Cheddar bay biscuits, cheap margs and memories: Readers share their nostalgia for chain restaurants ^84%

NPR - By Jaclyn Diaz, Alana Wise - 12/19/2025, 2:14 PM

Affordable, familiar and reassuring are the features that make American chain restaurants a near-ubiquitous presence throughout the country; it is almost as if they are baked into our roadside culture. Despite well-documented financial struggles, a tough economy and shifting diet trends, these restaurants withstand time. This series... more