Which Fast Food Chain Gives You The Most Fries? We Found Out
It's the question on every potato lover's mind: Which fast food chain gives you the most fries? Luckily, we found out, so you never have to wonder again. To make sure everything in our testing process was fair, we did put a few parameters in check. First, the fries are not ranked by their total weight. Instead, we ranked them by their overall weight per price. We didn't think it was fair to rank a larger portion of fries higher simply for being bigger — because of course if you pay more, you are going to get more food. Or, at least you should, in our books. If you're interested in knowing who gives you the largest medium fries regardless of price, don't worry. We'll tell you that, too.
To even the playing field, we used the same sheet of wax paper (which clocked in at .09 ounces) when we weighed each portion. You will see this .09 ounces subtracted from the weight on the food scale. It's all very scientific. We ordered medium fries at each restaurant, as this is the size that typically comes when you order a combo meal. If a medium wasn't available, we chose a regular, confirming with the drive-thru employees that it was the default combo size. So here it is, once and for all, the most generous fast food fry portions, ranked.
Read more: The Ultimate American Fast Food Restaurants Ranked
Sonic
The most fun part of ordering fries at Sonic is that many of the carhops still wear rollerskates to deliver your order (ours did!). The fries looked like a generous portion for the size of the container they came in. They were all long and not too charred — most of them were fluffy and soft. They also tasted plenty salty to us, but Sonic also included a few more bags of salt at the bottom of the bag should we have wanted to add more. They were the only fast food restaurant we visited that did this, and we were given the salt unprompted. As another nice touch, our order came with a peppermint.
The medium fries from Sonic weighed in at 3.14 ounces and cost $3.02. This makes the overall price per ounce about 96 cents. Although the extras of the salt packages and peppermint were nice, this was still one of the smallest portions for the price paid. So unfortunately for Sonic, they were the most stingy in this challenge.
Popeye's
Popeye's doesn't have a medium fries. "We have large and small," the drive-thru employee curtly informed us. "Okay, what size comes with a combo meal?" we asked, trying to keep things consistent across all the restaurants we sampled. "Regular," came the reply. So, we ended up with the regular fries from Popeye's, which you might notice is neither large nor small. The fries were very long and had quite a crunchy texture, kind of like beer-battered fries. They were also covered in quite a tangy Cajun seasoning, which we liked.
As you can see, the portion of the regular fries was quite generous for the small paper bag they came in. Over half of the side was loose in the bottom of the larger bag passed through the drive-thru window. That said, the total weight was 3.74 ounces. At $3.24 total, the cost per ounce was 86 cents, placing it quite low on our generosity ranking.
Arby's
Since we don't normally eat at Arby's, we were excited to see what the french fry offerings were from a restaurant that constantly boasts that "we have the meats." The fries were an okay portion for the container that they came in. While we were not blown away by the amount of fries in the cup, it didn't seem like there were many missing, either. The fries were crinkle cut, although Arby's also offers curly fries with seasoning. We chose the crinkle cut as they were the most similar to fries offered by competitors — as we thought it was the fairest when comparing different options.
We paid $3.02 total for 3.84 ounces of fries. This brings the total per ounce to about 80 cents, which is one of the least generous of the fries we sampled for this challenge. Perhaps the curly fries might have been a bit heavier, but that's a comparison article for another day.
KFC
KFC may have plenty of other sides to choose from, but in our opinion, the french fries are still one of its best options. The fries were very crunchy, so if you prefer your potatoes a touch more thoroughly cooked, then the KFC fries would be a great fit for your needs. In addition to that, the portion of these seemingly beer-battered fries was generous for the size of the container it comes in. As you can see, there wasn't much room for other fries to fit in this cup.
The KFC medium fries weighed in at 4.17 ounces. They came with a price tag of $3.24, leaving the total price per ounce at a pretty solid 78 cents. Although it was one of the larger portions by weight, the higher price tag that comes along with it means it loses some ground in our rankings. Better luck next time, KFC.
Whataburger
Whataburger promises to give you your food "just like you like it." When ordering our fries, we had high hopes for the Texas-based chain. For the container received, we felt like the fries were a generous portion. We even had to dig a few out of the bag and place them back in the cup when it came time to weigh everything in. The fries were straight-cut, making them long and skinny. They tasted a little sweet, but maybe that's because we're used to eating them with Whataburger's signature spicy ketchup.
The medium fries from Whataburger weighed in at 4.26 ounces. Since we paid $3.13, the total cost per ounce comes out to 73 cents an ounce. This isn't a bad price, but it is certainly not as good of a deal as a few other restaurants we tried. We felt like, since everything is supposed to be bigger in Texas, the price should've been a little lower for the amount of fries.
McDonald's
McDonald's is one of the OG fast food restaurants in the States, so we were excited to see where it placed in our french fry generosity rankings. The medium fries were shoestring, but seemed extra stringy when we received them. Perhaps they were part of an older batch, but they had definitely been left out too long. We also felt like the portion was a little small for the container it came in. Although we rescued a few stragglers from the bottom of the bag, it was nowhere near the amount we felt was missing. The drive-thru line was very busy when we visited, so we also had to wonder if this influenced our portion size.
However, at 3.75 ounces and a cost of $2.70, the cost per ounce for McDonald's fries was a cool 72 cents. This places the historic chain solidly in the middle of the pack.
Five Guys
Five Guys is famous (some might even say notorious) for the size of its fries portions. As you can see, the cup we received was overflowing. With the amount of fries that we found at the bottom of the bag, it's almost like we had a double portion. They were long and thick cut and had plenty of the potato skin left on — something we really like. Five Guys fries are cooked up in peanut oil and there are also peanuts all around the restaurant for snacking while you wait. If you have an allergy, it's best to stay away.
Although the serving is very generous, the price tag of regular fries (a medium, along with "little" and "large" options on the menu), is a whopping $6.70. This is the highest of any fast food chain we sampled for this challenge. However, they also weighed in at 9.49 ounces, making them still quite competitive at 70 cents per ounce.
Dairy Queen
Although Dairy Queen isn't necessarily known for its savory food options, the dessert chain has plenty of delicious ones to choose from. We ordered the medium fries and felt like they were a good portion for the container they came in. The fries were long and thick, without any charred or crunchy bits. We prefer our fries this way, but if you like the crunchy ones you might be out of luck at DQ. It's also worth noting that Dairy Queen was the only restaurant that automatically gave us ketchup in the bag. We declined sauces at most places as we didn't need it — but the folks at DQ popped a few in our bag, just because. It was a nice gesture.
The fries cost us $2.49 and weighed in at a generous 3.94 ounces, making the cost per ounce 63 cents. This stacks up pretty well for a place most would only consider visiting for ice cream.
Raising Cane's
This Louisiana-born chicken finger restaurant is known for keeping its menu simple. Lucky for us, the crinkle-cut fries available at Raising Cane's are never a miss. Served in a styrofoam container, the fries weighed in at 3.75 ounces, though we felt like it was a skimpy amount of fries given the large size of the container. There was plenty of space left inside for more fries. We're unsure if the employee serving that day was being a little stingy, or if the styrofoam is simply too big for the amount employees are instructed to give. Either way, it's not the greatest look.
That said, Cane's doesn't have different sizes, of fries — so this portion is the only option if you are after some extras when eating here. At $2.48, the cost of Cane's fries comes out to about 66 cents an ounce. So even though there should probably be more in the box, at the lower price point, everything still works in Cane's favor.
Jack In The Box
Jack in the Box is known for its fun advertisement campaigns featuring their mascot, Jack. He's the fictitious chairman with what looks like a giant ping-pong ball for a head. The shoestring fries available here were long and thin, and came with a few crunchy bits towards the bottom of the cup. It was a good portion for the size of the container, but we felt as though it wasn't overly generous.
That said, we did pay just $3.34 for about 5.61 ounces of fries, meaning that the Jack in the Box fries were one of the weightier options we checked out. So even though it was a bit more expensive than the rest of the competitors overall, the generosity still makes the price per ounce a very competitive 60 cents. For that, Jack in the Box earns a spot towards the top of our list.
Chick-fil-A
Famously closed on Sundays, Chick-fil-A is also just as well known for its waffle fries. It's one of the only fast food chains that sells this type. You can purchase a small, medium, or large of the treat — which is fried in peanut oil, just as a heads up in case you might have an allergy. Although the customer service in the drive-thru line at Chick-fil-A was top-notch, we can't help but feel that the portion of fries given in this medium wasn't up to par. There seemed to be plenty of room in the container for a few more fries. And no, unfortunately, they didn't just fall out into the bag. Believe us, we checked. The fries were mostly fluffy with only a few charred pieces at the bottom of the container.
The medium fries from Chick-fil-A weighed in at 4.65 ounces. At $2.70, the overall price comes to about 58 cents an ounce. So even though the container could have been a bit better filled, Chick-fil-A still comes out nearly on top.
Wendy's
Wendy's gets its name from its founder Dave Thomas' daughter. While the chain's Pippi Longstocking-esque logo is pretty famous, this chain is perhaps better known for its cheap and delicious frosty desserts, as well as its funny "Where's the Beef?" advertisements from the 1980s. The medium french fries we ordered came with a pretty good portion size. While the cup wasn't stuffed, it didn't seem underfilled either. The fries were long and thick, and seemed more like hand-cut fries, as most of them still had bits of potato skin on them. Given how hot they were when passed through the drive-thru window, we felt like we got our fries from a fresh batch.
We paid $2.80 for 4.91 ounces, making the price a very generous 57 cents per ounce. Wendy's places third if ranking by weight alone (after Five Guys and Burger King, respectively), making its fries a pretty solid option for those looking for a hearty portion.
Burger King
Burger King really came through with a great portion for the size of the packaging. The fries were long and thick and, as you can see, absolutely crammed inside the cup they came in. The employee packing fries the day we visited also did a fantastic job, as not a single fry escaped the cup into the paper bag. We even moved the napkins around just to check.
The fries weighed in at 5.01 ounces for a medium portion and cost $2.70 including tax. This makes the total price per ounce 53 cents. Burger King is the king of second place in our challenge. The fries were the second overall heaviest and the second when divided into cost per amount, too. If both of those things are important to you, and you want a good portion and great value at the same time, you might want to consider Burger King your winner.
In-N-Out
In-N-Out has brought its special style of California dreaming to most of the USA with its famous burger and fries combo. Although fries Animal Style is one of the most popular options, we chose to order the medium fries plain to give the other options a fighting chance at sizing up. The fries from In-N-Out were shoestring and came out to our car piping hot. They were mostly soft and plenty salty, and there wasn't a crunchy, charred fry to be found.
We paid $2.33 for 4.82 ounces, and we felt like the portion of fries was generous for the size of the paper boat they came in. The math also agrees with this assessment, as the cost per ounce comes out to the winning number of just 48 cents. Although the portion of fries from In-N-Out wasn't the heaviest we sampled, the numbers don't lie: You just can't beat that value per fry!
Read the original article on Daily Meal.
