We all have our favorite fast-food restaurants, after all, fast food is a staple in the US.

The team at FinanceBuzz collected popularity data to see which fast-food restaurants were the most popular across the country.

What are the favorites for Texas and Arkansas?

Let's begin with some key findings first.

    • Wendy’s and Sonic were the favorite chains in five states each, tied for the most of any chain restaurant.
    • Subway and Jimmy John’s were the only other restaurants that were the favorites in more than two states.
    • 17 different restaurants were the favorite in the state in which the chain was founded.
    • Across the country, 30 different restaurants took the top spot in at least one state, showing a diversity of tastes when it comes to fast food.

The Results

And now the result for Texas, wait for it, "Whataburger" I wasn't surprised they are one of my favorites too, and a Texas thang.

For Arkansas, it was "Sonic America's Drive-in.

Credit, FinanceBuzz
Credit, FinanceBuzz
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What was surprising was that no fast-food chain dominated but Wendy's and Sonic were the favorites in five different states the most of any other. Jimmy John’s and Subway are the only chains other than Wendy’s and Sonic to be named the favorite in at least three different states. Believe it or not, missing from the favorites list is no McDonald's. See the complete findings here.

Methodology

FinanceBuzz pulled the Google Trends score for each fast-food restaurant and multiplied it by the number of locations per 100,000 people in every state to determine each state’s favorite fast-food chain. Data was collected in March of 2024.

Café Texan - Huntsville, Texas

They claim to be the oldest café in the state.

Gallery Credit: Jim Weaver

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