Hungry? See if your favorite chain restaurant was one of the top brands of 2025.
When you go out to eat with a group—family, friends, co-workers, you name it—picking the restaurant is a big decision. Not only do people have different dietary restrictions and food allergies, everyone also seems to have big feelings (and strong opinions) about where to go. And while everybody is entitled to their feelings, some restaurants are simply more popular than others. How to decide where to go?
If good reviews are any indication, there’s one restaurant that reigns supreme across the country, and several others that earned top state rankings. Yelp, the popular internet review site, just released its Most Loved Brands report for 2025, and we’re breaking down the restaurant results ahead. Keep reading to find out which restaurant brands got the most love and loyalty from reviewers. Who knows, maybe it will help break a tie the next time you go out to eat with friends.
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How did Yelp determine the most popular chain restaurants?
To figure out which chain restaurants are the most popular across the country, Yelp looked at restaurants with more than 150 locations in the United States that also have 500 or more total reviews. Each brand was assigned a weighted loyalty score based on its Yelp review ratings, repeat page views, search volume and photo uploads.
Brands were ranked nationally and broken out by state. (To be considered for a state ranking, the chain also had to be ranked nationally.) Yelp also used artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze reviewer sentiment on metrics like food, drink and service quality, ambience and wait times.
What is the No. 1 most popular chain restaurant?
Dave’s Hot Chicken earned the prestigious title of the most popular chain restaurant in the U.S. Fans of the restaurant love the crispy chicken tenders and sliders, which can be customized according to your preferred spice level. Plus, you can get shakes and “slushers” for a sweet treat to go with your spicy entree. Overall, it was the chain’s generous portions, excellent food quality and fast service that pushed it over the top in seven states across the country, from Washington to Florida.
Surprisingly, Dave’s Hot Chicken hasn’t been around very long. It started as a pop-up in a Los Angeles parking lot in 2017, but its fast growth and very loyal following make it an increasingly popular favorite. Out of all the Dave’s Hot Chicken reviews on Yelp, 71% are four or five stars, which was among the highest review distributions of the year.
Did any other chain restaurants come close?
Dave’s Hot Chicken may take the cake nationally, but other chains are hot on its heels, including First Watch, bb.q Chicken and Texas Roadhouse. First Watch, a casual breakfast-and-lunch chain, was tops in 10 states, while Texas Roadhouse, a family-friendly steakhouse, dominated the rankings in seven states. The Korean-inspired bb.q Chicken leads in only five states, but its positive reviews and other high rankings pushed it to No. 3 overall.
Which are the most popular restaurant chains in each state?
Dave’s Hot Chicken is the most popular restaurant chain in the country, but some states definitely prefer other restaurants. Here is the list of the most popular restaurant brands by state:
- Alabama: The Cheesecake Factory
- Alaska: Denny’s
- Arizona: Dave’s Hot Chicken
- Arkansas: First Watch
- California: Texas Roadhouse
- Colorado: In-N-Out Burger
- Connecticut: The Cheesecake Factory
- Delaware: The Cheesecake Factory
- District of Columbia: Dave’s Hot Chicken
- Florida: Dave’s Hot Chicken
- Georgia: bb.q Chicken
- Hawaii: Olive Garden
- Idaho: LongHorn Steakhouse
- Illinois: First Watch
- Indiana: First Watch
- Iowa: The Cheesecake Factory
- Kansas: Dave’s Hot Chicken
- Kentucky: BJ’s Restaurants
- Louisiana: Carrabba’s Italian Grill
- Maine: Blaze Pizza
- Maryland: First Watch
- Massachusetts: bb.q Chicken
- Michigan: bb.q Chicken
- Minnesota: bb.q Chicken
- Mississippi: First Watch
- Missouri: The Cheesecake Factory
- Montana: Texas Roadhouse
- Nebraska: Carrabba’s Italian Grill
- Nevada: Texas Roadhouse
- New Hampshire: sweetgreen
- New Jersey: Texas Roadhouse
- New Mexico: BJ’s Restaurants
- New York: Raising Cane’s
- North Carolina: Texas Roadhouse
- North Dakota: LongHorn Steakhouse
- Ohio: Sweetgreen
- Oklahoma: First Watch
- Oregon: BJ’s Restaurants
- Pennsylvania: First Watch
- Rhode Island: Carrabba’s Italian Grill
- South Carolina: Dave’s Hot Chicken
- South Dakota: Texas Roadhouse
- Tennessee: bb.q Chicken
- Texas: First Watch
- Utah: Dave’s Hot Chicken
- Vermont: LongHorn Steakhouse
- Virginia: Jet’s Pizza
- Washington: Dave’s Hot Chicken
- West Virginia: First Watch
- Wisconsin: First Watch
- Wyoming: Texas Roadhouse
Were there any big surprises?
While they may not have taken the top spot, legacy brands are making major comebacks after years of trailing behind newer competitors. Older chain restaurants like Chili’s, Olive Garden and Denny’s (which was No. 1 in Alaska!) are gaining momentum for their big portions, comforting and familiar menus, and appeal to families.
Even Chuck E. Cheese is back in the spotlight, courtesy of a wave of nostalgia and updated entertainment at restaurant locations. The big takeaway? Reliability and familiarity are worth their weight in gold for restaurant chains.
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Source:
- Yelp: “Yelp Data Reveals the Most Loved Brands of 2025”
