What Your Mall's Food Court Says About Where You Live

It should come as no surprise that our nation's food courts -- depending on where you're located in America -- can be quite different. That's because certain fast-food joints' territories don't stretch from sea to shining sea (we're lookin' at YOU, In-N-Out!), but also because the prevailing tastes of a region tend to shape what's available in its malls.

So, with this theory in mind, Bloomberg Businessweekcrunched the numbers (and probably more than a few chicken tenders) to find out which cuisines are overrepresented in different areas.

Turns out New England really likes the sweets.

bloomberg food court data
Bloomberg Businessweek

As you can see, the most disproportionately popular cuisines are donuts in New England, bagels in the Mid-Atlantic, soup in the Great Lakes, Southern in the Southeast, gelato in the Southwest, Tex-Mex in the Plains, buffets in the Rocky Mountains, and Mongolian grills in the far West.

And hey, Midwest? Stop hogging our A&W All American Foods.

Adam Lapetina is a Food/Drink staff writer for Thrillist, and grew up surrounded by donuts. Read his musings at @adamlapetina.