Del Taco and Tim Horton’s both formerly had restaurants in the St. Louis area, but both no longer exist here. Del Taco is best known locally for once inhabiting a restaurant near Saint Louis University with a unique charm and circle-shaped roof.