SOURCE: FranchiseWire
International Visitors Can’t Get Enough of America’s Favorite Condiment
Move over Messi and Ronaldo! Make room, soccer legends, for the breakout star of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Ranch dressing!
America’s favorite condiment, which flavors just about everything from salads, chips and pizza to chicken wings and burgers, is gaining international celebrity. World Cup fans attending matches in the U.S. have developed a ranch dressing obsession and have even tried to smuggle bottles of the creamy, savory buttermilk-based sauce through airport security, prompting the Transportation Security Administration to issue warnings.
“If you’re visiting for a very large sporting event & you happen to discover RANCH while you’re here…pls pack it in your CHECKED BAG on the way home!” the TSA posted, adding this cheeky follow-up, “ok please avoid chugging your ranch outside security the airlines will check it for you.”
Franchisors Offer Welcomes, Invitations, Opinions
“We’re thrilled to welcome World Cup visitors to Kansas City and share a true taste of American breakfast and lunch culture, including plenty of ranch, of course,” says Scott Jayne, vice president of operations for The Big Biscuit, which has locations in and around Kansas City, Mo., and in nearby states. “Whether it’s cooling down our Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich, topping our Boss Tom Turkey Sandwich or dipping our hand-breaded chicken tenders, ranch is one of those classic American flavors we love sharing with guests from around the world.”
From East Coast Wings + Grill, which boasts numerous locations including one in World Cup host city Philadelphia: “It’s been fun watching the rest of the world discover something Americans have loved for decades. Around here, ranch has always been more than a dressing or dip – it’s part of the flavor experience,” Chief Marketing Officer Ashley Mitchell says. “Several of our signature flavors incorporate ranch as part of their flavor profile. Guests use it differently depending on their preferences, from cooling down hotter heat levels to pairing it with homemade chips or fries. Ranch isn’t an afterthought; it’s integrated throughout the menu.”
And this from Eric Slaymaker, co-founder and CEO of Wingers Alehouse, which has restaurants throughout the Mountain West and Midwest (but not in a host city, which does not dissuade him from making this pitch): “Of course, international travelers love ranch dressing. At Wingers Alehouse, the only thing better than our signature housemade ranch dressing is Wingers Alehouse wings and Sticky Fingers in our Original Amazing Sauce with a side of our signature housemade ranch – paired with a Winger Bros. Brewing craft beer.”
And then, there’s this, from Nikolaus von Solodkoff, founder and CEO of Döner Haus, which brought Berlin-style döner kebabs to the U.S. and recently opened a new store in West Palm Beach, Fla., just up the coast from World Cup host city Miami. Although Döner Haus does not serve ranch dressing, the German-born von Solodkoff nevertheless has an opinion.
“I find the ranch dressing obsession very funny because Europeans love to make fun of American food, and then they arrive here and immediately discover the most American sauce imaginable. Suddenly they’re very quiet, dipping fries into ranch like it’s the second coming of Jesus,” von Solodkoff says.
“At Döner Haus, our creamy garlic sauce is not ranch, but I would say it is in the same family of sauces that make people happy across the globe. Garlic yogurt sauce naturally came first because Europeans and people across the Mediterranean have been putting yogurt, garlic and herbs on meat forever. The sauce is dignified, with centuries of usage behind it. Ranch is the slutty American cousin who showed up later, lost all sense of boundaries, turned a respectable family gathering into a Vegas weekend and then refused to leave. Wrong on every level. I’m a big fan.”
And with that, we offer a few takes on ranch dressing, provided by these and other favorite restaurant franchises.
East Coast Wings + Grill: More than a Dip or Dressing
East Coast Wings + Grill, known for its Buffalo-style wings, offers more than 50 distinct flavors including Signature Ranch, Bacon Ranch and Cajun Ranch, as well as seven heat levels ranging from “virgin” to “insanity.” That’s more than 420 combinations! “When you offer more than 50 flavors and seven heat levels, ranch becomes more than a dip or dressing. It becomes part of how guests customize their meal and dining experience,” says Mitchell.
The Signature Ranch so inspired restaurant guest Emma Campbell of Albemarle, N.C., that she combined it with sweet and bold barbecue sauce to create Carolina Ranch, which she entered in East Coast Wings’ annual Fan Flavor Showdown. Carolina Ranch is one of three finalists, along with BBQ Peppercorn and Korean Thai. The winning entry will be announced on National Chicken Wing Day July 29, and earn a $2,500 prize and a permanent place on East Coast Wings + Grill’s menu.
Jimmy John’s: Eat It With a Spoon
When Jimmy John’s took its Kickin’ Ranch off the menu in 2024, the uproar from customers was ferocious, even spawning a change.org petition to bring back the creamy, spicy sauce. Fans claimed Kickin’ Ranch was so good they could eat it with a spoon, so Jimmy John’s responded with a limited-time Kickin’ Ranch “Soup” in a 6-ounce container (above) large enough for optimal sandwich dipping – or eating with a spoon.
Today, Jimmy John’s offers two ranch-enhanced wraps: the Buffalo Ranch Chicken Wrap and the Kickin’ Ranch Chicken Wrap. Both feature all-natural chicken, onion, tomato and lettuce in a soft tortilla. The Buffalo Ranch Chicken Wrap also includes the medium Buffalo sauce from Buffalo Wild Wings, a sister company under the Inspire Brands umbrella, as well as Homestyle Ranch, crispy carrot noodles and sliced celery. Kickin’ Ranch Chicken Wrap also includes provolone cheese, signature Jimmy Peppers, red pepper flakes and that creamy, spicy Kickin’ Ranch, of course!
The Big Biscuit: Quintessentially American
It might seem unusual to feel homesick if you’re surrounded by tens of thousands of your homies rooting for your home team at Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium. But, just in case, The Big Biscuit has some hometown hospitality and a big plate of comfort food ready for World Cup fans. The Big Biscuit has been serving all-American breakfast and lunch favorites since its founding in 2000 in Independence, Mo. Franchising since 2019, the brand has expanded beyond the Show Me State into other states including Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas.
Known for its award-winning biscuits and gravy, benedicts, plate-sized buttermilk pancakes and “impossibly generous portions,” The Big Biscuit also boasts a Big Lunch menu featuring burgers, sandwiches and chicken. America’s favorite condiment plays a key role in The Boss Tom sandwich loaded with shaved, oven-roasted turkey, bacon, tomatoes, Monterey Jack and ranch dressing on griddled sourdough. Ranch dressing also complements the Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich (above) seasoned with Nashville hot spices and topped with lettuce, tomatoes and pickles on a griddled brioche bun. And for those seeking a quintessential American meal: a basket of hand-breaded chicken tenders with a side of ranch.
Wingers Alehouse: All American
The Wingers Alehouse franchise has evolved from its humble roots as the tiny Wingers American Diner founded more than 30 years ago in Bountiful, Utah. Back then, chicken wings were just gaining popularity in the U.S. But founders and brothers Eric and Scott Slaymaker envisioned greatness for what once was considered a poultry byproduct.
Today, Wingers Alehouse is well known for its fresh, hand-breaded bone-in wings and boneless Sticky Fingers, which come with a choice of 16 different sauces or rubs including Wingers Original Amazing Sauce, and, of course, made-from-scratch ranch dressing! And while Wingers Alehouse stays true to its successful franchise strategy of operating in smaller to mid-sized markets, big things are happening for “America’s Small-Town Alehouse.” Consider “Alehouse 101,” Wingers’ successful alehouse concept featuring a spiffy new interior and architectural design prototype and even more beer – up to 101 varieties including regional craft brews.
Wingstop: Pulling Out All the Stops
Wingstop, headquartered in World Cup host city Dallas, is generating its own excitement with new ranch products and activities. Wingstop’s House of Flavor fan experience features sauced-and-tossed wings, gameday watch parties, live DJs, merchandise, free tattoos and even a barber providing soccer-inspired cuts! If that’s not enough, Wingstop feeds guests’ ranch depression obsession with Ranch Bottle Service! House of Flavor, previously held through June in Toronto, runs through July 3 at The Bomb Factory in Dallas. Both sites also hosted one-night-only performances by hip hop artist FERG.
Wingstop serves fresh classic and boneless wings, tenders and chicken sandwiches in 12 bold, distinctive flavors, alongside signature sides and housemade ranch and bleu cheese dips. The brand’s ranch dressing has attracted a cult-like following, with fans debating the ingredients online and creating copycat recipes. An online auction in 2025 of an exclusive bottle plus a year’s supply of ranch netted $1,750 for Wingstop Charities.
The brand recently celebrated National Ranch Day on March 10 by releasing its limited-edition Big A$$ Ranch Cup, a 32-ounce stainless steel collectible filled with the brand’s iconic sauce, which was created for fans “who prefer their ranch with a side of wings.” And Wingstop continues to innovate with flavor, recently launching a new Chamoy Ranch, a sweet and savory twist on the brand’s iconic ranch.
