Chains that you didn't know where chains at first

[HitItHard58]

Also from small town IA and had never heard of Jimmy John's before moving to Ames. The first time I said that out loud I was laughed at and looked at like I was a martian.

Went to Chicago with my wife a few years ago and we wanted to hit a hole in the wall one of a kind pizza place. Wound up at Lou Malnati's and thought we found our place although it wasn't quite as divey as I had in mind. Got back to Ames and told a buddy mine from the Chi area about it. He laughed and informed me that Malnati's is one of the bigger pizza chains around the Chicagoland area. Swing and a miss.

 

[ljm4cy]

Iowa Machine Shed. I thought the one in Davenport was the one and only for a while.

Don't knock Pizza Hut pizza until you've had Paul Revere's. They were a chain back in the day - don't know if any of them are still around. Last one I knew about was in Mt. Pleasant, I think. Probably the worst excuse for a chain pizza ever.

Their website states 2 Paul Reveres in CR and 1 in Lisbon, West Liberty, Mt. Pleasant, Milton, WI and San Antonio, TX. I'm guessing San Antonio is a tax write-off for one of the northern franchise owners.

 

[pourcyne]

I just realized that CHINA is a CHAIN if you're dyslexic.

 

[BCoffClone125]

Jason's Deli, thought the one off University in WDM was the only one. When I was younger, I also thought Steak and Shake was unique to Iowa City/Coralville because it was the only one I had seen before.

 

[SCNCY]

Flying Burrito

 

[Cyclonesince78]

los pollos hermanos

 

[JP4CY]

When I first came to ISU a long, long time ago, I didn't realize that Minskys, Pancheros, Panda Express, Pizza Pit, and Battles having other locations.
I think back then too there was a Chick Fil A and Ortega in the Union?

 

[CtownCyclone]

When I first came to ISU a long, long time ago, I didn't realize that Minskys, Pancheros, Panda Express, Pizza Pit, and Battles having other locations.
I think back then too there was a Chick Fil A and Ortega in the Union?

Chick-fil-a was there for sure. Not sure on Ortega.



What are we using to define "chain" in terms of restaurants? For example, there are a couple of restaurants (one Tex-Mex, one Italian) that have a few different locations in the Houston area (Tex-Mex has 5, Italian has 3). Pretty sure they're not franchised. Do those count as chains?

 

[BKLYNCyclone]

Was homerun pizza a chain? Battles was/is a chain?

 

[CtownCyclone]

Was homerun pizza a chain? Battles was/is a chain?

Homerun or Home Team? Because if it's Home Team, that stuff was garbage.