Everyone has gotten fries before with their fast food meal, but have you ever wondered which fries dominate the fast food industry? On Thursday, November 21, a team of journalists set out to find the answer to fast food fries. Five fast-food restaurants were visited in Souderton, PA. The chosen locations were McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King, Dairy Queen, and Wawa. Fries were rated on a scale from 1-10 based on taste, texture, price, and quantity. These four factors combined to create a score out of ten for each fast food fry, allowing them to be ranked from 1-5.
The group started their fry journey at Wendy’s, where we ordered a small fry, which cost us $2.29. Overall, this price was considered fair, and the amount of fries received was enough for a snack for four people. Now, with the taste, a good amount of saltiness met the crunch of the Wendy’s fry. This fry was substantially thicker than others, like McDonald’s, and the group agreed on a rating of 8.5/10.
A quick drive over led to the Burger King with a fry price of $2.69. The Burger King fry experience did not hit the same, as this fry received a lower rating than Wendy’s. Burger King fries were rated a 5/10. The size and quantity of the fry were there, but the crunchiness was not as good as they were overly salted and had a bit of sogginess to them.
There wasn’t an expectation for Dairy Queen as this place is known for its ice cream, not hot fast food. A worker, Grant Schmidt, says, “ We cook the fries in the same oil we fry everything in, like chicken tenders.” This wasn’t a surprise, considering that it isn’t their main specialty; this thought also slightly lowered the expectations. Now, the first thing we noticed was the size of the fries and the price. Both seemed a bit larger than normal, costing $3.19. These fries were thicker and salty. A rating of 6.3/10 was given. The ice cream might be the best thing to order here.
Next up was McDonald’s, known for its famous and delicious fries. This statement sure is correct. A McDonald’s small fry comes in at $2.99, approximately similar to the other fry prices. These fries are much thinner and golden than the other fries eaten. Both are crispy and soft, with a nice amount of salt. McDonald’s fryer Andrew Jones can back up this praising statement of Mcdonald’s fries as he states, “ We take our fries seriously, we have a person specifically that does the fry cooking and we have thorough instructions we have to use to maintain our definition of a perfect fry.” This quote proves right as the McDonald’s fries were easily the best, giving them a 9.1/10.
Last but not least comes Wawa. Most people think of Wawa as having coffee and hoagies, not fries, and there is a reason for this. Wawa had a price of $2.79, and getting fries was annoying. Waiting for a number to be called for some fries was not ideal. These fries were overdoing it, with too much size, saltiness, and a dusty texture. Not only this but there was sogginess, too, which did not help. All of this led to a rating of 4.2/10 for Wawa.
If you are set out to get some fast food fries for a light snack, McDonald’s and Wendy’s are heavily suggested, leaving Dairy Queen and Burger King a bit lower, with Wawa at last place. This fry list is a great guide to deciding which fries to snack on.
Sources:
https://order.wawa.com/web/product/c3021b29-0eda-4927-b84a-0bc98dc18a59?category=lunch-dinner%2Fdinner%2Fgarlic-knots-fries%2Ffries
https://hackthemenu.com/burger-king/menu-prices/
https://www.dairyqueen.com/en-us/menu/fries/?size=regular
https://www.calorieking.com/us/en/foods/f/calories-in-hot-fries-chips-fries/w08IoXFDSlW3mxJiU65ULw#google_vignette
https://www.nutritionix.com/food/burger-king-small-french-fries
https://www.nutritionix.com/food/wendys-small-french-fries
https://origin.bk.com/food-quality
https://www.wawa.com/iframe/nutrition/wawa-good-to-choose-menu
https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/faq/snacks-and-sides.html
https://www.dairyqueen.com/en-us/menu/fries/
https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/product/small-french-fries.html#accordion-c921f9207b-item-283bee7dbd
https://www.wawa.com/iframe/nutrition
Here Is Every Ingredient in Your Favorite Fast Food French Fries
