Everybody loves a meal that’s quick, and cheap. So, to help you make a fast meal-time
decision, here are the 10 Best Fast Food Restaurants of 2021 - the chains that customers
relate to and love on so many levels.
Chipotle
Chipotle is a major powerhouse in the modern fast food business. They were once owned by
McDonald’s, so it makes perfect sense that it now has expanded to more than 2,000 restaurants
around the world. But, it is also a divisive establishment, with passionate lovers and
haters. The backlash that has arisen over the last few years was kind of for a good
reason. Chipotle has had several well-publicized health scares hitting their restaurants over
the years, including E-coli, norovirus, and hepatitis outbreaks. Since then, its reputation
has diminished somewhat among customers, but there is no denying that it is still a major
player among today's fast-food brands. It has slowly built itself into a household name
by modernizing a lot of what we considered to be fast food. It was one of the first ‘fast
casual’ restaurants that began the trend of mid-range casual fast-food dining catering
to people who want a cheap, fresh, and healthy meal and don’t mind sitting down to enjoy
the food in a restaurant setting for a while. It scores points for the overall health and
freshness of the food, boasting fresh vegetables, rice, and beans, and other Mexican-inspired
meals that taste fresher than the average fast-food taco or burger. But, again, that's
assuming you weren’t one of the unlucky customers to be served during an outbreak.
Panera Bread
Panera Bread serves many purposes. As a relatively new chain compared to some of the other fast-food
giants, Panera is first and foremost a very decent bakery, serving high-quality artisanal
bread, baked daily at all of its chain locations. It also specializes in sandwiches, soups,
salads, homemade desserts, coffee, and other pretty healthy fare, which makes it a unique
fast food experience compared to other chains on the list. It has a regular menu for dine-in
and takeaway and most of its locations are sit-in restaurants, although standalone cafes
with drive-thrus exist, too. Usually found in strip malls or attached to larger shopping
centers rather than along highways, Panera Bread caters to people who are on the go,
but still don’t mind more of a ‘restaurant experience’. It's focus is on fresh food,
quality and customer service. While it's not as widespread as many of its competitors,
Panera Bread still has about 2,000 stores located across the US and has gradually expanded
over the last decades. At some point as a public company, it was even the best performing
restaurant stock in America, delivering massive returns to its shareholders. Panera has become
a cherished brand overall, with no sign of slowing down. And, let's be honest, the coffee
is pretty decent too!
Taco Bell
Being one of the only Tex-Mex fast-food chains with such a widespread appeal, Taco Bell belongs
on this list of best fast-food restaurants. Its distinctive menu is very different from
other fast-food chains as it offers combinations of tacos, fajitas, burritos, nachos, churros,
and other Mexican-inspired foods that are full of flavor - the complete opposite of
the average burger and fries joint. The wide array of menu items available is mostly what
made people so addicted to this chain, which boasts over 7,000 restaurants across the world
and serves over two billion people each year. With this eye-popping number, it makes Taco
Bell one of the most popular and widespread fast food restaurants ever. It is known for
its whimsical marketing strategies too, which are meant to win over customers, increase
popularity and drive up numbers. In 2001, when the Space Station Mir was reentering
the earth’s atmosphere, Taco Bell built a giant target bullseye in the middle of the
pacific ocean and put out a press release saying that if any part of the space station
hit the target, every person in America would get a free taco. Unfortunately, the target
was missed, so nobody ended up getting a free Taco Bell taco, but the company did buy a
big insurance policy just in case it happened. Now, that's dedication! Taco Bell is so well
known, having been around since the sixties, and has built such a dedicated fan base that
its popularity is undisputed and can easily be crowned king of Tex-Mex fast food.
Chick-fil-A
Consistently rated among the best fast-food restaurants, Chick-fil-A has become a legendary
institution of sorts and counts itself as the largest chain specializing in chicken
sandwiches. It's also one of the most pronounced fast-food brands in North America, with over
2,600 restaurants to its name, and franchises in 47 states. It’s been around for a while,
too. Chick-fil-A started its life back in the sixties and went through a couple of name
changes before settling on Chick-fil-A. There has been some controversy surrounding the
chain when it comes to the owners religious and political views, but this hasn’t cut
into profits or its devoted fan base. People are massive fans of this chain for one reason
alone - the chicken it offers is simply tender and delicious. And it also takes special
care with customer service, so it scores high marks in multiple areas and is in no danger
of slowing its gradual expansion across the continent. The sandwiches are simple and tasty,
often featuring large and juicy hunks of fried chicken breast or tenders, with very little
adornment, a simplicity often solicited in the fast-food world. It even offers a lot
of options for people who are calorie conscious, as it's the only notable chain that offers
nuggets that are grilled instead of breaded and fried -there's even a kale salad if you
really want to get wild.
Starbucks
Nobody really goes to Starbucks for the food, but it’s still there, and overall this chain
seems to always rank high in popularity. It’s so well known these days that a Starbucks
franchise can be found in just about any city in the world, and on just about any street
corner, too. There is such a wide array of coffee selections it's hard not to find something
that fits your cravings, even if you're not a caffeine fanatic. Design-wise,
Starbucks has not been afraid to experiment with the look of its restaurants, making efforts
to conform the look of its shops to local city environments in order to blend in better
with the surroundings. Not everywhere needs or wants a bright green and white Starbucks
awning. This coffee chain has surprisingly even won over customers in very astute coffee
countries like France and Italy, maintaining a simple philosophy that a customer basically
has a right to any coffee concoction - no matter how odd sounding - in any size that
they could possibly dream of. The food, however, sometimes leaves a lot to be desired, and
there have been complaints online about dried out, stale or soggy sandwiches prepared way
before they end up in the display case, but few people come to Starbucks to eat a meal,
anyway. The coffee is where it’s at, and Starbucks' total domination of that corner
of the market deserves recognition as one of the highest-rated, most popular fast food
brands.
Culver’s
Culver’s is not as well known as some of the other fast-food chains on this list, but
it should be. The chain specializes in fast food, however, it's almost more like fast-casual.
With an indulgent menu of succulent food, they’re often a step above its competitors
in taste, quality, and overall look. Culver’s also excels in the dessert department - its
frozen custards are in a league of their own compared to the standard fast-food soft serve
or milkshakes and are legendary among fans of the chain. Culver’s prices might be slightly
higher than the average fast-food restaurant, but that's because the quality of its ingredients
is higher, and the chain has taken great care to maintain a balance between cost-effectiveness
and great, fresh products. Overall, Culver's has less name recognition and fewer stores
- under a thousand - compared to the big giant brands, but it has slowly been expanding,
and word of mouth has helped the company become a major contender. When considering the future
of its business, which is now centered mostly in the midwest and some parts of the southern
US, Culver's seems intent on maintaining quality first and worrying about expansion to every
other part of the world later. Plus, it even has a mascot - a must have for every great
fast food brand - a custard cone named Scoopy, who beckons customers to the restaurants when
they enter. And it’s hard to say no to Scoopy and even harder to say no to Culver's.
Subway
Subway is the standard, reliable sandwich chain, and also easily one of the most popular
in the world. Actually, it is the biggest fast-food chain in the world - at least, in
terms of the number of locations. Subway has rarely messed around too much with its
menu, keeping to the popular bread and fillings combo, which score fairly well in the health
department. It has also been consistently favored among customers who prefer something
a little lighter for lunch than a greasy burger. The chain has introduced a few new items over
the years, but not too many, wanting to make sure the quality stayed the same. It recently
capitalized on the current chicken craze by introducing a spicy barbecue chicken sandwich
and they previously offered a barbecue rib sandwich, both for a limited time. But, otherwise,
what Subway really specializes in is the make-your-own sandwich line, where you can throw whatever
kind of meat and toppings you want onto your choice of bread. Traditionally, the sandwich
comes as a combo with a bag of chips and a drink for a very low price, which makes it
score high in cost-effectiveness. Just ask the fans of the chain who are hooked for life.
Five Guys
When it comes to the pure simplicity of making a burger absolutely delicious, Five Guys scores
very high on the list of best fast-food restaurants. Maybe the chain is still considered the new
kid on the block compared to the legacy brands like McDonald’s and Subway, but what it
lacks in experience, it compensates for in tastiness. Basically, whatever it does, it
does it well. The burgers are so beloved that lines sometimes form outside a restaurant
during rush hour, everywhere from California to Singapore. Started around Arlington, Virginia,
thirty-some years ago, Five Guys began small before gradually beginning to catch on. Things
really took off when they started receiving some big-name recognition over the years.
It never hurts when American presidents and celebrities start name dropping your chain.
Today, Five Guys has over fifteen hundred locations worldwide, mostly located in the
US, but has also branched out to other territories on several continents, with great success.
A simple menu can be deceiving, but perfecting a burger is no easy task. Five Guys excels
with its juicy, charred patties and simple toppings, making the creations look effortless
and mouthwatering. The taste is delicious, perfectly seasoned, and the buns contain more
eggs than a regular bun, which makes them sweeter and even more addictive. Five Guys
is considered to be one of the most talked-about fast-food brands online, so, really, you can
never go wrong with a burger from Five Guys! Has the internet ever been wrong??
McDonald’s
There’s no denying that McDonald’s reaches the top of any chart or list when it comes
to fast food: it is easily the most widespread, most recognizable fast-food brand in the world.
McDonald's perfected its standard recipes a long time ago, and yet it continues to work
and adapt to modern times and is not afraid to experiment with new menu items, restaurant
designs, and marketing upgrades - which is what keeps people always coming back for more.
The pandemic has made for a terribly challenging year for many fast-food restaurants, and even
McDonald’s had to close several hundred locations as a result of losses. However,
it constantly proves to be one of the most reputable and resilient brands around. Almost
anywhere you go, you will find a familiar McDonald’s open near you, often all night
long. You would have a hard time finding a city somewhere in the world where a McDonald’s
franchise doesn’t exist since it makes a strong effort to adapt its menus to cater
to local tastes, making it the most popular, common fast food restaurant in the world - a
record that has been long standing for decades. You just can’t really beat McDonald’s
when it comes to its delectable food, brand recognition, and global popularity.
Wendy’s
Where McDonald’s might be seen by some people as merely assembly-line food, Wendy’s made
a big effort in recent years to make its food look and taste more rustic and "handmade"
compared to other burger chains. The changes to the menu and look of the restaurants have
made a big difference, especially since its square burgers underwent significant testing
to try and find a middle ground between a fast food burger and something you might find
at a backyard barbecue. The result is that Wendy’s makes some of the best burgers around
right now, given the size and scale of its operation. And it’s not limited to burgers
- Wendy’s also has a large selection of food that caters to many tastes, even vegetarians
who might want a healthy salad that doesn’t come served to you on the side as an afterthought.
There’s also a hardcore fanbase who goes crazy for Wendy’s chili, cheese fries, and
baked potatoes, which are harder to find on other widespread fast-food menus. It should
also be noted that Wendy’s is an institution in the industry, ranking in the top five of
fast-food sales consistently year after year, thanks to its fans, delightful food, and continuous
effort to stay on top of its game.
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