Food chains and restaurants contribute to the unique culture within each region of the United States. In fact, you can easily determine what part of the country you're in simply by what food places are around you.

Having grown up in the Midwest my whole life, there were some things that I was shocked to see that weren't in Idaho never realizing they were regional. For example, Idaho doesn't have a McAlister's or Fazoli's which is a true shame. In contrast though there are other food chains here in Idaho that other regions are missing out on.

If you've lived in Idaho you're whole life, you may be surprised to learn that the following food chains are - for the most part - regional to the west:

Moxie Java

There's an abundance of this popular coffee shop in Idaho, specifically in the Treasure Valley. Other than here though there only a few other locations anywhere else: two in Fargo, North Dakota and ONE in Greenville, South Carolina.

Habit Grill

The Habit Grill got it starts in Santa Barbra, California and has since expanded to 210 locations in the state. While it's by far more popular there than anywhere else, Habit Grill also has locations in Idaho, Arizona, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia, Washington. Here in Idaho you can find 3 Habit Grills.

Artic Circle

Artic Circle is regional to the west with all of it's locations being in Utah, Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming. Of course with fry sauce originating with Article Circle, this also means that fry sauce is regional to these states as well. Mainly just to Utah and Idaho.

Dutch Bros

While Dutch Bros has over 400 locations, you can only find them in Oregon, California, Washington, Idaho, Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona. Most people will say the east has Dunk N Donuts and the west has Starbucks, but they must not know about Dutch Bros!

Del Taco

Del Taco has an interesting spread of its 600 locations. You can find the most Del Tacos in California, Arizona, and Nevada but it's not exclusive to the west. The state with fourth most Del Tacos is actually Georgia with 23 locations. Here in Idaho we have 10.

**BONUS** In-N-Out Burger

In-N-Out Burger is listed as a bonus since it's actually not in Idaho YET! Currently In-N-Out is in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, & Utah and it's probably just going to stay in western and southern states. In-N-Out will not open locations that are outside of 300 miles with its distribution factory. Ingredients must be able to be delivered within a day to comply with In-N-Out's promise of never freezing their patties.

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