14 chain restaurants we’d like to see open in the Harrisburg area

It’s never enough when it comes to chain restaurants. There’s no shortage of them from fast casual to fast food.

Yet, we always want more.

Lately, the Harrisburg area has been spoiled with newcomers like Primanti Bros. It has given diners two locations - Hershey and Capital City Mall in Lower Allen Township - where they can order its french-fry topped sandwiches.

READ MORE: First Lidl store to open in central Pa. this summer

In the past year Metro Diner and Dave & Buster’s planted roots on the West Shore, while PF Chang’s brought its upscale casual Asian menu to Lancaster County.

Whether you’re looking for a quick meal or a fine dining experience, we tracked down 14 chains you might like to see open in the Harrisburg area. We surely missed a few, so please chime in and tell us in the comments what you’d like to see open here.

Cheesecake Factory

Along with Trader Joe’s, the Cheesecake Factory is one of those retail names everyone wishes would come to central Pennsylvania. Thank Evelyn Overton of Detroit, Michigan for the Cheesecake Factory’s sought-after desserts. After stumbling across a recipe in a local newspaper in the 1940s, Overton launched what has grown into a more than 200 restaurants where more than 50 types of cheesecakes and desserts are sliced. Want to dine at one of the restaurants? The closest ones operate in Maryland and Philadelphia.

Zaxby’s

If you love chicken, make a beeline to Zaxby’s. The fast food chain spreads its wings with a chicken-centric menu of wings, chicken fingers, sandwiches and salads. The restaurants are mostly found in the south with more than 900 locations. Its founders Zach McLeroy and Tony Townley hatched a plan for a chicken restaurant on the basketball court in the 1990s. As the story goes, “They didn’t know much about the restaurant business. But they knew this much: the chicken they could find in Statesboro, Georgia, was okay, but not really fresh or savory."

In-N-Out Burger

A West Coast staple, In-N-Out Burger dates to 1948 when Harry Snyder introduced California’s first drive-thru hamburger stand in Baldwin Park. Today the chain operates more than 300 locations and concentrates not only food but solid service. Diners come for favorites such as Animal Burgers, 4X4 Burgers and root beer floats. Unfortunately, all of them stake real estate on the West Coast.

The Capital Grille

The Capital Grille prides itself on its comfortable elegance, dry-aged steaks and world-class wines. The American steakhouse chain is owned by Darden Restaurants, the same owners as familiar brands, Olive Garden and Longhorn Steakhouse. Steaks are aged 18 to 24 days and hand-cut by in-house butchers. The closest ones from here are a turnpike drive away in King of Prussia, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

Bojangles’ Famous Chicken 'n Biscuits

Since 1977, Bojangles’ has been serving southern food and hospitality. Business partners Jack Fulk and Richard Thomas built it on three key attributes - distinctive flavor, high-quality products made-from-scratch and a festive restaurant design with friendly service - when they opened the first one in Charlotte, North Carolina. Bojangles’ specializes in made-from-scratch biscuit breakfast sandwiches, hand-breaded bone-in chicken, sides and iced tea. It operates 763 system-wide restaurants across the country.

Wingstop

You might be thinking do we really need one more spot for wings? The nostalgic aviation themed restaurants are well known for chicken wings. It cooks classic and boneless wings in 11 flavors including Original Hot, Cajun, Atomic, Mild, Lemon Pepper, Hawaiian, Garlic Parmesan, Hickory Smoked BBQ, Louisiana Rub, Spicy Korean Q, and Mango Habanero. The restaurants are decorated in a 1930s and 1940s “pre-jet” aviation theme. Wingstop was founded in 1994 in Garland, Texas, and franchises more than 1,250 restaurants.

California Pizza Kitchen

Just as its name implies, this chain of hearth-baked pizza restaurants has its roots in California. The first one opened in 1985 in Beverly Hills, helping to catapult California onto the national pizza map along with Chicago and New York. It was one of the first to take pizza beyond pepperoni and incorporate global ingredients. It operates 250 locations in 30 states and 11 countries. While the closest locations are found in Baltimore and Philadelphia, if you’re really craving Pizza Kitchen, look for its line of frozen pizzas at your favorite grocery store.

City Works Eatery & Pour House

“We’re beer geeks, not beer snobs." That’s the motto at City Works, a small chain with nine restaurants described as “a unique marriage of best beer bar and delightful restaurant.” The vibe is upbeat and energetic. There are 15 flatscreen televisions airing music and sports through a state-of-the-art-audio system. Its menu is heavy on American food such as burgers, tacos, short ribs and salmon.

Mellow Mushroom

Stone-baked pizza is the heart of Mellow Mushroom Pizza Bakers, founded in 1974 in Atlanta, Georgia. They claim to provide “delicious food in a fun and creative environment.” The closest one operates in Toms River, New Jersey. Mellow Mushroom’s menu marries specialty pies like Mighty Meat and Pacific Rim with custom options built from more than four dozen ingredients from candied pecans to salami, olives, roasted tomatoes and mushrooms.

Piada Italian Street Food

The small but growing chain was inspired by roadside food trucks and corner markets in Rimini, Italy where they sell food made from century old family recipes. Since opening in 2010, Piada has followed the mantra “every meal should be a great meal shared with family and friends.” Customers file through a line for custom at the fast casual restaurants for hand-rolled piadas (like wraps), green and grain bowls and tossed pastas. In Pennsylvania one operates in Oakland outside of Pittsburgh.

Peet’s Coffee

Another West Coast chain, Peet’s Coffee started California. Alfred Peet opened the first coffee bar in in Berkeley in 1966 serving a dark roast. He’s credited with starting the high end “coffee revolution” in the United States. The chain sources its coffee beans from around the world and roasts every batch by hand. The closest Peet’s Coffee shops operate across the state line in Maryland.

Potbelly Sandwich Shop

Made-to-order sandwiches are the name of the game at this oddly titled sandwich chain. File in line and build your sandwich as you go. They also sell salads, soups, hand-dipped milkshakes, baked goods and breakfast options. The first one debuted 42 years ago in Chicago inside a former antique shop (thus the name from a potbelly stove). Potbelly owns 450 company and franchise-operated locations throughout the United States.

Shake Shack

One of the fastest growing chains, Shake Shack is a modern-day “roadside” burger stand. Fans pull in for the 100 percent all-natural Angus beef burgers, chicken sandwiches and flat-top Vienna beef dogs as well as frozen custard, crinkle-cut fries, craft beer and more.

The first Shake Shack opened in 2004 in New York City’s Madison Square Park and has grown to 240 locations in 26 states in the United States. It has also expanded its international footprint with more than 80 restaurants.

Little known fact - Pennsylvania company Martin’s Famous Potato Rolls in Chambersburg supplies Shack Shack with its potato rolls.

Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse

The upscale fine dining restaurants date back to the 1960s when Ruth Fertel mortgaged her home for $22,000 to buy a 60-seat restaurant in New Orleans called Chris Steak House. Shortly after it opened a fire broke out at the restaurant forcing her to change the location. She renamed it Ruth’s Chris Steak House. The chain serves its custom aged USDA Prime steaks at more than 150 restaurants worldwide including Mexico, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Tokyo, Aruba and Canada.

• READ MORE:
• What’s the best Pa. potato chip? We ranked the top brands, from Middleswarth to Utz

Start your day in the know by signing up for our newsletter, “Good Morning, Pennsylvania.”