6 Popular Fast-Food Chains In Minnesota Actually Cook From Scratch
Minnesotans have a bit of a reputation when it comes to fast food, and it might surprise you. According to a recent study measuring what people spend relative to their income, Minnesota ranks near the very bottom of the country — 44th out of 50 states — for fast-food spending.
But spending less doesn't mean we don't have opinions. We all have that chain we'll defend to anyone who'll listen. And here's the twist that might change how you feel about your go-to order: some of the biggest names in the drive-thru game aren't relying on frozen, prepped, or reheated food at all. They're actually cooking from scratch.
A rundown of these chains highlighted a handful of spots doing the extra work, and the good news is that six of them have a strong presence right here in Minnesota.
Here's who made the cut, what they actually make fresh, and how many you'll find across the state.
Six Fast-Food Chains That Make Their Food From Scratch In Minnesota
Walk in before the lunch rush, and it looks more like a prep kitchen than a fast-food counter. Employees hand-cut the potatoes for those famous fries, slice the produce, and portion fresh, never-frozen beef that only hits the grill after you order. There aren't even freezers, microwaves, or heat lamps in the building.
You'll find Five Guys in around 20 Minnesota cities, from Duluth in the north down to Rochester and Mankato, with a heavy cluster through the Twin Cities metro. Check the full Minnesota list here.
Long before you're deciding between broccoli cheddar soup and a sandwich, Panera's bakers have already been at it for hours. Bread, bagels, and pastries are baked fresh in-house every single day.
And because that bread is baked daily, most of what doesn't sell doesn't get thrown out — many cafes donate it through the company's Day-End Dough-Nation program.
Minnesota is home to 31 Panera locations spread across 27 cities, reaching from Duluth to Rochester with a dense cluster through the metro and just about everywhere in between.
Culver's cooks its burgers only after you order, using fresh, never-frozen beef, and churns its frozen custard in small batches throughout the day rather than making giant batches ahead of time. As the company puts it, it's not the easiest way to do it, but they believe it's the right way.
It's interesting to note that while Culver's was born in Wisconsin, Minnesota got the chain's very first location outside its home state, which opened in Buffalo back in September 1995. Today there are 65 Culver's across Minnesota, the 6th-most of any state in the country.
If you've ever noticed the workers always seem to have a knife in hand, this is why. Before the first lunch customer walks in, crews have already chopped the onions, peppers, and other produce by hand, mashed guacamole from whole avocados, grilled the chicken and steak, and cooked rice that gets replenished all day long.
Chipotle is big in Minnesota — 96 locations statewide, with the heaviest concentration in the Twin Cities metro (Minneapolis alone has 10) and stores reaching out to greater-Minnesota cities like Alexandria, Baxter, and Fergus Falls.
The chicken sandwich that made it famous doesn't start as a frozen patty. Employees hand-bread the chicken throughout the day inside each restaurant, and salads, fruit cups, and many breakfast items are prepped fresh daily. The chain also packages eligible surplus food for local shelters through its Shared Table program.
There are 27 Chick-fil-A locations across Minnesota, most of them in the Twin Cities metro, with standalone spots in Duluth, Rochester, and St. Cloud — and more on the way.
The smallest footprint on this list, but a devoted following. Shake Shack smashes its burgers on the grill after you order, preps produce fresh daily, and churns its frozen custard in small batches all day instead of trucking in premade tubs.
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Minnesota currently has five open Shake Shacks — at the Mall of America, MSP Airport, Southdale Center in Edina, Rosedale Center in Roseville, and The Shoppes at Arbor Lakes in Maple Grove — with a sixth on the way in the east metro. Find them all on the Shake Shack locator.
So the next time someone gives you a hard time for hitting the drive-thru, you've got a comeback ready: some of this food is fresher and made with more care than the sit-down spot down the street. We may not spend the most on fast food here in Minnesota — but we can absolutely spend it well.
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Gallery Credit: Carly Ross
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