diff --git a/scripts/geodata/chains/query.py b/scripts/geodata/chains/query.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..07faa0d4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/geodata/chains/query.py
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+import random
+
+from geodata.addresses.config import address_config
+from geodata.address_expansions.gazetteers import chains_gazetteer
+from geodata.categories.query import *
+from geodata.text.normalize import normalized_tokens
+from geodata.text.tokenize import tokenize, token_types
+
+
+class Chain(object):
+    @classmethod
+    def tokenize_name(cls, name):
+        if not name:
+            return []
+        tokens = normalized_tokens(name)
+        return tokens
+
+    @classmethod
+    def possible_chain(cls, name):
+        '''
+        Determines if a venue name contains the name of a known chain store.
+
+        Returns a tuple of:
+
+        (True/False, known chain phrases, other tokens)
+
+        Handles cases like "Hard Rock Cafe Times Square" and allows for downstream
+        decision making (i.e. if the tokens have a low IDF in the local area we might
+        want to consider it a chain).
+        '''
+        tokens = cls.tokenize_name(name)
+        if not tokens:
+            return False
+        matches = chains_gazetteer.filter(tokens)
+        other_tokens = []
+        phrases = []
+        for t, c, l, d in matches:
+            if c == token_types.PHRASE:
+                phrases.append((t, c, l, d))
+            else:
+                other_tokens.append((t, c))
+
+        return len(phrases) > 0, phrases, other_tokens if len(phrases) > 0 else []
+
+    @classmethod
+    def extract(cls, name):
+        '''
+        Determines if an entire venue name matches a known chain store.
+
+        Note: to avoid false positives, only return True if all of the tokens
+        in the venue's name are part of a single chain store phrase. This will
+        miss a few things like "Hard Rock Cafe Times Square" and the like.
+
+        It will however handle compound chain stores like Subway/Taco Bell
+        '''
+
+        possible, phrases, other_tokens = cls.possible_chain(name)
+        is_chain = possible and not any((c in token_types.WORD_TOKEN_TYPES for t, c in other_tokens))
+        return is_chain, phrases if is_chain else []
+
+    @classmethod
+    def alternate_form(cls, language, dictionary, canonical):
+        choices = address_config.sample_phrases.get((language, dictionary), {}).get(canonical)
+        if not choices:
+            return canonical
+        return random.choice(choices)