Shoney’s will always hold a special place in my heart.
I spent a lot of Sunday afternoons in my childhood there, eating brunch with my parents after church.
(Ok, mostly I ate Jello and French toast sticks from the food bar – but, you know, still counts!)
However, let’s face facts…
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There are a TON of great breakfast places out there these days, and Shoney’s is facing some real stiff competition.
And in fact, plenty of fans of these restaurants would claim they’ve far surpassed Shoney’s at this point.
Are they right? Well, that’s for you to decide, starting with…
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Where you’ll find them: Despite having suddenly closed its only Maine location earlier this week, Cracker Barrel is still in 43 states!
All about the breakfast: Cracker Barrel’s steak n’ egg hashbrown casserole is truly one of the best breakfast dishes you can get anywhere. If you need more customization, try the “build your own” homestyle breakfast.
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Where you’ll find them: Every state and plenty of foreign countries – IHOP is everywhere you want it to be.
All about the breakfast: I mean, it’s in the name, right? IHOP has great pancakes and stuffed French toast. Their omelets aren’t half bad, either.
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Where you’ll find them: Biscuitville has 70 locations stretching across North and South Carolina, and Virginia.
All about the breakfast: The biscuits are great, of course – but what impressed me most about Biscuitville is that they’ve done a lot of cool “twists” on traditional favorites. Try their confetti killer brownie or one of the breakfast sandwiches with waffles for buns! (Reminds me a bit of the KFC Double Down.)
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Where you’ll find them: Waffle House is in 25 (mostly Southern and Midwestern) states.
All about the breakfast: It’s in the name! Waffles at Waffle House are fantastic, and they’ve got a bunch of traditional, greasy, delicious diner favorites – all at a very reasonable price.
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Where you’ll find them: Le Pain is scattered across the country in a few clusters – California on the West Coast; Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York, in the Northeast, and Virginia and Florida in the South.
All about the breakfast: “Le pain” is French for “bread” so it’s no surprise that their breakfast sandwiches, croissants, tartines, and baked goods are all excellent. Get the chocolate mousse cake if you’ve had a really bad day.
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Where you’ll find them: Denny’s is in 49 states (sorry Delaware!) and in loads of other countries too.
All about the breakfast: Denny’s grand slam is a great meal with a great price. But really, you’ll find most of their food to be great – the pancake slams are great, the berry vanilla crepe breakfast, maple stuffed donut holes, eggs benedict, and grand slam burrito are all excellent, there are just a ton of great breakfast choices here.
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Where you’ll find them: Bob Evans has over 400 locations in 18 states; their highest concentrations are in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio.
All about the breakfast: Bob Evans’ farmhand biscuit sandwich platter is an old favorite, and the whole hog (yes, that’s what it’s called) is fantastic if you’ve got a powerful hunger.
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Where you’ll find them: Tupelo Honey Cafe is in several states, including Alabama, Pennsylvania, Iowa, Texas, Virginia, and North Carolina. (They’re based in Asheville.)
All about the breakfast: I love their twists on old favorites – like their sweet & spicy fried chicken & waffles (sriracha honey is the secret), their smothered chicken & biscuits, and especially their avocado toast & eggs.
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Where you’ll find them: Shoney’s is in over a dozen states, ranging from Oklahoma in the west, as far north as western Pennsylvania, and on down to Florida. It’s a southern chain, so no surprise that most of its locations are in the South.
All about the breakfast: Honestly, the only thing I have ever ordered off the Shoney’s menu was the biscuits and gravy – mostly I just go to the fresh food bar and load up on traditional breakfast favorites like bacon, eggs, and ham! (Their French toast sticks are an old favorite from my childhood.)
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So there you have it – seven breakfast chains whose fans would absolutely claim they’ve beaten Shoney’s.
And let’s face it – Shoney’s has been in need of updating for some time, so they make a good point.
But here’s the big question:
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What do YOU think?
Does Shoney’s nostalgia still carry you through, or has one of these competitors beaten it?
And are there any great breakfast chains I’ve missed?
Let us know in the comments!
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