9 North Carolina Food and Beverage Chains

Pepsi (New Bern, NC)

In 1893, Pharmacist Caleb Bradgam began experimenting with soft drink concoctions for his friends and patrons to sample. One of Caleb’s beverages was “Brad’s Drink” which was eventually renamed to Pepsi-Cola in 1898. In 1902, he applied for a trademark and formed the Pepsi-Cola company. As of 2024, Pepsi has a net worth of $226.74 billion and is one of the most well-known of the NC chains.

Krispy Kreme (Winston Salem, NC)

During the Great Depression in 1937, Owner Vernon Rudolph founded Krispy Kreme, another one of the most famous chains. Rudolph bought a year-raised recipe from a New Orleans chef, rented a building, and began selling to local grocery stores. That year, Vernon opened his store in Winston-Salem. Winston-Salem is where his favorite cigarette company, Camel Cigarettes, is headquartered. The first international location was in Penrith, New South Wales, Australia. As of 2024, there are now 1,400 locations and it operates in the United States, Canada, and over 36 other countries across the world and is one of the most popular North Carolina food and beverages.

Cheerwine (Salisbury, NC)

In 1917, Lewis D. Peeler founded “the oldest continuing soft drink company still operated by the same family,” in Salisbury, North Carolina. Cheerwine officially became a registered trademark in 1926. Cheerwine began partnering with NASCAR, Krispy Kreme, and Old Carolina Barbeque, getting the name out to the public.

Hardee’s (Greenville, NC)

Wilber Hardee, the founder of Hardee’s, began with his namesake restaurant in Greenville in 1960. A year later, Wilber expanded, opening a location in Rocky Mount as the first company store. At the end of the 1960’s, the corporation had expanded to almost 200 restaurants with its first international location being in West Germany.

Mt. Olive Pickle Company (Mount Olive, NC)

In 1926, Shikrey Baddour founded the largest independent pickle company in the United States. It started in the mid-1920s when Baddour, a Lebanese immigrant, wanted to find a way to use wasted cucumber crops. This idea did not go as planned, leaving Baddour with no buyers, but by 1926 he began coming up with a new plan. The Mt. Olive Pickle Company became formally established when Baddour connected with the Mount Olive business people, led by Headley Morris Cox.

Texas Pete (Winston-Salem, NC)

Don’t let the name fool you… Winston-Salem is the birthplace of Texas Pete. In 1929, Sam Garner, the operator of the Dixie Pig barbecue stand, introduced Texas Pete. After customers began asking for a spicier sauce, his son, Thad Garner, developed the hot sauce we know today. The original name “Mexican Joe,” was shut down by his father, saying the name should be American.

Biscuitville (Graham, NC)

The idea of Biscuitville came to Maurice Jennings in 1966 with the first official Biscuitville opening in Danville, VA in 1975. The original concept was a Pizza restaurant named Pizzaville in Burlington in 1967. Maurice wanted a way to have the business work for morning hours so he started offering made-from-scratch biscuits, a Jennings family recipe. Eventually, the biscuits began selling more than the pizzas. As of April 2024, there are over 82 Biscuitville locations across North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.

Bojangles (Charlotte, NC)

Jack Fulk and Richard Thomas of Charlotte, North Carolina developed the concept of Bojangles in 1977. Bojangles became popular after being the only restaurant to remain open during Hurricane Hugo. The chain has restaurants in 17 US states, Honduras, Grand Caymen Island, Jamaica, Mexico, and China. Ot’s home state of North Carolina has the largest number of chains with 353 restaurants.

Cook Out (Greensboro, NC)

Cookout was founded in 1989 in Greensboro, North Carolina by Morris Reaves. He remains the owner of Cook Out with his son, Jeremy Reaves, serving as the CEO. As of November 2022, there are 326 locations across ten states, primarily in the Southeast. Bojangles is the most recent of the food and beverages but has risen to popularity across the state.

Bright Leaf Hot Dogs (Smithfield, NC)

Originally the Carolina Packing Company, Bright Leaf Hot Dogs was founded in Smithfield, North Carolina by John A. Jones Senior. Bright Leaf Hot Dogs is a family-owned business that was founded in 1939. The name “Bright Leaf” is a nod to North Carolina’s agriculture and tobacco industries.