P.F. Chang’s is a bit more pricey, but they’re all over the country. I’ve also never seen a nationwide Thai or ramen chain, both styles of cuisine that should adapt well to our nation’s cheap, fast food lifestyle.

Andy beat me to the PF Chang’s note. There’s one right near the convention center in Austin. They are widely introducing their “fast-casual concept” restuarant, Pei Wei, around the southwest.

Panda Express has 600 locations in 37 states… small potatoes compared to some of the other franchises you mentioned, but nothing to sneeze at!

Panda Express isn’t as large as the other fast food places you’ve mentioned, but it has pretty good coverage with 500 locations in 38 states.

They’re not actually all one chain, but pretty much any Chinese place with “Panda” in the name is crap fast food, so it’s kind of a defacto chain, right?

I’ve always assumed it’s because chain stores have to pay their workers, while family-run Chinese places don’t.

Manchu Wok is another, mostly mall-based, chain. I wasn’t aware that it was still legal to run a mall food court in this country without either a Manchu Wok or a Panda Express.

On a similar note, Yoshinoya has 83 locations in the US. I love Yoshinoya, I used to eat there every weekday, there was a location 1 block from where I worked.

Brinker (Chili’s, Macaroni Grill, Corner Bakery, Maggiano’s, etc) has a chain named “Big Bowl”. I haven’t seen one yet, but I’ve been on the lookout for one.

Brinker’s HQ is here in Dallas, BTW.

I read an article about the lack of Chinese restaurant chains about a year ago. I think it was in the Wall Street Journal. The jist of it was that using a wok is a highly skilled occupation, and also dangerous. It’s not easy to hire a wok chef. Fast food chains are usually based on a fixed system of food preparation with minimal skills required.

heihei,that`s because I haven`t spare my company chain to your country.My mother can cook perfect
Chinese traditional food,once I`ve earned sufficient money,I will found my Chinese food chain,and enter the American market.
See that,20years hence:)

er,I`m also a programmer mastered java programming,i`m in Wuhan of Middle China,welcome you to my wenbsite,and communicate with me^^

The reason why there are few Chinese chain restaurants in the US is because China has few standardized dishes and cooking is more difficult. Americans also don’t really care too much for exotic food. Popular Chinese dishes like fish heads, duck lungs, animal genitals, pig blood soup, snake, cats, squirrel, pigs feet, brains, intestines, eel, ears, pigeons, and dog meat are revolting to most American tastes. Ironically, what Americans consider to be real Chinese food doesn’t exist in China. Fortune cookies, sweet and sour pork, and egg rolls are all American inventions.