Checkers & Rally's

These are two chains that grew up with the same idea and eventually merged. Rally’s opened in Nashville in 1985, Checkers in Mobile, Alabama, in 1986, and both built tiny buildings with two drive-thru lanes and a walk-up window but no dining room. They merged in 1999 and still run under both names, with an identical menu.

The burgers are big and cheap, but the thing people actually defend is the fries: thick-cut, coated in a seasoned batter that turns them crunchy, peppery and slightly addictive. Order a burger, sure. You came for the fries.

Hundreds of double drive-thrus across the US. Checkers in the east and south, Rally’s in the Midwest and west.