(WTAJ) — While most of Central Pennsylvania is used to seeing McDonald’s, KFCs and Taco Bells across the area, there are plenty of high-rated fast-food chains that Central Pa does not have.
Looking at QSR Magazine’s top 50 fast-food restaurants list from 2019 shows there are 21 restaurants that are nowhere to be found across our 10-county region. Additionally, there are ten restaurants with just one or two locations in the area, making it harder for people to enjoy those chains if they aren’t willing to travel.
Below are the top 50 fast-food restaurants according to QSR Magazine with the locations that are not found in Central Pennsylvania in bold. Asterisks indicate only one or two of the restaurants is in the area.
| RANK | RESTAURANT NAME | CATEGORY |
| 1 | MCDONALDS | BURGERS |
| 2 | STARBUCKS | COFFEE |
| 3 | SUBWAY | SANDWICH |
| 4 | TACO BELL | MEXICAN |
| 5 | CHICK-FIL-A* | CHICKEN |
| 6 | WENDY’S | BURGER |
| 7 | BURGER KING | BURGER |
| 8 | DUNKIN’ | COFFEE |
| 9 | DOMINO’S | PIZZA |
| 10 | PANERA BREAD | SANDWICH |
| 11 | PIZZA HUT | PIZZA |
| 12 | CHIPOTLE | MEXICAN |
| 13 | SONIC DRIVE-IN | BURGER |
| 14 | KFC | CHICKEN |
| 15 | ARBY’S* | SANDWICH |
| 16 | LITTLE CAESARS* | PIZZA |
| 17 | DAIRY QUEEN | ICE CREAM |
| 18 | JACK IN THE BOX | BURGER |
| 19 | PANDA EXPRESS | ASIAN |
| 20 | POPEYES* | CHICKEN |
| 21 | PAPA JOHN’S | PIZZA |
| 22 | WHATABURGER | BURGER |
| 23 | JIMMY JOHN’S* | SANDWICH |
| 24 | HARDEE’S | BURGER |
| 25 | ZAXBY’S | CHICKEN |
| 26 | FIVE GUYS | BURGER |
| 27 | CULVER’S | BURGER |
| 28 | CARL’S JR. | BURGER |
| 29 | BOJANGLES’ | CHICKEN |
| 30 | WINGSTOP | CHICKEN |
| 31 | RAISING CANE’S* | CHICKEN |
| 32 | JERSEY MIKE’S | SANDWICH |
| 33 | STEAK ‘N’ SHAKE | BURGER |
| 34 | IN-N-OUT BURGER | BURGER |
| 35 | EL POLLO LOCO | CHICKEN |
| 36 | QDOBA* | MEXICAN |
| 37 | CHECKERS/RALLY’S | BURGER |
| 38 | DEL TACO | MEXICAN |
| 39 | FIREHOUSE SUBS* | SANDWICH |
| 40 | PAPA MURPHY’S | PIZZA |
| 41 | TIM HORTONS | SANDWICH |
| 42 | CHURCH’S CHICKEN | CHICKEN |
| 43 | MOE’S* | MEXICAN |
| 44 | MCALISTER’S DELI* | SANDWICH |
| 45 | JASON’S DELI | SANDWICH |
| 46 | MARCO’S PIZZA | PIZZA |
| 47 | BASKIN-ROBBINS* | ICE CREAM |
| 48 | AUNTIE ANNE’S | SNACK |
| 49 | BOSTON MARKET | CHICKEN |
| 50 | WHITE CASTLE | BURGER |
Most of the restaurants that are not in the area are chicken based, with some of them, like Church’s Chicken not having a location in the state at all.
Centre County holds the most unique variety of restaurants as they are home to the only Raising Canes, McAlister’s Deli, Moes, and Qdoba in the area. The Altoona area also recently just added the second Firehouse Subs to Central Pennsylvania, while Johnstown is adding a Chipotle soon.
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Only time will tell as to what fast-food chain from this list will make its way to Central Pennsylvania next.
