The Southern Fast Food Spot Serving Burgers And Biscuits That's Worth A Trip

In the fast food world, regional chains are a unique set of restaurants. Spots like Portillos, Bojangles, and Cook Out might be one of your favorite visits, while someone five states away might have never heard of it.

One such chain in the South is Jack's — a beloved fast food spot with more than 250 locations in Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, and Mississippi. The biggest difference with Jack's — as opposed to other regional chains — is it intentionally opens restaurants in rural locations. According to Marketplace, 45% of Jack's restaurants are in small towns with less than 7,000 residents. We're talking places like Boaz, Alabama; Fayetteville, Tennessee; Camilla, Georgia; and Kosciusko, Mississippi. 

The strategy makes sense, as even though these are smaller towns, they also have limited dining options. A spot like Jack's that's open seven days a week from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. is a viable option for breakfast, lunch, or dinner at almost any time. So that's a little about Jack's itself, but what is the food like?

Being a Southern-focused restaurant, Jack's menu is built to appeal to its demographic. The restaurant offers all sorts of breakfast options — biscuits with chicken, sausage, steak, and gravy, or breakfast specials with eggs and pancakes. During the rest of the day, you'll find a wide range of burgers, chicken sandwiches, fried chicken dinners and boxes, and even a few salads. The sides are typical Southern fare — green beans, fries, mac and cheese, coleslaw, and mashed potatoes and gravy — one of the best versions of this classic offered by fast food restaurants.

Reviews are hit or miss with Jack's, but Redditors seem to love it. "As a recent transplant from DC to Alabama can confirm that Jack's is the cornerstone of many smaller Alabama towns," one person comments. Another commenter says they had never heard of Jack's before but visited on the way to vacation. "Highly recommend both the chicken and the burger," they said. "Fries were very good as well. Out of the many fast food places unavailable to us Northerners, this one left the best memory." And then there's the ultimate compliment from one commenter on a Reddit thread — "Jack's is a God tier restaurant. Thank y'all so much for this gift to the world."

Overall, because of Jack's commitment to serving small communities with few restaurants, it tends to have dedicated customers. Some that even eat more than one meal a day there. So if you're ever in Jack's four-state footprint, it's worth the stop to try the chain's breakfast, burgers, or chicken. We don't think you'll leave disappointed.