What they Sell in Boston’s Oldest Commercial Building will Surprise You

What do you think would be sold in a commercial building that was built in the 1700's? Horse shoes? Big poofy, fancy hats? Maybe a new fox hunting trumpet?

No. Though the building is in fact Boston's oldest commercial building - built in 1718 - the business run in that historical building suits modern tastes. That might be a hint.

Boston's Oldest Commercial Building is The Old Corner Bookstore. The Old Corner Bookstore was established as a meeting place for literary figures like Ralph Waldo Emerson and Charles Dickens. It became a prominent publishing house in the 19th century. It produced works by Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow among many other notable authors of history. Despite facing closure threats, it was saved and became a national historic landmark. Today, the Old Corner Bookstore building houses commercial establishments while preserving its historic significance in Boston's literary landscape.

So what can you buy at the Old Corner Bookstore in Boston today? Burritos. The Old Corner Bookstore is now a Chipotle. Who knows? Maybe the next Emerson, Dickens, Hawthorne, and Longfellow are in there right now discussing their next prominent works over a filled to the brim burrito bowl. It's address is 283 Washington Street in Boston.

The Boston Old Corner Bookstore location is one of Chipotle's 10 Most Unique. Others include a location with a mesmerizing view of Red Rock, another in a flying saucer building in Missouri, and one in the city of love - a three floor Chipotle in Paris, France! Ooh la la, how fancy and romantic!

So we have one of the coolest Chipotle locations in Massachusetts - but - we're missing some iconic fast food chains in Massachusetts. If it bothers you that you can't pick up a Double Double at In-N-Out Burger on Route 1 then read on! Here are 10 popular fast food chains that we don't have here in Massachusetts (yet)!

Here in Massachusetts we have enough Dunkin' locations to give Godzilla the coffee shakes. But there are some national chains that have zero presence in the Bay State. For instance, I don't even know what goes on an In-N-Out Burger. They're all the rage in Los Angeles so I'll guess they're topped with ketchup and mustard and plastic surgeon business cards. Am I right?

Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) Magazine says the 10 most popular fast food chains in the US are: McDonalds, Starbucks, Chik-fil A, Taco Bell, Wendy's, Dunkin', Burger King, Subway, Dominos, and Chipotle - in order of popularity from #1 (the most popular) to #10 most popular. Massachusetts has all ten of those - but - dig a little deeper past the Top 10 Most Popular fast food restaurants and we start seeing some gaps, chains that for one reason or another aren't found in Massachusetts.

The fast-food industry in the United States is a multi-billion dollar market with total annual sales reaching hundreds of billions of dollars. The industry is a major employer in the United States, providing millions of jobs to both part-time and full-time workers. When I started my working career I, like so many, worked at a couple fast food restaurants. I learned a lot working fast food and I was always surprised how much I looked like a wax figure from Madame Tussaud's when I got home from work due to that layer of grease on my skin.

So what fast food joints do we have to go traveling out-of-state to devour? Peep the list below. And if you've tried any of the following restaurants, let us know what you thought! Would you like to see them come to Mass or stay far faaaaarrrrrr away?

Closest location I could find: North Smithfield, Rhode Island

With over 1,200 locations, this sandwich shop is all over the country, just not here in Massachusetts. But don't worry, the folks at Firehouse say "Rest assured there’s a Firehouse coming your way." So maybe soon?

Closest location I could find: Mohegan Sun in Connecticut

Krispy Kreme has been churning out glazed goodness of the donut kind since 1937 in North Carolina. At one point back in the early 2000s, the famous chain did make inroads into Massachusetts, but it didn't take. (We must love our Dunkin' way too much!)

Closest location I could find: Boardman, Ohio

The Illinois based chain started in the 1930s. According to their corporate lore, their founder "pioneered" the hamburger and shake combo. But they haven't made it to the Bay State yet.

Closest location I could find: Nanuet, NY or your freezer section but that doesn't count!!

Boasting that they're the first fast food burger chain in the world, White Castle has been serving up sacks of burgers since 1921. Do yourself a favor and road trip down to New York for an authentic White Castle experience. Like we said, the frozen food version doesn't do it justice.

Closest location I could find: Buford, Georgia

Starting in Corpus Christi, Texas in the 1950s, Whataburger has over 800 locations, mostly in Texas and the Southern US. It hasn't made it up here to New England yet though.

Closest location I could find: Ripley, New York

The parent company of Hardee's and Carl's Jr. has over 3,600 franchised or company-operated restaurants in 44 states. One of the half dozen states it doesn't have a location in? You guessed it, Massachusetts.

Closest location I could find: Somewhere in North Carolina

Mostly on the West Coast, Jack in the Box first opened its doors in 1951. With over 2,200 locations nationwide, while mostly out west, Jack in the Box franchises have popped up in major urban areas across the country, just not Boston.

Closest location I could find: Athens, Georgia

A relatively "new" fast food chain, Zaxby's was founded in 1990 in Georgia. It has just under 1,000 locations nationwide now, mostly in the Southeastern US. They did recently open up a couple of locations in Utah, but nothing close to us here in Massachusetts yet.

Closest location I could find: Quakertown, Pennsylvania

This cajun style fried chicken joint is a staple of North Carolina. Opened in the 1970s, Bojangles is mostly in the South with some locations overseas, and planned expansions as far north as New Jersey. Just not here yet.

Closest location I could find: Pattersonville, New York

One of the smaller chains on this list, Roy Rogers only has 41 locations. They're spread across 7 states, mostly in the Mid Atlantic. Where they are not, is Massachusetts.