13 Popular Fast Food Chains That Originated Outside The US

One of the greatest aspects of the United States is that it is truly a melting pot of cultures and tastes culled from around the globe. Over the past century, it has returned the favor, and flavor, as an exporter of its own culture and culinary creations that carry a unique American spin. Travel around any continent (sans Antarctica) and it's almost impossible to avoid seeing the Golden Arches of McDonald's or Colonel Sanders' smiling face wherever you go. With the world now connected more than ever, receptive to novel flavors, fast food and fast casual chains from abroad have sought to bring something new to the table to try and conquer America.

While some of these chains blend right in alongside U.S. joints, with customers even blissfully unaware the establishments originated overseas, others proudly pay homage to home. Join us, as The Takeout brings you on a gastronomic journey around the world highlighting these chains that may also just be around the block. Let's dig in.

America used to be dominated by KFC, but the acronym took on new meaning in the 21st century when double-fried and super sauced Korean fried chicken broke out on the scene. Leading the charge has been Bonchon, which means "my hometown," and fittingly opened in the hometown of founder Jinduk Seo in Busan, South Korea.

Fort Lee, New Jersey was home to the first U.S. location of Bonchon, starting in 2006, with a flagship New York City location that opened shortly after. The New York Times praised Bonchon's unique fare early on, describing it as, "like Buffalo wings after a school year abroad, the familiar transformed into something more confident and alluring."

While the flavors are unmistakably Korean, the American palate remains in mind for future menu additions. It helps that Bonchon's International R&D chef Jae Park is based at the company's headquarters in Dallas, bridging the two culinary cultures together. The chain has around 500 locations across the globe, and about 150 in the U.S., with an eye on expansion in several markets including Illinois, Kansas, California, Nebraska, and Texas. In a statement provided to The Takeout, Suzie Tsai, Bonchon CEO said, "Bonchon has been serving up crispy, craveable Korean fried chicken around the world for many years and the love for our food just keeps growing. With Korean culture more in the spotlight than ever, we're excited to bring our bold, authentic flavors to even more neighborhoods in the U.S."

In 1971, Sergio and Bruno Costa brought their tastemaking acumen for coffee from Italy to London. A decade later, the brothers opened their very first coffee shop, which would turn into a well loved and modest chain. The brothers sold their modest chain to Whitbread in 1995, that helped rapidly expand the brand, helping to cement Costa Coffee as the U.K.'s most favorite and dominant coffee shop.

Coca-Cola found a lack for such a product in its vast portfolio, and in 2018, acquired the brand for a cool $5.1 billion. Under Coca-Cola stewardship, Costa Coffee has seen an expanded presence in the U.S., including the opening of a few cafes in Atlanta, starting in 2022. Beyond its own shops, Costa Coffee is making the rounds with its grounds in a variety of ways across the country — partnering with restaurants and shops to serve its coffee, and the presence of self-serving Smart Cafè machines. The latter can brew over 200 kinds of beverages, with the beans ground fresh for each and every drink.

Pancho Ochoa was a shoe salesman in Guasave Sinaloa, Mexico who questioned the business practices of a local grilled chicken restaurant that would only sell 100 chickens a day. Ochoa had the "crazy" idea to sell the chickens that this proprietor wouldn't, and with his mother's recipe in hand, he turned his shoe shop into El Pollo Loco, which opened its doors in 1975. From there, the citrus-marinaded chicken chain expanded across Mexico, before Ochoa took his talents to the Los Angeles market in 1980.

The first L.A. location was immediately overwhelmed with demand that further U.S. expansion was already on the plate. Humberto Galvez, chief executive of El Pollo Loco North America told the Los Angeles Times in 1982, "We are going to locate in predominantly Latino communities, where people will recognize our name, and we will slowly expand into other communities from this base." Even Brad Pitt helped hype its arrival, as one of first Hollywood jobs included dressing up as the chicken mascot.

Today, El Pollo Loco has nearly 500 locations across Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, Texas, Utah, and Louisiana, with plans for expand to Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, and Washington. In 2025, the brand also updated its digital and in-store experiences. Jill Adams, El Pollo Loco CMO, said in a statement, "The goal of this brand refresh is to ensure people know who we are, what we stand for and what they can expect from us before they even walk through the door of a restaurant."

Bubble tea (also known as boba tea) drinks originated in Taiwan back in the 1980s, and one of the biggest names leading the modern charge has been Gong cha, founded in 2006 in by Zhen-Hua (Super) Wu and Ming-Hsi (Frank) Huang. The brand's name means to offer the best tea to the emperor from all of one's possessions, and has aimed to do that for everyone with over 600 drink combinations at its disposal.

Gong Cha has since expanded to 30 international markets, with close to 2,200 locations. The very first one to open in the U.S. was in Flushing, Queens, back in 2014, and the push for further franchises in the Northeast was spurred by the father-daughter team of Sam and Anchal Lamba.

Mark Treptow, vice president of franchise sales and development for Gong cha Americas gave the following statement to The Takeout, "The strength of our brand is attracting experienced, multi-unit operators who see real opportunity in this category, and we're confident in our goal of surpassing 500 U.S. locations in the next three years." Its current sites lay mostly east of the Rockies, but a westward expansion is already well in the works, including plans to scale to 200 locations in California, as well as first outposts in Arizona, Washington state, and Hawaii.

Kaspar Basse wanted to make health food attractive and began this journey by opening his first cafe and juice bar in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 2002. The name fit the products on sale — Joe & The Juice, and the attractive vibe it gave off turned into a following that launched more stores. London received the first non-Danish location in 2009, with other European countries soon climbing aboard.

The next big leap would be to try its hand across the pond. In 2015, Joe & The Juice opened up its first U.S. outfit, located on Spring Street, in New York's SoHo district. Minor tweaks were made to the operation, like offering additional drink sizes, as well as referring to its shakes as smoothies. The response was encouraging enough to begin slowly expanding across the country, but Basse wanted to ensure the ethos and culture of his brand wouldn't suffer in the process. He told Fortune in 2023, "I am of the belief that these things are the same no matter where you approach the world. I think our model can be applied in Scandinavia, in the U.S., in India, in the Middle East — but that might just call for a little bit of patience."

Joe & The Juice has over 400 locations across 18 countries, with the aspiration to have 1,000 open by 2028. Currently, 74 are serving up coffee and juice in the U.S., with an eye on expansion into new markets like New Jersey, Texas, and Virginia.

In 1975, Dr. Tony Tan Caktiong opened an ice cream shop in Manila, Philippines, and within three years, the cold foods were replaced with hot ones with his burgeoning "yumburger" spot Jollibee. It would go on to become a chain so beloved in its home country that it became a more common sight than McDonald's.

When Jollibee entered the U.S. market in 1998, it chose Daly City, California because of its large concentration of Filipino residents. Expats were excited to dig in on its famous plates of spaghetti, and fried chicken, while curious locals flocked to try something new. Jay Visco, marketing director of Jollibee's international division, told The San Francisco Examiner not long after opening, "Once you taste the peach-mango pie, you will not go back to apple pie."

Today, Jollibee has over 1,700 locations in 17 countries, with over 70 located in the U.S. alone. The chain maintains its original signature flavors, but also has adapted to tastes in the U.S., including adding Angus beef burgers to the menu in March of 2025. Per a statement to The Takeout, Luis Velasco, senior vice president and marketing head at Jollibee North America noted, "Jollibee brings the joy of eating wherever it opens its doors, and we are very grateful that the North American consumer has welcomed us with open arms." He added, "We're committed to strategic growth across the U.S., on our way to becoming a $1 billion business, focusing on communities where we believe Jollibee can become a beloved part of the local fabric."

Alain Coumont was a Belgian restaurateur who didn't think local breads rose to the occasion, so he got to baking rustic ones himself. Demand for his baked goods led to the opening of the first Le Pain Quotidien, meaning "the daily bread," in 1990.

By the end of the 20th century, New York City had become a sort of Belgian haven, where waffles, frites, chocolates, mussels, and beer were being served all over town. A part of that movement included Le Pain Quotidien, which opened its first New York flagship location on the Upper East Side back in 1997. Included in its American version was one of the chain's staples — a communal table, where customers shared space and an array of Belgian inspired foods.

Today, customers can order up their "daily bread" at over 210 of the bakeries in 19 countries. While the pandemic forced the chain into bankruptcy in the U.S., one can still break bread at its approximately 48 remaining locations in America.

Julian Metcalfe and Sinclair Beecham borrowed the French phrase "Pret A Manger" ("ready to eat") and turned it into an iconic British chain of freshly made packaged sandwiches, with great organic coffee to wash it down with. The first Pret location opened in London back in 1986, and in 2000, the U.S. finally got its first taste by opening its doors on Broad Street in New York City, a location that still stands today.

Pret had to adapt to this new market, especially for finicky New Yorkers used to getting their sandwiches how they want them at the corner deli. This included toning down the amount of mayonnaise in puts in its sandwiches, as well as offering more dressings for salads, and different types of drinks than it did in the old country.

About 700 Pret locations are now spread across the globe, with the U.S. home to 65. Speaking in a statement sent to The Takeout, Felipe Athayde, president of Pret A Manger, North America noted, "Pret may have been born in London, but for the past 25 years it's been embraced by New Yorkers and customers in other major U.S. cities who share our love for organic coffee and freshly made food." He added, "Our shops are designed for busy people who want fresh, high-quality, craveable options with maximum convenience and without compromise — and we're proud to bring a bit of that Pret joy to our local communities across the country."

The peri-peri pepper was cultivated by Portuguese settlers in Africa in the 15th century, and when combined with garlic, red wine vinegar, paprika and other ingredients it made for a lovely marinade for chicken. Flash forward to 1987, when two friends, Fernando Duarte and Robbie Brozin, tried this chicken at a Portuguese eatery called Chickenland in Rosettenville, South Africa and loved it so much that they bought the restaurant. From that love, it became a global franchise that went by its more well known name Nando's PERi-PERi.

While Canada had been enjoying Nando's since 1994, the U.S. had to sweat it out for 14 years before getting its first taste. Fittingly, an international town like Washington, D.C. was chosen for the first location. Burton Heiss, chief executive for the company's U.S. operations, told Leader in 2008, "Americans have absolutely embraced it without knowing that it comes from South Africa specifically or that it has a Portuguese influence." While the 24-hour marinated chicken remains the main draw, the U.S. menus have seen some items only specific to its shores, with recent additions like PERi mac (& cheese) and PERi ranch sauce.

Today, Nando's has about 1,200 restaurants in 24 countries. The U.S. has around 50 of those in Virginia, Maryland, Washington, D.C., Chicago, and newer ones that opened up in Atlanta and Texas.

In 1986, SPC Group launched a European-style bakery called Paris Croissant in Seoul, South Korea, and within a couple of years it was rebranded as Paris Baguette, and turned into a budding franchise. When it entered the U.S. market in 2005, it chose a place with a built-in appetite — Los Angeles' Koreatown. Now, 20 years on, Paris Baguette has created a solid foothold in America with over 250 locations, with the goal to hit 1,000 by 2030. In that time it has made inroads in its namesake French city it emulates, and the Korean bakers even beat the locals at their own game, winning the prestigious Coupe du Monde de Boulangerie.

In words shared with The Takeout, Cathy Chavenet, chief marketing officer at Paris Baguette North America, noted, "We are focused on reestablishing the neighborhood bakery cafe as the heart of the community across North America. Expansion is more than simply adding locations, it's about creating new cafe spaces where friends and loved ones can gather to enjoy our freshly made, high quality, pastries, cakes, and coffees."

Pollo Campero translates as "country chicken," and the country that gave rise to this chain's flavorful chicken is Guatemala, where the first location opened in 1971. The taste sensation then spilled over into other Central American neighbor markets like El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and to the north, Mexico. For those in U.S., the only way Pollo Campero's chicken made it across the borders was by those who were buying it directly from airports in San Salvador and Guatemala City and flying it into Los Angeles for friends and loved ones. At one point, those airport locations were selling up to 3 million to-go orders.

Demand for Pollo Campero's fried and rotisserie chicken finally brought a location to The City of Angels in 2002, and eventually expanded across the country. While those signature items still headline the menus in the U.S., it has also adapted to native tongues, offering up familiar favorites including chicken sandwiches and nuggets.

Lorena Rivera, Pollo Campero's director of field marketing gave the following statement to The Takeout, "Since we opened our first U.S. location in Los Angeles in 2002, Pollo Campero has grown to over 130 American restaurants while staying true to our family recipes passed down for over 50 years." She added, "We've thoughtfully adapted our menu while maintaining the bold, complex flavors baked into our DNA. As we expand into new markets like Tampa and Manhattan, we're proving that authentic Guatemalan flavor has found its home in America."

Miles "Tim" Gilbert Horton was an NHL legend who helped the Toronto Maple Leafs win four Stanley Cups, and then helped fill the cups and hands of his customers with coffee and baked goods with an eponymous donut shop. The first one opened in Canada's Hamilton, Ontario in 1964, and after Horton died in a car accident in 1974, his good name lives on in a beloved chain of morning goodies north of the border. While Florida was technically home to the first two locations in the early 1980s, Tim Hortons considers the one it opened in Tonawanda, New York, back in 1984, as its first entry to its neighbors to the south.

Today, there are over 6,000 Tims across the globe, with over 650 dotting the United States landscape, selling way more than just coffee and donuts. Its major markets include New York State, Michigan, and Ohio, and expanding in markets like New Jersey, Texas, Georgia, Virginia, Missouri, and Delaware. Horton's playing career ended with the Buffalo Sabres, and the city remains a large fan of the brand, as it is even the official coffee of The Buffalo Bills.

While its name is French for "every day," and its baked goods are a nod to Parisian bakeries, TOUS les JOURS is South Korean at heart. The very first one opened in Guri, South Korea, in 1997, and within two years it had opened its 100th location. In 2004, TOUS les JOURS was ready to take its brand global and started with an outpost in Los Angeles.

In South Korea, bread is often sweet, seen as more of a snack, and not a part of every meal. That's pretty much the opposite in America, and TOUS Les JOURS adapted to its new market, while also opening mouths to new breaded tastes. Alexandra Hager, who is the beverage specialist for parent company CJ Foodville, noted in a 2022 company interview that, "Succeeding in the United States can safely be thought of as one of the fastest and surest routes to becoming a truly global franchise."

Today, there are more than 110 locations of TOUS les JOURS across America, with the ambitious plan to have 1,000 up and running by 2030. While there is always a wide variety of breads and treats to order up, the chain has tweaked regional menus in the U.S. to reflect local tastes, habits, and even vibes.