Ive long heard about all the amazing American food chains
One of my favourite parts of travelling around America is finally getting to try the restaurants and food chains I’ve spent years seeing on TV, social media and YouTube.
Growing up in Scotland, American food has always seemed slightly larger than life. Massive portions, endless refills, drive-thrus everywhere and restaurant chains that Americans consider completely normal but that we either don’t have back home or have only recently started getting.
So rather than just reviewing individual meals, I thought I’d start putting some of America’s best-known food chains to the Scottish test.
For the first five I’ve gone for a mixture of burgers, chicken, classic American diner food, Italian-American favourites and, of course, cheesecake.
Here are five famous American food chains I’ve tried and what I made of them.
1. In-N-Out Burger
If you’re going to talk about famous American burger chains, In-N-Out has to be somewhere in the conversation.
Founded in California in 1948, In-N-Out has become something of a cult favourite in the western United States. Unlike some of the enormous fast-food menus we’re used to seeing, In-N-Out has kept things remarkably simple.
Burgers, cheeseburgers, fries and shakes make up the core of the menu, with the Double-Double probably being its most famous creation.
There’s also the not-so-secret “secret menu”, with Animal Style burgers and fries being among the best-known customisations.
For someone visiting from Scotland, In-N-Out is particularly interesting because it’s a chain we’ve heard about countless times but can’t simply walk into at home.
My In-N-Out Rating: 8/10
These are some burgers I absolutely loved. We’ve tried these a few times and always make a point to pick them up when we can.
We tried them for the first time recently “animal style” but I’m not sure how much of an improvement it was for me over just the regular burger. 🍔
That being said, the quick service and tasty burger puts this right in the win column.
2. Raising Cane’s
Raising Cane’s takes almost the opposite approach to restaurants that try to offer something for everyone.
The chain has built its reputation around essentially one thing: chicken fingers.
Founded in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 1996, Cane’s has grown into a major American chicken chain while keeping its menu centred around its signature chicken fingers.
The typical Cane’s meal comes with chicken fingers, crinkle-cut fries, Texas toast, coleslaw and its famous Cane’s Sauce.
That sauce has developed almost as much of a following as the chicken itself.
It’s an incredibly simple concept, but that’s also what makes Raising Cane’s interesting. Rather than having burgers, wraps, wings and dozens of other options, the entire business has been built around doing one particular type of food.
My Raising Cane’s Rating: 7/10
Raising canes for me was a bit of a let down and it’s probably more to do with it being overhyped on social media as opposed to the food being bad in anyway.
I enjoyed what I had. It was a nice little snack.
There’s a lot written online about the dipping sauce and how it’s an absolute must but for me it was nowhere near what I expected after the hype.
Nice enough sauce but compared to other one had in the U.S it wasn’t quite more than average.
3. Denny’s
Denny’s gives us something completely different.
Rather than fast food, this is the classic American diner-style chain that many visitors from the UK will recognise before they’ve ever stepped inside one.
Denny’s can trace its history back to California in the 1950s and has since become particularly well known for its breakfasts and diner favourites.
Pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausages, hash browns, burgers and big breakfast combinations are exactly the type of food you expect to see.
One of its best-known meals is the Grand Slam, which allows several classic American breakfast items to arrive together on one plate.
For me, places like Denny’s are part of the American travel experience. It’s not necessarily about fine dining; it’s about sitting down in an American diner and ordering the sort of breakfast you’ve seen in films and TV programmes your entire life.
My Denny’s Rating: 6.5/10
We’ve had two visits to Denny’s and they have both been completely different.
First time round I really enjoyed the breakfast offering which came with some jalapeño bacon, the highlight of the meal I may add.
Second time was a bit of a let down with some issues regarding the preparation of the meals which tbh were mostly my own fault 😂 but still took away from the experience.
All in all though it’s not somewhere I really have much interest in returning to.
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4. Olive Garden
Olive Garden is where things start getting particularly interesting from a European perspective.
This is America’s take on Italian dining, and it’s become one of the country’s most recognisable casual restaurant chains.
The menu is packed with Italian-American favourites including pasta, chicken dishes, lasagna, soups and salads.
However, there’s one Olive Garden item that might be even more famous than the main courses: the breadsticks.
The chain’s unlimited breadsticks, along with its soup or salad offerings, have become a huge part of the Olive Garden experience.
Coming from the UK — and being considerably closer to Italy — visiting a huge American Italian restaurant chain is an interesting experience in itself.
This isn’t necessarily about judging it against a little family restaurant in Italy. Olive Garden is very much its own version of Italian-American comfort food.
My Olive Garden Rating: 7/10
Big portions, unlimited salad and breadsticks.
That’s right up my street 😂
I went for the tour of Italy which came with 3 different dishes in the one plate.
Got the chocolate cake lasagna for finisher.
Much like Denny’s I’d say it was a perfectly fine meal but not something I’d rush back for but glad I’ve ticked it off.
5. The Cheesecake Factory
And finally, we’ve got one of the most ridiculous restaurant menus I’ve encountered in America — The Cheesecake Factory.
Despite what the name might suggest, this isn’t simply somewhere you go for a slice of cheesecake.
The menu is enormous.
Burgers, pasta, steaks, salads, sandwiches, pizzas and a huge range of other dishes all sit alongside the restaurant’s famous cheesecakes.
Then there are the portion sizes.
The Cheesecake Factory has become almost as well known for big American portions and indulgent dishes as it has for the desserts that gave the restaurant its name.
And when you finally get around to dessert, there’s a huge selection of cheesecake flavours to choose from.
For a visitor from Scotland, it’s the sort of restaurant that embodies many of the stereotypes we associate with American dining — huge choice, huge portions and desserts that can practically be meals themselves.
My Cheesecake Factory Rating: 9/10
Have to say… I love a bit of the cheesecake factory.
Twice we’ve went along with the plan being to sample some of the cheesecake but ending up with a full on meal.
Last time it was the chicken Parmesan pizza which came in at a whopping 1940 calories 😂
Add the cheesecake on and who knows what the meals done to my waistline.
No regrets though.
Always up for a return to the cheesecake factory and defo one of my favourite American franchises I’ve tried.
So, Which American Chain Came Out on Top?
After trying all five, my final ranking looks like this:
1st — Cheesecake Factory — 9/10
2nd — In and Out Burger — 8/10
3rd — Raising Canes — 7/10
4th — Olive Garden — 7/10
5th — Denny’s — 6.5/10
The interesting thing about American chains is just how different they can be.
In-N-Out keeps things incredibly simple. Raising Cane’s has built a huge following around chicken fingers. Denny’s gives you the traditional American diner experience. Olive Garden goes all-in on Italian-American comfort food, while The Cheesecake Factory seems determined to put just about everything imaginable onto one menu.
And these are only five.
I’ve tried plenty more American chains on my travels, so this definitely won’t be the last time I put some of America’s most famous restaurants to the Scottish test.
Ive also tried a bunch of American Snacks
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