Let's face it: much of the reason why Canadians take trips to the U.S. and other countries is to try out their food chains. Well, Redditor u/JackMaverick7 asked: "What's one store/restaurant chain you visited in another country you wish existed in Canada?" And here's what people said:
1. "Trader Joe’s, although I’d be weary it would get the Target treatment and lose its magic."
3. "Cracker Barrel, and bring back Olive Garden for Ontario!"
"Edited to add 'for Ontario,' since those lucky SOBs out west still have Olive Garden."
– u/jax_md
4. "Pret a Manger and Costa from the UK. Apparently Pret is coming to Canada, and Costa did a weird gas station only roll-out a few years ago, but a real coffee shop would be nice."
(Pret a Manger actually does exist in Canada now, but between the two of us, I'm not sure if it lives up to its UK locations.)
5. "I can't believe nobody's said Waffle House yet."
"It’s about time we have a familiar 24-hour place to go to! Tim Hortons is always out of the good stuff past 9."
6. "P.F Chang’s. They don’t have any where I’m from; just Edmonton, Quebec, and Winnipeg."
7. "Yoshinoya in Japan."
8. "I wish Target came back, but actually replicated the American model they had. The reason it's so popular among Canadians is because of how great it is in the U.S."
"When Target came to Canada it was a complete disaster. Undergrad business students have Target case studies. That's how bad it was."
– [deleted user]
"I liked Target in the US. It's like Walmart or Canadian Tire but just a touch more upscale."
9. "This might be a bit obscure, but the hotdogs in Iceland are absolutely unbeatable. I'd love to have some Icelandic hot dogs here in Canada."
10. "Xi’an Famous Foods. Need some hand stretched noodles drowned in hot chili oil."
11. "The pizza shops from NYC. The ambience, the food, the people in there — IDK, I like them."
12. "Whataburger. I was in Houston for a week and ate their bacon and avocado on toasted sourdough burger every night I was there."
"I lived in Texas for a few years, and I reeeeaaaalllyyy miss Whataburger."
13. "Jack in the Box. There's one like less than 10 minutes across the border in Washington. Just make the jump already!"
14. "Pie Face from Australia. We need pie shops here that are cheap and delicious."
15. "In-N-Out Burger."
– u/C_HVAC, u/sanchez198, u/Frosty_Gas_2070, u/BananaBeach007
16. "People have already mentioned In-N-Out, so I'll go with El Pollo Loco. Their BBQ chicken is fantastic!"
17. "Five Below."
18. "I've said it before, but Hillbilly's. It's a chicken shop in Ireland, and it has THE BEST fried chicken I've ever had anywhere."
19. "Red Ribbon bakery. They are from the Philippines and all over California. Good cakes and desserts."
21. "There was a Johnny Rockets in Vancouver till 2021. They closed. I never got to try them, but the online reviews were pretty good."
– [deleted user]
22. "Oregano’s. I still dream about the deep dish chicken pesto pizza I had there in Phoenix."
"It takes an hour for them to make it, but it's totally worth the wait. It doesn’t feel like long when you’re with a friend and you both like margaritas anyway."
23. And lastly, of course, "Shake Shack."
