Ah, Rubio's
 

I miss their fish tacos. I need a trip to So Cal soon.

There are some wonderful suggestions in here. Living in a small town in Arizona means that almost none of them apply... :(

Skyline Chili is awesome - it's such a simple menu but great tasting food for a reasonable price served quickly.
I think I could live (and quickly die) at Burgerville. It's the first place I stop anytime I fly up to Portland. Delicious food - all of it.
In-N-Out Burger - as often as it appears here on FT, you'd think it was over-hyped, but compared to other fast food burger offerings on the west coast, it's really about the best there is.
Culvers has tasty cheeseburgers and the odd cheese curd invention which I've not yet tried. Good onion rings and some interesting ice cream selections.
Panera Bread may be a bit large and slow for a "local" fast food chain, but they have some awfully good sandwiches, and since they've put a permanent embargo on Arizona, I guess they're "local" to someone.
Steak-and-Shake is a place I always stop at in the mid-west. Vanilla coke and a steakburger. Tasty.
I've always liked Chik-Fil-A, though I don't know if they qualify as "local". Great waffle fries and good chicken nuggets compared to the competition.

There used to be a little burger joint north of Indianapolis called "Clancy's". I remember it being very good as a kid growing up, but I think it closed down a few years ago. They were in fact a chain, having more than two stores, but for some reason, they never caught on outside of central Indiana.

Nice idea for a thread, OP!

Is it wrong to book a flight based on when the onion rings are in season? :cool:

Can you give us a hint? I'm hoping to fly up next month and would love to try them... :)

True.

It's BETTER.:D

C'mon now, everyone wants a 3-way!!!

And they have ventured out of Southern California, too. They are in the Bay Area, LAS and SLC. When I go to LAS, I always hit the location in Henderson (closest to the airport).

I hear ya, Sean. Being in southern WV is just as bad... unless you like southern redneck food (think Cracker Barrel).

That's one thing I miss about not going to MSP, fried cheese curds. The A&W burger chain has them, but they're not quite the same as the ones you get in MN/WI. For that matter, it's hard to get cheese curds unless you're in cheese county somewhere. I got some in BUF a few weeks back, but the two containers I had were gone very quickly.

North Carolina: Bojangles - The best fried (and most greasy) fried chicken and biscuits. Make sure to get the tailgate special.

Tim Horton's is also starting to add quite a few locations in the US
http://www.timhortons.com/en/about/locations.html

There is one every 500 yards now here in Buffalo! :)

I don't know about the dates they're available. I've had them in late July and early August. While searching the Burgerville website, I did find this press release from June 27, 2006 which indicates they're a summertime menu item.

###BEGIN QUOTE###

June 27, 2006 – Burgerville restaurants, known for its seasonal menu items made with fresh, local ingredients, today announced the return of Walla Walla Sweet Onions to the menu. The sweet tasting onions can be enjoyed as crunchy rings or caramelized on a signature Walla Walla Sweet Onion Cheeseburger at all 39 Burgerville locations.

###END QUOTE###

Mmmm. Oporto is yum. I like their burgers, and their chicken nuggets.

ORIGINAL TOMMY'S! Los Angeles
 

In-N-Out Burger is way more prolific through California but in the LA area , you just can't beat Tommy's Chili Burgers. I have to make a disclaimer that there is a Tommy's 1 block from my old high school, so I may be a little biased.
Beware of imitators , there are many places that go by variations, such as; Tommi's , Tomas', etc...

http://www.originaltommys.com/

I hope they come up to the SF Bayarea, but it does give me someplace to go whenever I'm in LA.

How very, very sad. :(

:p

I'll grant that it's akin to frozen pizza in this regard: As long as one regards it as not-really-pizza-but-something-else, it can be ok. Skyline is not-really-chili, but is, I suppose, serviceable with that understood. :D

Udo Snack - Stuttgart, Germany

Bescht Worscht in town - Frankfurt, Germany

Give me a regular four way (w/ onions) with a side of garlic bread and those awesome oyster crackers over "real" chili any day... :p

Guess I'll have to fly to PDX for Burgerville, IND for most of the others, and perhaps LAX and DCA to try these west and east coast burgers.

Perhaps we need a "Local fast food chains to die for DO/MR"... @:-):cool:

Lee's Hoagie House in Philly.