Inside Tennessee's fast food boom, best whiskey bars and more

Hi, Nashville! Tennessean business reporter Hadley Hitson here to deliver the latest food news straight to your inbox.

Since joining the dining team a few months ago, I've noticed what seems like a new fast food restaurant popping up somewhere in Nashville area every other week . That led me to two questions: Where is the demand coming from? And are they just going to keep coming?

This week, I dove into the topic, discussing the fast food boom with an economist and spokespeople from several chains, including Whataburger and In-N-Out Burger.

National Restaurant Association Senior Vice President of Research Hudson Riehle told me that he doesn't expect fast food growth to slow down any time soon because millennials and Gen Z are "increasingly reliant" on fast food concepts.

He also noted that plenty of fast food chains continued their expansions through COVID-19, while traditional dine-in restaurants are still actively recovering from the negative effects of the pandemic.

Plus, if you're looking for a list of some of the new fast food locations opening soon in Nashville, that's in the story too.

Here are a few other key pieces of Nashville food news from this week:

• Senior dining reporter Mackensy Lunsford put a lot of time and effort into a series of articles on the Tennessee whiskey industry. Check out her list of bars to try out across the state , a full list of brands on the Tennessee Whiskey Trail and the story of how Uncle Nearest reached unicorn status .
• As part of my deep dive into the fast food industry, I put together a list of what Nashville's casual dining scene is missing. Here are 6 fast-food restaurants that haven't come to Music City yet .
• See inside the new Louisiana-inspired piano bar Bayou Keys opening this week in downtown Nashville . The bar neighbors Lainey Wilson's Bell Bottoms Up and is owned by the same hospitality group.
• Tennessean reporter Katie Nixon wrote about the Atlanta meatless burger favorite coming soon to Nashville. She asked readers: Are you a Slutty Vegan 'virgin'?

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Inside Tennessee's fast food boom, best whiskey bars and more