This list includes 37 Fast food chains that start with C, from “Cafe Rio Mexican Grill” to “Culver’s”. It covers global brands and regional favorites across burgers, tacos, chicken, coffee and quick-service cafés. Use it to find origins, founding years and location counts. It’s handy for travel planning, food blogging, and preliminary franchise research.

Fast food chains that start with C are quick-service restaurant brands whose names begin with the letter C. They range from global giants to local independents; for example, Culver’s helped popularize frozen custard in the U.S. Midwest.

Below you’ll find the table with Name, Country, Year founded, Locations, Cuisine/type, Website, and Status/notes.

Name: The official brand name as used on menus and storefronts, so you can quickly identify each chain.

Country: The country where the chain originated, helping you understand regional roots and culinary influences.

Year founded: The year the chain began operations, useful for historical context and brand longevity comparisons.

Locations: The approximate number of outlets globally or by region, so you see the chain’s size and reach.

Cuisine/type: The primary menu focus, which helps you find chains matching preferred flavors or service styles.

Website: The official site link for menus, locations and corporate details, so you can verify hours and offerings.

Status/notes: Current status, ownership, regional restrictions or other notes that affect availability or franchise interest.

Fast food chains that start with C

NameCountry of originYear foundedLocations
Carl’s Jr.USA19411,500+ global
Chick-fil-AUSA19463,000+ US & Canada
Chipotle Mexican GrillUSA19933,400+ global
Church’s ChickenUSA19521,500+ global
CheckersUSA1986800+ US
Captain D’sUSA1969500+ US
Culver’sUSA1984950+ US
Chester’s ChickenUSA20041,200+ global
Casey’sUSA19682,600+ US
Cook OutUSA1989300+ US
Charleys Philly SteaksUSA1986700+ global
CinnabonUSA19851,200+ global
CarvelUSA1929350+ US
Costa CoffeeUK19713,800+ global
Cafe Rio Mexican GrillUSA1997160+ US
Cousins SubsUSA1972~100 US
Cold Stone CreameryUSA19881,500+ global
Chicken CottageUK199475+ global
Cotti CoffeeChina20227,000+ global
Creams CafeUK2008100+ UK
Crumbl CookiesUSA2017980+ US & Canada
Chooks-to-GoPhilippines20081,500+ Philippines
CaliBurgerUSA201140 est. global
Chop’tUSA200175+ US
Coffee Bean & Tea LeafUSA19631,000+ global
Cicis PizzaUSA1985~300 US
Clean EatzUSA2013100+ US
Captain SubCanada1974150+ Canada
ChopstixUK2002100+ UK
CojeanFrance200140+ global
California TortillaUSA1995~40 US
Chargrill Charlie’sAustralia198919 Australia
Caffè NeroUK19971,000+ global
City BarbequeUSA199965+ US
Corner Bakery CafeUSA1991100 est. US
Crave Hot Dogs & BBQUSA201875+ US
CreamistryUSA2013~60 global

Descriptions

Carl’s Jr.
A fast-food chain specializing in charbroiled burgers, including the iconic Western Bacon Cheeseburger. Known for its association with sister brand Hardee’s. Official website: carlsjr.com.
Chick-fil-A
Famous for its chicken sandwiches and exceptional customer service. A major US chain, notable for being closed on Sundays due to its founder’s beliefs. Official website: chick-fil-a.com.
Chipotle Mexican Grill
A popular fast-casual chain serving customizable burritos, bowls, and tacos. It champions a “Food with Integrity” ethos using high-quality ingredients. Official website: chipotle.com.
Church’s Chicken
Specializes in Southern-style fried chicken and honey-butter biscuits. Operates internationally under the name Texas Chicken. Official website: churchs.com.
Checkers
A double drive-thru chain known for its burgers, hot dogs, and Famous Seasoned Fries. Operates as both Checkers and Rally’s with largely identical menus. Official website: checkers.com.
Captain D’s
A fast-casual seafood chain focused on batter-dipped fish, shrimp, and classic sides like hush puppies. Primarily located in the Southern and Midwestern US. Official website: captainds.com.
Culver’s
A fast-casual chain beloved for its ButterBurgers, fresh frozen custard, and Wisconsin cheese curds. It has a strong presence in the American Midwest. Official website: culvers.com.
Chester’s Chicken
A fried chicken franchise known for its double-breaded chicken and tenders. Often found inside convenience stores, supermarkets, and travel centers. Official website: chesterschicken.com.
Casey’s
A chain of convenience stores in the Midwestern and Southern US that is also one of the country’s largest pizza chains, famous for its made-from-scratch pizza. Official website: caseys.com.
Cook Out
A private, drive-thru-focused chain popular in the Southeastern US. It offers char-grilled burgers, BBQ, and over 40 flavors of milkshakes. Official website: cookout.com.
Charleys Philly Steaks
Specializes in Philly-style cheesesteaks, gourmet fries, and real-fruit lemonades. Commonly found in mall food courts, airports, and military bases. Official website: charleys.com.
Cinnabon
A chain of baked goods kiosks, famous for its large, aromatic cinnamon rolls topped with cream cheese frosting. Part of the Focus Brands family. Official website: cinnabon.com.
Carvel
One of America’s first retail ice cream franchises, known for its soft-serve ice cream and signature ice cream cakes like Fudgie the Whale. Official website: carvel.com.
Costa Coffee
A British multinational coffeehouse chain and the largest in the UK. Now owned by The Coca-Cola Company, it has a significant global presence. Official website: costa.co.uk.
Cafe Rio Mexican Grill
A fast-casual restaurant serving fresh Mexican food inspired by the Rio Grande region. Known for its hand-rolled tortillas and sweet pork barbacoa. Official website: caferio.com.
Cousins Subs
A submarine sandwich shop chain concentrated in the Midwest, particularly Wisconsin. It serves deli-style and grilled-to-order subs on house-baked bread. Official website: cousinssubs.com.
Cold Stone Creamery
An ice cream parlor chain where customized creations are made by mixing ice cream and various toppings on a frozen granite stone. Official website: coldstonecreamery.com.
Chicken Cottage
A UK-based fast-food chain specializing in halal-certified fried and grilled chicken, often with spicy flavor profiles inspired by South Asian tastes. Official website: chickencottage.com.
Cotti Coffee
A technology-driven coffee chain from China that has experienced explosive growth since its launch, aiming to compete with major global players. Official website: cotticoffee.com.
Creams Cafe
A popular dessert parlour chain in the UK. It offers a wide menu of extravagant gelato, waffles, crepes, and milkshakes in a distinctive setting. Official website: creamscafe.com.
Crumbl Cookies
A fast-growing franchise known for its weekly rotating menu of oversized, gourmet cookies, served warm in a signature oblong pink box. Official website: crumblcookies.com.
Chooks-to-Go
A major Filipino chain specializing in affordable, oven-roasted chickens sold ready-to-eat. It’s famous for not serving sauce to highlight the chicken’s flavor.
CaliBurger
A burger chain inspired by the classic California burger joint, with a simple menu of burgers, fries, and shakes. Known for its use of restaurant technology. Official website: caliburger.com. last-checked: 2024-05.
Chop’t
A fast-casual restaurant specializing in creative salads and bowls. Customers can customize their orders, which are famously chopped fresh in front of them. Official website: choptsalad.com.
Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
A specialty coffee and tea shop chain that originated the Ice Blended drink. Now owned by Jollibee Foods, it maintains a strong international presence. Official website: coffeebean.com.
Cicis Pizza
An American buffet-style restaurant known for its affordable all-you-can-eat pizza, pasta, salad, and dessert bar. A family-friendly QSR destination. Official website: cicis.com.
Clean Eatz
A health-focused fast-casual cafe and meal plan provider. It offers balanced bowls, wraps, and smoothies for in-store dining and pre-portioned weekly meals. Official website: cleaneatz.com.
Captain Sub
One of Canada’s original submarine sandwich chains, also known as Cap’n Sub. It offers classic cold cuts and grilled subs. Official website: captainsub.ca.
Chopstix
A fast-casual pan-Asian noodle bar chain based in the United Kingdom. It serves customizable boxes of noodles or rice with various toppings. Official website: chopstixnoodles.co.uk.
Cojean
A French fast-casual chain with a focus on high-quality, healthy, and fresh seasonal foods like sandwiches, salads, soups, and fresh juices. Official website: cojean.fr.
California Tortilla
A fast-casual Mexican chain known for its fresh, made-to-order burritos, tacos, and quesadillas, along with a signature “Wall of Flame” hot sauce bar. Official website: californiatortilla.com.
Chargrill Charlie’s
A family-run Australian chain famous for its chargrilled chickens, diverse salads, and home-style sides. A beloved institution in Sydney and Melbourne. Official website: chargrillcharlies.com.
Caffè Nero
An Italian-style coffee house chain with a strong presence in the UK, Europe, and the US. Known for its premium coffee and European cafe atmosphere. Official website: caffenero.com.
City Barbeque
A fast-casual barbeque joint that smokes its meats on-site. The menu features classic BBQ platters, sandwiches, and scratch-made sides and desserts. Official website: citybbq.com.
Corner Bakery Cafe
A fast-casual cafe serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The menu includes sandwiches, panini, pastas, salads, and baked goods. Number of locations has decreased. Official website: cornerbakerycafe.com. last-checked: 2024-05.
Crave Hot Dogs & BBQ
A fast-growing franchise serving specialty hot dogs, sausages, and BBQ. Many locations feature a self-serve beer and wine wall. Official website: iwantcrave.com.
Creamistry
An ice cream parlor that specializes in made-to-order liquid nitrogen ice cream. The flash-freezing process results in an exceptionally creamy product. Official website: creamistry.com.
If you think there is a missing term, let us know using the contact form.