Do you want fries with that? You'd better get yourself to the right fast
food restaurant — or your golden fried dream could quickly become a nightmare.
Five Guys has earned a reputation for throwing loads of fries into
every order. They're not too bad to taste, either: While speaking to Food Republic,
Chad Murrell, one of the founder's five sons, said the reason the chain's fries
stand out is that they don't just see them as a side dish. He simply said:
"They're our passion."
Five Guys follows a careful formula, including blanching the potatoes and
frying them in peanut oil. After cooking the hand-cut fries to golden-brown perfection,
employees make sure to pack orders with enough to go around.
In fact, Five Guys offers so many French fries that you can save money
by ordering smaller than you would at other fast food restaurants. One Five
Guys employee told Insider that the fries are made for more than one person. He said:
"Our small fry feeds one to two people, our regular fry feeds two to four people,
and our large fry feeds four to six people."
So while Five Guys fries are more expensive generally,
you can opt for the smaller portion and still have enough to go round.
When it comes to sheer quantity of French fries, Smashburger is one of the best fast
food restaurants out there. This burger joint offers a few different fry options,
including classic crispy French fries, sweet potato fries, and their so-called "smash
fries." These are similar to the classic crispy fries but tossed in rosemary, garlic, and olive
oil for extra flavor. The fries are cut thin, cooked crispy, and typically filled to the top.
One food reviewer, Dub Zer0, posted a video to YouTube in which he orders from Smashburger —
notably, his fries were crispy and filled to the top of the container. He told the camera
that he definitely recommended getting the smash fries instead of regular crispy fries, and said:
"I don't know what they do to them or what they put on them, but they're good."
Smashburger fries are a bit more pricey, but worth it if you want something different than
the typical French fry flavor — as well as a bag that's more likely to be full.
KFC probably isn't the first fast food joint you think of when it comes to fries,
especially since they were only introduced relatively recently. Nevertheless, if you're
a fan of KFC's chicken, you'll probably love the fries too — because they use the same seasoning
to flavor the spuds. Not everyone was happy to see the chain swap from wedges to fries,
of course, but they seem to have been successful for the most part.
As far as serving sizes go, KFC is also a great option. The fries are thick-cut,
so you won't get too many individual pieces, but you should get a decent amount of potato
generally. The only problem is pricing: While you get a fair amount of tasty
French fries in a large, it will cost you much more than many other fast food chains.
"Who's got the best darn french fries in the whole wide world? Burger King and I!"
"They did it!"
Although Burger King is well-known for popular menu items like the Whopper, Double Whopper,
and Bacon Jr., it's less famous for its fries. This is likely because BK fries are good,
but not great. They aren't too soggy or flimsy, but they also aren't super
flavorful. While the fries make a good side to your favorite burger, they aren't much of
a standout on their own. A typical medium French fry order comes in at 153 grams,
however, which is a decent amount, and you can usually get that for a pretty low price.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, many consumers have complained about the quality of
Burger King's fries. On Quora, one customer asked:
"Why can't Burger King seem to get their French fries right?"
Another user gave their input, saying:
"Their fries have always been sort of limp, not the best. They're not the least bit crisp
on the outside. [...] As it stands, they seem obsessed with creating strange burger toppings and
leaving everything else alone, in my perception. They're not my favorite fast food by a long shot."
However, some reviewers argue that they enjoy Burger King fries — so it
might depend on either personal taste or the store's location.
If you're looking for something a little more outside the box,
then Arby's is the place to be. The sandwich chain is well-known for its flavorful curly fries,
and while you might not get as many per container with this order, they often come in long,
tasty coils, so you technically get more potato per fry. Arby's has perfected its
curly fry over the years to make them fluffy on the inside and crisp on the outside;
they're then finished off with a tasty seasoning, made with garlic, onion, salt,
and a few other spices. Throw in some sauce on the side, and you've got some pretty decent fries.
"I like ketchup, and I like the horsey sauce as well."
When it comes to getting the most fries for your money, one reviewer took the time to
weigh the contents of a small, medium, and large curly fry order. They found
that a medium order is the best value, coming in at about 148 grams for $2.49.
McDonald's is famous for its fries, and for good reason. They are salty, crisp, and fluffy — and
the use of one secret ingredient helps give them their iconic taste. As it turns out,
McDonald's uses a combination of salt, fat, and sugar as flavoring. You might not expect
sugar to be much good for fries, but a small amount can do wonders. Even more importantly,
patrons should be able to get a good portion of fries when they order a large
from McDonald's. One news channel in the UK tested a couple of McDonald's locations and
found they got between 86 and 100 fries in a large order. Considering McDonald's
is also hugely affordable, this means you should be getting more bang for your buck.
That's all well and good, but recently some customers have been complaining that they
receive their fry orders half full. On a Quora thread discussing this, one customer wrote:
"I remember when the surplus fries in the bottom of the bag — because the
carton was overflowing — was always the end-of-take-out treat. Now,
you think you have another 20% of the fries left to go and it's suddenly empty."
It's entirely possible, of course, that the amount of fries you get
from McDonald's may depend on both your location and the time of day.
Though Wendy's fries aren't as well-loved as McDonald's, they are the better choice — or,
at least, that's what Wendy's claims. An ad campaign taken out by the company made
the bold claim that people prefer Wendy's fries to McDonald's by a ratio of 2:1. When
The Takeout reached out to Wendy's about this statement, a brand representative told them:
"The 2:1 statistic taste preference is based on a
national taste test done by an independent research company."
However, not much else was shared about the study, so it's hard to know what some of the
other variables may have been. But we do know that, since Wendy's released new hot and crispy
fries in 2021, they've become a bigger player in the potato world. Its fries are thicker cut and
sturdier than McDonald's, so if you prefer a firm fry, Wendy's may be just what you're looking for.
However, as far as getting as many fries as possible, Wendy's isn't the first choice.
The thicker cut means fewer fries fit in each carton, and buying a large portion may not give
you that much more to work with. One TikTok video shared by an alleged Wendy's employee showed how
the same amount of fries could fit in a Wendy's small, medium, and large fry container. Because
the containers thin out at the bottom, the large and medium containers still appear relatively full
while not holding any more fries than the small container. Clever, yes — but also kinda evil.
"High frive? High frive. High frive!"
Although Dairy Queen is best known for its soft-serve ice cream, Blizzards, and other frozen
treats, the chain also offers other standard fast food offerings, such as burgers, chicken,
and fries. Dairy Queen provides its medium-cut French fries in kids, regular and large sizes,
but if you want enough to go with an adult meal, you'll likely want to opt for the large.
A regular fries order from Dairy Queen comes in at 114 grams, which is less than mediums at
many other restaurants. The large order should be 186 grams, which is much more reasonable.
Unfortunately, Dairy Queen is still far from the first choice for fries. One Redditor, for example,
shared their disappointment with their Dairy Queen order. They posted a photo of the small
portion of fries they received with their large order and complained they could have gotten
more in a McDonald's value meal. Another user commented on the thread, saying that the fries
are "terrible to begin with." But the quality of the fries is apparently up for debate. On another
Reddit thread discussing DQ's food, a few users listed the fries as their favorite menu item.
Chick-fil-A is a great option for anyone who prefers a less traditional fry,
as the chain's waffle fries feature a signature shape that sets them apart from competitors. To
make the waffle fries we all know and love, Chick-fil-A pre-cuts them with the skin on,
before freezing and sending them to stores, where they're fried for two minutes before serving.
The large-cut fries have a more natural potato flavor than a lot of other options out there.
Sadly, you may not get as many individual fries in your order as you might hope.
Because of the waffle fries' distinct size and shape, not many waffle fries fit in a
single box. If your local Chick-fil-A isn't careful about filling the box to the top,
you may only have a few to go with your crispy chicken sandwich.
And while a large box could fit plenty of waffle fries, along with some extra to share,
they're often underfilled. One Reddit user ordered three portions of large
waffle fries and took a photo showing three partially filled containers. Of course,
this likely isn't done on purpose — it's more likely a combination of rushed fast
food workers and the fact that waffle fries don't fall easily into the container. One
commenter on the Reddit thread, who claimed to be a Chick-fil-A employee, said that,
if you notice your fries are underfilled, they'll typically give you more for free.
"Let me tell you about Popeyes new Cajun battered
fries. They've just got a little bit of Popeye's oomph in them!"
If you're at Popeyes for the classic chicken and want some fries on the side,
that's one thing. But if you just want a big helping of delicious, sizzling French fries,
you'll want to look elsewhere. One thing the fries do have going for them
is flavor. Popeyes offers Cajun fries, which are seasoned with a delicious,
lightly spicy blend, although they don't tend to be as crispy as you might hope.
Importantly, you also don't get that many fries per order. It is worth noting,
however, that the portion size from regular to large is about double,
so you should get a lot more in a large order.
Some former fans of Popeyes have noticed a quality decrease in the past couple of
years. One customer on Quora posed the question of why it seemed the food had
gotten worse since COVID-19. A commenter answered, theorizing:
"I believe it is in how the employees are trained to cook the food.
You can have the very same ingredients, but the preparation, presentation,
and quality depend on how you were trained to cook the food."
Steak n' Shake is ideal if you love shoestring fries, since they're famous for making their fries
long and thin to go with the chain's signature milkshakes and burgers. They're good value,
too, though there are cheaper options out there. And while these skinny fries
are excellent for dipping in a milkshake, you'll probably run out before you finish.
Because of the slender cut of the fries, you might assume that you get a lot more fries per
container at Steak n' Shake. Unfortunately, this doesn't seem to be the case. Steak n'
Shake has received poor feedback for underfilling their fry containers, with one customer taking
photos of their half-filled fries and posting them to TripAdvisor. Any restaurant is sure to
have the occasional bad review, of course, but this appears to be a pattern at Steak n' Shake
fries. Other reviews on Reddit contained similar complaints, with one customer saying their orders
from Steak n' Shake always skimp on fries — while another wondered how they stay in business at all.