Bojangles' Famous Chicken 'n Biscuits

Where they are: Charlotte-based Bojangles' covers the Southeast (with the exception of Popeyes' stronghold Louisiana) and up into Pennsylvania and DC.
Why you need them: The chain's chicken arrives fresh at every location, and then takes a long marinade bath for 12 hours. Plus, the breading has a heavy dose of lip-tingling cayenne pepper. Bo's is also famous for its seductively sweet tea and all-day breakfast service -- so you can snag a Cajun Filet Biscuit to ease hangover pains whenever you decide to wake up. 
What to get: Twelve piece & six biscuit box -- those buttermilk biscuits do a damn good job complementing the chicken's grease and spice. 

Burger Street

Where they are: Texas and Oklahoma
Why you need them: Fresh veggies and a juicy patty let you know this burger is made-to-order, but the lop-sided burger shape and take-a-number serving style are a friendly mom-and-pop reminder. Burger Street also serves too-often ignored curly fries with its combos, and if the Three Stooges proved anything, it's that everything's better with Curly.
What to get: Combo No. 3: bacon cheeseburger loaded with fixin's and a side of curlies.
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Biscuitville

Where they are: North Carolina and Virginia
Why you need them: It's not just a clever name. They specialize in buttermilk biscuits made from scratch, lovingly paired with house fried chicken, eggs, bacon, ham, and other biscuit-friendly foodstuffs.
What to get: A fried chicken, egg, and cheese biscuit is good any time of day.

Cook Out

Where they are: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland
Why you need them: Cook Out feels a bit like walking into an incredible mall food court. Chopped pork BBQ? Sure. Chicken nuggets? Yep. Char-grilled hamburgers? Of course. Salad? Go somewhere else. Corndog? Obviously. And look, it may seem like a tall order to fit a milkshake in after all that, but just make it work, OK?
What to get: "The Tray," the chain's mix-and-match-style combo meal let's you get a Big Double Burger, onion rings, a corndog, and a Cheerwine float for less than $5.

Dat Dog

Where they are: New Orleans
Why you need them: Because New Orleans is a city that knows how to eat well, so if they're obsessed with Dat Dog's encased meat creations, from more familiar porcine options to less expected local flavors like alligator and crawfish, it's a safe bet that you will be, too. Houston's already figured that out, in fact: A local franchiser's made plans to bring dozens of them to the area in the coming years.
What to get: Alligator sausage, dressed with the chef's choice -- expect some wild topping combos, but you'll never want to choose your own again.

Jack's

Where they are: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and Tennessee 
Why you need them: A burger chain that doesn't pull any punches -- this is a classic cheeseburger, and the recipe probably hasn't changed since it was served up at the original, walk-up counter in Birmingham back in 1960. In other words, it's a welcome reminder of why a simple burger is always awesome.
What to get: A Big Jack, the signature with lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickle and not Nicholson in About Schmidt.

Krystal

Where they are: Mississippi, Arkansas, Alabama, Kentucky, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia
Why you need them: It'd be easy to dive into the square-burger debate (Krystal fans claim superiority over White Castle, touting a better steam, fresh onions, and a dollop of mustard atop the the square patty and pickle), but the Southern chain also fields a strong line-up of Chik's (breaded chicken breasts, filets, and wings), plus a huge selection of breakfast items. No chicken rings, though...
What to get: A bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit with an order of Krystals to reheat for lunch -- because they're advertised as perfect for reheating and you're obviously not concerned with your health.

Milo's Hamburgers

Where they are: Alabama
Why you need them: Milo's sweet tea is famous throughout the Southeast and up into parts of the Midwest, where grocery stores peddle jugs of the liquid sugar, but the lucky folks in central Alabama get to enjoy that tea in blissful harmony with a crisp square burger, melted cheese, tangy Milo's sauce (the recipe's a secret, but it's cousins with Russian dressing, BBQ sauce, and steak sauce), and a toasted bun. Every burger has the lunchtime equivalent of a cherry-on-top: a tiny extra square patty in the middle of a bigger burger. And, because Milo's likes secrets, the crinkle-cut fries are covered in an orange-tinted spice mixture.
What to get: The No. 4: a double cheeseburger combo with sweet tea and fries.

Taco Bueno

Where they are: Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico, and Oklahoma
Why you need them: We hesitate to give Texas too much credit, but it's impossible to deny that Tex-Mex food -- with all its cheese-soaked, chili-lovin' awesomeness -- is amazing. Everything really is bigger. And because of stuff like this, everyone is too.
What to get: The Bueno Chilada Platter will get you that queso and chili sauce over two ground beef Chiladas (a soft taco-burrito hybrid), plus rice, beans, and fresh guac. 

Taco Casa

Where they are: Alabama
Why you need them: The Alabama chain combines the dive-atmosphere of Southern Mexican restaurants with a mom-and-pop aura for messy, cheap, and deliciously unhealthy grub. Spicy queso-drowned enchiladas are served in individual styrofoam containers to contain the mess, the Sancho combines the best of a burrito and a soft-shell taco, and the Taco Burger is, well, glorious. 
What to get: Combo No. 5 with a Sancho, enchilada, rice, frijoles, chips, and thankfully no sign of Lou Bega.

Texadelphia

Where they are: Texas and Oklahoma
Why you need them: Not satisfied with Tex-ing Mexican food, Texas has also co-opted Philadelphia's addition to the American food landscape -- the Philly cheesesteak -- and brought it outside Pennsylvania. The founder was a Philly man in a former life, so hopefully the City of Brotherly Love has forgiven the Lone Star version of its creation.
What to get: Chips & queso, because Texas. And then the Founder's Favorite, an onion, mustard, jalapeño, and mushroom-topped Angus beef monster. 

Waffle House

Where they are: Throughout the Southeast, with locations running into the Midwest up into the lower half of the East Coast.
Why you need them: The (un)official diner of the South -- whose scroll-wrapped china is nearly as identifiable as its yellow-block signage -- has slowly spread its syrupy web further across the country, thanks in no small part to their made-to-order hash browns and golden waffles.
What to get: A single waffle and a large order of hash browns, scattered, covered, diced, and peppered (for you WaHo neophytes, that's a double order with cheese, tomatoes, and jalapeños). 

Whataburger

Where they are: Arizona, all the Gulf Coast states, and Texas' neighbors New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Arkansas 
Why you need them: We're committing a cardinal sin by saying this, but the jalapeño cheeseburgers and Monterey Melts make this the real rival (or superior) of In-N-Out.
What to get: The Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit in all its syrup-oozing glory. 

Zaxby's

Where they are: States with stake in SEC football, plus Virginia, North Carolina, and Indiana get this Athens, Georgia-based chain.
Why you need them: As Southerners have clearly decided, you can never have enough versions of fried chicken, because the more there are, the more often you can justify eating it. Chicken tenders are the menu staple, but wings are also on order. If you're willing to skip the Zax sauce -- its cult-like fanbase will shun you -- the crew can toss your tenders in any of the house-made wing sauces.
What to get: Chicken Finger Plate with three "fingerz," Texas toast, coleslaw, and a tub of Zax sauce. 

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