French Fries: Which are Worth the Hype?

All across the United States, fast food restaurants are the best places to get something to eat when you feel like grabbing a quick bite or are just too lazy to cook. Whenever you do eat at these restaurants, French fries are the must-have item to order. McDonald’s, Checkers, Burger King and Wendy’s are the leading fast-food restaurants in the nation, but they differ in many aspects, such as overall customer service and quality of the French fries. When it comes to the fries, there are tremendous differences in presentation, price and taste; these qualities are crucial in order to determine which restaurant serves the best French fries.

Checkers

Our Rating: A-

With a small order of French fries costing $2.19, Checkers has the most expensive fries out of the whole fast food chain list. While the fries are on the pricey side for a typical fast food chain, they are unlike other ordinary fries because of their unique flavor. A lot of places tend to go overboard with salt or leave their fries out for too long, resulting in a stale taste-but Checkers is the complete opposite. If anything, their fries are sprinkled with the perfect amount of seasoning and are crisp to perfection, never stale.

One major downside of many fast food drive-ins is the never-ending lines one must wait in to order and receive food. However, Checkers’ drive-ins are always very quick and usually only takes five minutes, even on the busiest days. Checkers’ fries also have a very unique seasoning and original style when compared to other fast restaurants. To give their fries a a lot of flavor, Checkers adds paprika and pepper to spice up their fries.

“Checkers’ customer service does not have to go a long way considering their menu and prices. Their fries are pretty good considering the fact that they are from a fast food chain, but I’m not going to lie and say it’s the best thing I’ve ever tasted,” junior Victor Hernandez said.

Burger King

Our Rating: B-

Ever since Burger King was founded in 1953, it has gained a large consumer base and maintained a solid reputation over the course of the years. However, it has recently lost a lot of its charm with customers increasingly showing preference for Burger King’s competitors. Despite this, their fries are surprisingly good, especially for their low price of $1.72.

Their fries can sometimes taste quite stale, but considering the number of fries that you get in a small sized order, it balances out. Burger King’s fries tend to be very thick and have a very crispy texture. They’re the type of fries that do not need dipping sauce to mask the taste.

On the other hand, their customer service is really slow, especially if you take into account the number of customers that they receive on a daily basis. This makes the dining experience rather aggravating.

McDonald’s

Our Rating: C

Unlike the other fast food restaurants, McDonald’s receives hundreds of customers and orders they must fulfill every day. For such a popular fast food chain, their customer service is shockingly fast, making McDonald’s a great place for someone who is in a hurry and wants to get a quick bite.

When it comes to the fries, the quick ordering process is not worth quality of fries you receive. They are very soggy and stale, making the fries overall unpleasant to eat and not worth price of $1.49. McDonald’s fries are always very greasy, causing them to be chewy and limp when you eat them due to the excessive amount of grease that is added.

“I don’t like McDonald’s French fries because they are very flimsy and greasy, but Wendy’s fries are more natural and what French fries should be,” sophomore Kristen Sosa said.

Wendy’s

Our Rating: C-

Lastly, Wendy’s for a small order of fries, serves an abundance of French fries for only $1.92. However, the quality of their fries is often unpredictable: one day they may be really salty and the other they may be stale. Wendy’s issue is the major inconsistency regarding the quality of their fries, but at least their customer service is usually very quick.

Wendy’s usually leaves the potato skin on their fries to give them more flavor. Despite this strategy, the fries are still lacking in flavor. The texture of the fries is sometimes either too soft and chewy or crispy and overcooked.

With the price taken into consideration, these fries are not really worth buying and seem to embody the opposite of Wendy’s motto, “Quality is our recipe.”

Winner: Checkers

Overall, if you’re looking for a fast food place with great tasting fries and good customer service, then go to Checkers. They never cease to disappoint with the quality of their French fries, which make for a great salty snack.