by Tom Bastek
Last updated: 10:00 AM ET, Tue February 3, 2015
Photos courtesy of wikepedia.com.
With the price of gas actually going down for a change, road trips are going to be the specialty this year. Which means that breakfast on the road is the most important meal of the day! Whether you like to eat fresh and light or pack it in for a full day of vacation, here are the best choices for breakfast chain restaurants.
Waffle House
Offering Southern Hospitality at its finest, Waffle House has more than 2,100 locations in 25 states and started in Avondale Estates, Georgia in 1955. This is the place where you order your hasbrowns scattered, smothered, covered, chunked, diced, peppered, capped, topped or country, each referring to a topping for them. Obviously the waffles are out of this world, and they are served a handful of different ways. Omelets, breakfast sandwiches and steak and eggs can all be found here. They recently have added a food truck and even have a Waffle House in Turner Field, the home of the Atlanta Braves.
Cracker Barrel
Founded in 1969 in Lebanon, Tennessee, and have been serving up country cuisine in a general store type atmosphere ever since. They have more than 600 stores across the U.S., most of which are located right off the major highways of the south. Here they serve breakfast all day and it isn't light. Country fried steak, biscuits and gravy and hashbrown casserole make this place the poster child for a good food coma.
Bob Evans
Bob Evans started out as a truck stop diner in Rio Grande, Ohio in 1946. It has since grown to more than 600 stores in 19 states serving up country fare and its trademarked original sausage classics. For a real heart stopper, try the Sunshine Skillet: An open-faced omelet filled with crumbled Bob Evans Sausage and home fries, topped with country gravy and shredded cheddar cheese. Served with two buttermilk biscuits. Can anyone say heartburn? And it is worth every outstanding bite.
The Original Pancake House
The very first Original Pancake House, or I guess you could say the original Original Pancake House, opened in Portland, Oregon in 1953. They have more than 100 locations franchsised throughout the U.S. and is now in South Korea and Japan. Their fare is what you would think it is with pancakes being their mainstay. Their specialties are their Dutch Baby and Apple Pancake which are cooked to order. If you are trying to get in and out quickly, get an order of pancakes and be forewarned, you get six pancakes and they are about six to seven inches in diameter. Do not order anything with them unless you are ok with taking home leftovers.
IHOP
The International House of Pancakes was started in 1955 in Los Angeles, California and has more than 1,500 locations throughout the U.S. and Canada. They are known for different types of pancakes from around the world as well as their different flavored syrups. The Chocolate Chocolate Chip Pancakes and the New York Cheesecake Pancakes are more like dessert than breakfast, but they are just two of ten different types of pancakes. They also have a lunch and dinner menu, but breakfast is available 24 hours a day.
Denny's
With more than 1,600 locations in 14 countries, Denny's is one of the most iconic breakfast spots across the country. Although founded in 1955, it would take until 1977 for them to introduce their Grand Slam breakfast, which is still popular today. They have adapted the "slam" motif into many of the dishes on their breakfast menu including a build your own option. The Denny's location on Freemont Street in Las Vegas actually has a wedding chapel inside for those who feel extra special about their favorite breakfast place.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
