When you need food stat, and you're looking for something a little bit healthier than a McFlurry or a Double Quarter Pounder, where do you go? Datassential, a company that provides food and beverage industry insights, is here to help with that conundrum. The company recently announced its 500 Award winners, which honor the most beloved and innovative restaurant chains across the country.
After analyzing consumer rankings, Datassential found that Cava was the number one "best healthy chain" in America. The fast casual restaurant specializes in Mediterranean cuisine, offering everything from grain and salad bowls to pita wraps, as well as their fan-favorite hot harissa pita chips.
Along with Cava, a handful of other of your favorite chains were awarded with accolades in Datassential's 500 Awards. In-N-Out took the crown for America's "most craved" restaurant chain, while Chick-fil-A scored major points as America's overall favorite chain. Portillo's won the people's choice award, which was determined by the highest number of devoted customers who consistently chose the restaurant out of loyalty and dedication rather than convenience. Here are the rest of the winners:
America's Best Burger Chain: Shake Shack
America's Best Chicken Chain: Raising Cane's
America's Best Coffee Chain: Dutch Bros
America's Best In Beverage: HTeaO
America's Best To-Go Chain: Wingstop
America's Best Restaurant Experience: Texas Roadhouse
America's Fastest Growing Chain: Hangry Joe's Hot Chicken & Wings
America's Most Unique Restaurant Menu: Crumbl
America's Global Flavor Favorite: KPOT Korean BBQ & Hot Pot
America's Restaurant Innovation Leader: Outback
America's Value Leader: Little Caesars
Do you think Datassential got it right?
Expertise: Food Reviews, Trends, & Science
Education: B.A. in Psychobiology from Wheaton College, MA, and M.S. in Professional Writing from New York University
About Me: Amanda Mactas is an associate editor at Delish, where she works on feature and news stories, covering everything from the launch of Whoopi Goldberg’s Prosecco line to ranking Cheetos to reporting on the links between tap water and cancer. In addition to Delish, Amanda’s work has been featured in Eat This Not That, Time Out, Women’s Health, Global Traveler Magazine, and PureWow. She also serves as an expert panelist for USA Today’s 10Best Travel Awards. When she’s not dreaming or writing about food, she’s likely catching up on the latest true crime, watching horror movies, searching for a great matcha latte, or has her nose in a book somewhere (hopefully in another country).
