The Nation’s Top 25 Restaurant Chains All Have KY Locations [LIST]

I've had a hard time kicking this story off, but I think I have it.

As I begin writing this, two songs come to mind: the Rolling Stones' classic "You Can't Always Get What You Want" and a lesser-known Reba McEntire hit from the 1980s called "Why Do We Want What We Know We Can't Have?"

The Top 25 Restaurant Chains in America

They sprung to mind when I began perusing a list of the biggest chain restaurants in America as compiled by Nation's Restaurant News. The results didn't come from a survey; they came from figures, as in revenue. You know, brass tacks. There are no "feelings" here, just money.

Anyway, I live in Owensboro where social media posts, from time to time, ask us what restaurants we'd love to see come to town. I've even posed that question a few times myself. After reading some of the answers over the years, I've concluded that this is, perhaps, the one most folks want:

There's an Outback Steakhouse in nearby Evansville IN, and about an hour south in Bowling Green. In other words, Owensboro is the largest Kentucky city without an Outback. I understand the longing. (As for what Reba and the Stones sang, no, I don't know why we couldn't have one.)

I have also seen this one quite a bit:

As for what else I've seen suggested over the years, Owensboro has done a pretty good job of getting people what they want. Of the top 25 biggest chains, only one isn't here in town. But ALL of them have at least one location in Kentucky.

By the way, that ONE that hasn't made it into Owensboro also gets name-checked from time to time. You'll see it here (now, who's hungry?):