In a fast-food landscape crowded with new sandwiches, viral drops, and limited-time flexes, the item America just crowned as its favorite isn't a headliner at all—it's a side. Church's Texas Chicken's Honey-Butter Biscuit™ has been voted the No. 1 Best Fast Food Side in the USA TODAY 10Best Readers' Choice Awards, and the brand's signature fried chicken landed at No. 2 Best Fast Food Fried Chicken nationwide.
That double recognition puts Church's among only a handful of brands honored in multiple top categories—a notable feat in a segment where consumer loyalty is famously hard to earn and even harder to keep.
A 74-Year-Old Side Dish Steals the Show
The USA TODAY 10Best Readers' Choice Awards celebrate the best travel, food, and lifestyle experiences across the country. Winners are determined by public voting after a panel of experts curates the nominees—meaning this is a mandate from actual guests, not just a critics' pick.
The honor traces back to a tradition that began at Church's founding in San Antonio, Texas, in 1952. While the recipe has evolved into the Honey-Butter Biscuit™ guests love today, the from-scratch commitment has stayed central to the experience.
"This win belongs to the team members who take tremendous pride in every batch and to the guests who have loved our biscuits for generations," said Roland Gonzalez, Chief Executive Officer of Church's Texas Chicken. "Our Honey-Butter Biscuits are part of family meals, celebrations, traditions and everyday moments of comfort. To have America vote them No. 1 is an incredible honor."
Inside Church's restaurants, biscuit-making is treated as a craft. Team members describe personal rituals—kneading the dough by hand, even praying over each batch as if serving their own family. Guests bring their own memories, too: biscuits shared around the childhood dinner table, on road trips, at celebrations, or as comfort during hard times.
"Every batch has a maker, and every guest has a memory," Gonzalez said. "That is what makes this recognition so meaningful."
The Fried Chicken Backbone
The No. 2 nod for Church's fried chicken reinforces the brand's core promise: bold flavor and quality. Prepared with a signature blend of seasonings and hand-battered for its distinctive crunch, the chicken remains a draw for guests seeking authentic, Texas-inspired fried chicken. Freshly prepared in small batches throughout the day and double-breaded, it anchors a menu that also includes tenders, sandwiches, and classic home-style sides—all positioned around value.
Today Church's Texas Chicken® and its international sister brand Texas Chicken™ operate more than 1,500 locations across 25 countries and global markets, with system-wide sales topping $1.6 billion. Owned by High Bluff Capital Partners and Future Standard since 2021, the brand celebrated its 74th anniversary in 2026.
Why It Matters
For QSR operators and foodservice executives, the takeaway here isn't just that a biscuit won an award—it's which item won and what that reveals about how consumers assign value.
- Sides are strategic, not incidental. A signature side can become the emotional and marketing anchor of a brand, driving attachment that a rotating cast of entrées often can't. If your menu treats sides as afterthoughts, this is a prompt to reassess.
- Craft and consistency travel. Church's scaled a from-scratch, hand-made ethos across 1,500+ units in 25 countries. That's proof that operational discipline—not just recipe—is what protects a signature item as a chain grows.
- Storytelling sells. The "every batch has a maker, every guest has a memory" framing turns a low-cost bakery item into brand equity. Operators can borrow the playbook: identify the one menu item worth building a narrative around.
- Awards are a promotion engine. Church's converted the honor into immediate traffic with a limited-time offer (details below), tying earned recognition directly to app downloads and loyalty sign-ups.
In a segment fighting for share against relentless value wars and menu fatigue, a beloved, high-margin signature side is exactly the kind of durable differentiator every operator should be hunting for.
The Celebration Offer
To mark the USA TODAY 10Best honors, Church's is running a limited-time deal. From July 15 through July 23, 2026, guests can use promo code BESTBISCUIT to receive three free Honey-Butter Biscuits™ with a purchase of $20 or more when ordering through the Church's app or at Churchs.com. Real Rewards members will have the deal automatically loaded to their accounts to redeem through July 23, 2026.
For more on Church's Texas Chicken, visit www.churchs.com.
Curious how other operators are turning menu items and partnerships into brand momentum? See our coverage of the top full-service restaurant franchises to consider in 2026 and how chains are building buzz through signature collaborations.
Does a standout side belong at the center of your menu strategy? Weigh in—we want to hear how you're building loyalty around signature items in the comments.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine’s “Top 40 Under 40” for founding American Wholesale Floral. Politz is also the founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
