Best Food Service Chains Companies in Minnesota, United States
The 43 best Food Service Chains companies in Minnesota, United States in 2026, ranked by funding and momentum. Funding, investors, founders, valuation, tech stack and live signals. Top: BBQ Holdings.
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 Minnesota
| # | Company | Disclosed funding | Last round | Stage | Founder | Founded | App-install YoY | Recent signals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BBQ Holdings Operator of multi brand restaurant franchisees | $13M | 62 mo ago | Acquired | — | 1994 | — | — |
| 2 | Redstone American Grill Chain of casual dining restaurant | $3M | 112 mo ago | Series A | — | 2001 | — | — |
| 3 | Mighty spark food Healthy chicken snacks that taste delicious and give back | $2M | 63 mo ago | Seed | — | 2013 | — | — |
| 4 | Famous Dave Authentic barbecue restaurant offering award-winning ribs, feasts, catering, and gift cards | $2M | 105 mo ago | Public | — | 1994 | +18% | — |
| 5 | Man Cave Chain of craft meat | $2M | 137 mo ago | Seed | Nick Beste Co-Founder & President | 2013 | — | — |
| 6 | Merwin Liquors Family owned and operated liquor store offering a wide range of wine, beer, and spirits | $1M | 24 mo ago | Funding Raised | Chris Novak CEO | 2003 | — | — |
| 7 | MyBurger Minneapolis-founded burger joint serving fresh, never-frozen beef with a modern spin | $1M | 131 mo ago | Seed | John Abdo CEO & President | 2004 | — | — |
| 8 | Fulton Beer Chain of bars | $430K | 183 mo ago | Seed | Ryan Petz Co-Founder & CEO | 2009 | — | — |
| 9 | The Original Cakerie Chain of bakery cafes offering cakes | — | 134 mo ago | Acquired | — | 1979 | — | — |
| 10 | DQ Chain of limited service restaurant offering ice-creams | — | 154 mo ago | Acquired | Ruhan Momin Joint CEO | 1940 | +26% | — |
| 11 | Buffalo Wild Wings Wings, sauces, sports, rewards, delivery, takeout, and restaurant experience | — | 182 mo ago | Acquired | Sally Smith President and CEO | 1982 | — | — |
Top 11 Food Service Chains companies in Minnesota
#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
Acquired · Minnetonka, Minnesota · founded 1994 · 1816 employees$13Mraised▾
Operator of multi brand restaurant franchisees
- Jun 2021Post IPO$13M
#3
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
#4
Series A · Eden Prairie, Minnesota · founded 2001 · 102 employees$3Mraised▾
operator and owner of a restaurant chain based in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. The company's restaurants include family brunches, lunch and dinner options and the menu also offers a selection of fresh chilled salads, homemade soups, unique appetizers and desserts, enabling its guests to get both seasonal and a wide variety of tastes from recipes.
- Apr 2017Series A$3M
#5
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
#6
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
#7
Seed · Minneapolis, Minnesota · founded 2013$1.5Mraised▾
Chain of craft meat
#8
Seed · Minneapolis, Minnesota · founded 2009 · 31 employees$430Kraised▾
Chain of bars
- May 2011Seed$430K
#9
Acquired · Saint Paul, Minnesota · founded 1979 · 351 employees—raised▾
Chain of bakery cafes offering cakes
#10
Acquired · Bloomington, Minnesota · founded 1940 · 700 employees—raised▾
Chain of limited service restaurant offering ice-creams
- Oct 2013PE—
#11
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 Tech in Minnesota is moving
A read on the academic research around Food Tech in Minnesota — which themes are gaining ground, the institutions and researchers driving them, and how the tone is shifting. Based on 53 papers.
- University of Minnesota35
- Minnesota Department of Health12
- University of Minnesota System6
- Minnesota State University Moorhead1
- University of Minnesota Medical Center1
- Cropping1
- Sustainability1
- Food security1
- Agriculture1
- Sustainable agriculture1
- Food safety9
- Environmental health4
- Public health3
- Outbreak2
- Population2
- Food safety2→7
- Food systems1→3
- Environmental health1→3
Common questions
Riya reads income statements for fun. She covers the real money in a sector — revenue, growth, who actually earns — and never met a vague claim she didn't want a number for.