What are Restaurant Chains Worth Traveling For?

An article in the parody newspaper The Onion about a man who planned his vacation around visiting a fast food chain that wasn't in his hometown got me thinking that I've done this very thing - almost every time I travel.

I'll share with you some of the restaurant chains we don't have here in CNY that I look forward to eating at when I come across them on my travels, and I want to know about yours. Share them in the comment section below.

Eric's List of Restaurants For Which I'll Travel

In no particular order other that what popped into my head

DiBella's Subs - This Rochester based chain is expanding both in NY with a location in Albany and across the country, but alas nothing in Utica. Go old-fashioned here and get your sandwich on an 'everything' bun.

Jimmy John's - Andrea and I will find excuses to go to Syracuse to our nearest JJ. (That goes for Chipolte as well.) JJ was founded near Eastern Illinois University and is now headquartered in Champaign, Illinois where the U of I is located. Colleges have historically been thier base. With Utica College and Hamliton here, you'd think we'd be able to support a JJ.

Swiss Chalet - Canadian staple that that an outpost in the Buffalo area. The gravy they serve with chicken is a taste you can't get anywhere else.

Schlotzsky's - The Original with ham and salami and olive on their unique sourdough round bun is easily in my top 5 favorite sandwich of all time.

Zaxby's - They're inching northward from their base in the deep south, but not soon enough. The chicken is great but I could probably make a meal of their Zax dipping sauce and butter-drenched Texas Toast.

Maid-Rite - I don't eat much red meat but I would go cow crazy for this legendary Iowa-based loose meat sandwich chain. I made more than a few Maid-Rite trips when I lived in Illinois.

Big John's Steak and Onion - Ditto on the red meat thing for this regional cheesesteak chain based in Flint, Michigan. This was a weekly stop for dinner I I lived in the area.

YaYa's Flame Broiled Chicken - And when I lived in Mid-Michigan, on the days I didn't go to Big John's, likely I was at YaYa's. It's been over 10 years since I've been to a YaYa's but I still know my order by heart - half chicken with mashed and salad as sides. Bonus - the pita bread with honey butter they serve is unrivaled by any other chicken franchise.

Capriotti's - I found this Delaware based chain when traveling in the Mid-Atlantic. They're known for their roasted turkey subs and they're amazing. Capriotti's is also expanding out of their Wilmington base into surprising places like the Quad Cities.

Primo Hoagies - Lots of places around Philly do hoagies and this is my favorite. My order is the 'mild sharp Italian.' That's mild cappy, harp provolone and other Italian meats. I generally order 'the Italian' when I'm at a sub shop, and none rival Primo Hoagies.

I am going to stop my list here because I am so unbelievably hungry. But please share what restaurants you'd travel for in the comments below.