Best Food Service Chains Companies in Minneapolis, United States
The 37 best Food Service Chains companies in Minneapolis, United States in 2026, ranked by funding and momentum. Funding, investors, founders, valuation, tech stack and live signals. Top: Mighty spark food.
Our analysis of 50 Food Service Chains companies
$8.5b in tracked funding; 90% of the stack-profiled cohort runs cloud-native; funding activity peaked in 2025.
Ranked: Best Food Service Chains companies in Minneapolis
| # | Company | Employees | Disclosed funding | Last round | Founded | Tech stack | Web popularity | Recent signals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Buffalo Wild Wings Wings, sauces, sports, rewards, delivery, takeout, and restaurant experience | 17,072 | — | 183 mo ago | 1982 | Apple iCloud MailNode.jsReact+28 | Top 50k | — |
| 2 | border foods companies Border Foods is a Minnesota based franchisee of Taco Bell, the nation’s leading Mexican-inspired quick… | 7,000 | — | — | 1986 | WordPressMySQLPHP+34 | Top 5M | 1 internship |
| 3 | Caribou Coffee Chain of limited service restaurant | 6,202 | — | — | 1992 | WordPress Block EditorCart FunctionalityWooCommerce+39 | Top 500k | — |
| 4 | Famous Dave Authentic barbecue restaurant offering award-winning ribs, feasts, catering, and gift cards | 722 | $2M | 106 mo ago | 1994 | Windows ServerGoogle MapsMicrosoft ASP.NET+27 | Top 100k | — |
| 5 | RustyTaco Chain of casual dining restaurants offering food and drinks | 238 | — | — | 2010 | — | — | — |
| 6 | Kelber Catering Industry award-winning Kelber Catering is a local, family-owned company that has been the on-site catering… | 205 | — | — | — | WordPressMySQLPHP+11 | Top 50M | — |
| 7 | Blue Plate Restaurant Company We continue to provide the Twin Cities with community-inspired, guest-intimate concepts. | 161 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 8 | Parasole Restaurant Holdings Parasole is a Minneapolis famous restaurants.Parasole is one of the industry’s premier development and… | 137 | — | — | 1977 | Cart FunctionalityShopifyApple iCloud Mail+14 | Top 5M | — |
Top 7 Food Service Chains companies in Minneapolis
#1
Funding Raised · Minneapolis, Minnesota · founded 2003 · 29 employees$1.2Mraised▾
Merwin Liquors is a family-owned and operated liquor store with multiple locations in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. The company offers a wide range of beer, wine, and spirits, with a focus on providing a fast, friendly, and fun shopping experience.
- Aug 2024Conventional Debt$1.2M
#2
Seed · Minneapolis, Minnesota · founded 2013 · 41 employees$1.5Mraised▾
Healthy chicken snacks that taste delicious and give back. They elevate chicken in healthy meat snacking with delicious chicken snacks, without sacrificing flavor. They offer chicken snack sticks, all-natural patties, and ground chicken. They empower consumers to eat healthy and spark change through meal donations. They focus on providing healthy protein that tastes delicious, using clean, simple ingredients. They are committed to raising the bar on flavor, elevating chicken to be a preferred, better-for-you meat snack. They are available coast to coast. They are focused on social impact through their give back program. They offer recipes and a newsletter subscription. They have a cart and login functionality on their website.
- May 2021Seed—
- Jul 2020Conventional Debt$1.2M
- Mar 2015Seed$1.5M
#3
Public · Minneapolis, Minnesota · founded 1994 · 722 employees$1.5Mraised▾
Authentic barbecue restaurant offering award-winning ribs, feasts, catering, and gift cards. It specializes in pit-smoked barbecue, made-from-scratch sides, and handcrafted desserts. Customers can order online, view the full menu, and join a rewards program for exclusive offers and points towards free food. The company provides catering services for various events and offers gift cards for different occasions. They also engage with customers through text message subscriptions for exclusive deals. The website includes options for franchise opportunities, merchandise, and real estate inquiries. It also provides nutrition information, terms of use, privacy policy, and accessibility statement. The site uses cookies and offers settings to manage them. The platform also has login functionality.
- Nov 2017Post IPO$1.5M
#4
Seed · Minneapolis, Minnesota · founded 2004 · 58 employees$1.1Mraised▾
Minneapolis-founded burger joint serving fresh, never-frozen beef with a modern spin. It is a neighborhood restaurant offering classic favorites alongside bold, chef-crafted flavors. The menu features a "Burger of the Month" program, showcasing innovative culinary creations. Catering services are available for parties and events. The restaurant emphasizes fresh, well-sourced ingredients and a welcoming atmosphere. Customers can order online, join a loyalty program for exclusive promotions, and purchase merchandise. Social media channels provide updates on the menu and promotions. The company focuses on making days better with burgers and shakes.
- Sep 2015Conventional Debt$810K
- Oct 2013Seed$706.7K
- Jun 2012Seed$370K
#5
Seed · Minneapolis, Minnesota · founded 2013$1.5Mraised▾
Chain of craft meat
#6
Seed · Minneapolis, Minnesota · founded 2009 · 31 employees$430Kraised▾
Chain of bars
- May 2011Seed$430K
#7
Acquired · Minneapolis, Minnesota · founded 1982 · 17072 employees—raised▾
Wings, sauces, sports, rewards, delivery, takeout, and restaurant experience. A restaurant chain offering a casual dining experience centered around wings and a variety of signature sauces. The business model focuses on providing a social atmosphere for sports viewing, complemented by a rewards program to enhance customer loyalty. Services include online ordering, delivery, and takeout options, catering to both dine-in and at-home consumption. The company emphasizes customer engagement through its app and various promotions. The business model is B2C, focusing on food and beverage services, customer loyalty, and convenience through multiple ordering and delivery channels.
- 2011Post IPO—
Funding & investor landscape
Notable founders
Market landscape — 10 sub-themes by coverage
Share of Food Service Chains coverage by sub-theme.
Regulatory-risk over time rising
Funding & growth over time
funding rising · growth rising
How research on Food Technology is moving in the United States
A read on the academic research around Food Technology — which themes are gaining ground, the institutions and researchers driving them, and how the tone is shifting. Based on 4,142 United States-affiliated papers.
- Cornell University153
- Purdue University West Lafayette134
- University of Georgia82
- Michigan State University81
- University of California, Davis79
- Food safety4→52
- Food processing2→31
- Food science1→13
- Contamination1→12
- Food products1→12
- Food safety16→214
- Food processing12→174
- Agriculture14→135
- Production (economics)7→122
- Food security3→117
- Food safety56→397
- Food security40→307
- Agriculture35→233
- Food processing54→215
- Food systems28→180
Where food tech is researched across United States
Location clusters by institution affiliation — each city's volume, stance tone, and a quick read on its hot topic, what's advancing, the opening opportunity, and the main concern.
Who's filing food tech patents in the United States
United States food tech patent filing is cooling — 817 filings from 475 assignees (2016–2025), led by Whirlpool, Sharkninja Operating, Provisur Technologies; annual filings 80→68.
- Whirlpool185
- Sharkninja Operating151
- Provisur Technologies51
- Smartwash Solutions39
- LYCO MFG32
- SAFE Foods32
- Massachusetts INST Technology20
- Island Oasis Frozen Cocktail18