Several national restaurant chains not well known in the area are eying expansion into Louisville, and planning to open outlets in the near future. 

Which Wich sandwich shops is opening a location at Old Brownsboro Crossing later this summer. Dallas-based Which Wich offers 51 customizable sandwiches , shakes, cookies, and chips.

Local franchise partners Jason Matzek, Day Bayer, and Jason Padget think Which Wich will fit nicely into the sandwich needs of Louisville eaters, and look toward opening a second location once they find the right site.

Another chain eying the Louisville market is Top Round Roast Beef,  a Los Angeles-based, “chef-driven” fast-food chain that plans to open a outlet in the Louisville area this year, which more branches in the pipeline. 

According to the press release, the restaurants are modeled after “the roast beef chains of yesteryear” so if you know what that means, let us know too. The menu also offers hand-cut curly fries, breaded chicken sandwiches, milkshakes, and frozen custard.

The Louisville location, which has not yet been determined by franchise owners Billy and Elizabeth Rapaport (he’s a television sports producer who sponsor’s Varanese’s Billy’s Burger Bash every Derby night), will be the first outside of California. 

And a third chain that has invasion plans is Arkansas-based Slim Chickens, a fast-casual chain that has plans for multiple locations in the Louisville area over the next  three to four years, though the first site is yet to be determined.

Slim Chickens now as 26 restaurants in six Midwest and Plains states, half of which are in its Arkansas home. The company is shooting for expansion into 600 locations nationwide, so watch out.  The company hopes to have the first local area store by the end of 2015.