c/fast-food-rankings

Shoutout to the cashier at Taco Bell who talked me into trying the Cheesy Gordita Crunch

She said it's her go-to order and that the regular tacos are boring lol. I've been ordering nothing else for 6 months now - do you guys usually trust the workers' personal rankings or stick to the menu classics?

Traded my 20-year Popeyes loyalty for Chick-fil-A last month and it hurt my wallet

I used to hit Popeyes every Tuesday for their $5 chicken sandwich deal, but after I moved to Charlotte and saw the Chick-fil-A drive-thru moving faster, I gave in. Now I'm spending $8.50 a meal and the speed is nice, but has anyone else felt guilty dropping a long-time fast food spot just for convenience?

Swapped from McDonalds to Wendy's for lunch this week and I'm not going back

I used to hit the McDonalds drive thru near my station at least twice a week. This past Monday I tried Wendy's instead because the line was shorter. Their spicy chicken sandwich is way bigger and actually has some crunch to it. Have any of you made a similar switch and found a better option?

Took me 20 years to realize I was ruining my burgers by pressing them down on the grill

I always pressed my burger patties flat with a spatula while they cooked, thinking it made them cook faster and get a better crust. Then last month at a cookout, my buddy stopped me and said I was squeezing out all the juice. I tried one burger without pressing it and the difference was huge. That single tip changed how every burger tastes for me now. Anyone else learn a basic cooking habit they had totally wrong for years?

Popeyes chicken sandwich hype train - I finally caved last week

I was one of those people who rolled their eyes at the whole chicken sandwich war a few years back. But last Thursday I was in Baton Rouge for work and saw a Popeyes that actually had no line. Figured why not try it since it only cost $4.49. Man, I was wrong about that thing - the breading was crispy and the pickles actually made sense on a chicken sandwich. Has anyone else put off trying something because of the hype and then regretted waiting?

Appreciation post: the McDouble is way better than the McChicken and nobody talks about it

So I was at McDonald's last Tuesday around 2pm grabbing lunch after a dentist appointment. This guy in front of me orders 2 McChickens and I'm like alright whatever. But then I started thinking about how people always pick McChicken over McDouble like it's not even a contest. The McDouble is cheaper ($2.19 here in Austin TX) and actually fills you up. McChicken is like biting air on a bun with mayo. Plus if you ask for it with Mac sauce it's basically a poor man's Big Mac. Am I the only one who thinks the McDouble is the most underrated thing on the menu?

Taco Bell gave me the wrong order 3 times in one week and I finally snapped

Last month I hit the Taco Bell on Broadway in Denver during my lunch break. I ordered a crunchwrap supreme but they handed me a cheesy gordita crunch instead. I went back inside and they swapped it but forgot the sour cream. Third time I went there they gave me someone else's bag entirely with like 6 tacos I didn't order. I finally told the manager I'd just go elsewhere from now on. Has anyone else had a fast food place mess up that many times in a row?

The shrink ray hit Hardee's biscuits over the last 5 years

I stopped going to Hardee's for a while, maybe 3 years. Went back last week and ordered their sausage biscuit like I used to. The biscuit was noticeably smaller, more like a dinner roll than the big fluffy thing I remember. The sausage patty was thinner too, almost see-through on the edges. Is this just me imagining things or did they really scale down the portions that much?

Drowning in sauce wasn't the flex I thought it was

30 years of fast food and I finally realized I was putting my chicken nuggets directly into the sauce cup. Last week a kid at the table next to me showed me you're supposed to dip, not soak. Anyone else get this wrong their whole life?

Nobody ever mentions the bun to meat ratio at chicken places...

I keep ordering spicy chicken sandwiches and finding a huge bun with a skinny little patty inside. At the Popeyes on Main Street last Tuesday, I literally took the top bun off and just ate the bottom half with the chicken. Is there a chain that actually gets the bread to chicken balance right?

I finally tried that "secret menu" item at Del Taco and wasted $8

Saw some tiktok raving about a "loaded quesadilla" you can get by asking for a quesadilla with carne asada and crinkle cut fries inside. Drove 15 minutes to the nearest one, ordered it, got home and it was basically a regular quesadilla with like 4 soggy fries thrown in. Paid almost 9 bucks for something that tasted worse than their $2 regular one. Has anyone ever actually gotten a good secret menu item from a fast food place or is it all just hype?

Warning: don't order the spicy chicken sandwich after 9pm at the Drive-Thru on 3rd Ave

Went there last Friday around 9:15 and got a chicken sandwich that was basically just breading and grease... had to toss it after two bites. Anyone else notice the quality drops that late?

Had a chat with a Wendy's shift manager that flipped my burger ranking

Stopped at a Wendy's outside Nashville last Tuesday. Dead afternoon. Manager came out to grab trash. We got talking. He told me they chop their lettuce fresh every 4 hours. Not bagged stuff. That hit different because I always thought their burgers were just average. Now I gotta redo my whole fast food burger list. Anyone else ever have a worker change your mind on a place?

Tried that $7.99 Wendy's biggie bag everyone's been talking about

My buddy at work told me to get the spicy chicken sandwich with the biggie bag deal. Said it's the best value in fast food right now. He was right. Got it yesterday for lunch. For $7.99 you get a sandwich, fries, nuggets, and a drink. That's a full meal for less than most combo prices. Anyone else tried this deal yet?

I used to think Chick-fil-A was overrated until a dude at a gas station in Ohio changed my mind

He told me their spicy chicken sandwich is the only fast food item that actually tastes like it was made by someone who cares, and after giving it another shot (for real this time, not just the nuggets), I gotta admit the breading-to-chicken ratio is dead on. Has anyone else flipped on a chain after a random stranger's comment stuck with you?

I used to think Taco Bell was overrated until I went to one in Phoenix

Drove through Phoenix last week and stopped at a Taco Bell off I-10 around 8 PM. The line was long but the food came out crazy fresh, like the shells were actually crispy and not soggy. I ordered a Crunchwrap Supreme and it had way more filling than I get back home in Ohio. Maybe it's just that location, but now I'm wondering if other Taco Bells are this good or if I just got lucky. Has anyone else found a random location that totally changed their mind on a chain?

The cashier at Taco Bell in Tulsa handed me my change with a smile and said 'you got this' when I was having a rough day.

Warning: the $8 spicy chicken sandwich from that gas station chain was either a genius move or a regret

I grabbed one on a road trip last week near Tulsa for $7.89 and it was actually decent crispy chicken, but I spent the next 2 hours wondering if the mystery meat would come back to haunt me. Has anyone else had a surprisingly good gas station meal that either saved your trip or ruined your day?

Took 45 minutes to order at Taco Bell last Tuesday

I was standing there staring at the menu board trying to figure out if the Cantina Chicken bowl was actually worth $8.49 compared to the normal one. The teen behind the counter just kept looking at me like I was crazy. Has anyone else had decision paralysis at a fast food counter before?

My burger fell apart at a McDonald's in Phoenix yesterday and I didn't say anything

So I'm at this McDonald's off the I-10 near 35th Ave, right? I order a double quarter pounder with cheese and extra pickles. I get my food and drive maybe 3 minutes before I pull over to eat. I unwrap it and the whole bottom bun is just soaked through, like completely soggy. I pick it up and the patty slides right out onto the wrapper with cheese and everything. I just sat there staring at it for a minute, hungry and annoyed. I didn't even go back inside because I hate complaining at fast food places, feels awkward. Has anyone else just eaten a messed up sandwich instead of asking for a new one?

Spotted a lady at Wendy's arguing her chili was 'too fresh' last week

I was grabbing a late lunch around 2pm and heard this woman telling the manager the chili tasted different than usual, like the beans were too firm. She seemed dead serious that she preferred the stuff that had been sitting for hours. It got me thinking, does anyone actually like their fast food chili a little older or am I the weird one for wanting mine straight off the line?

Finally had the chicken sandwich at Popeyes after thinking it was overrated for a year

Honestly, I was that person who kept saying the Popeyes chicken sandwich was just hype and not worth the wait. But last Tuesday I was stuck in a drive thru line for 25 minutes because a friend swore I was missing out. I finally got the spicy sandwich with pickles and ate it in my car parked outside. The breading actually stayed crunchy even after I drove home 10 minutes away. I think what changed my mind was how the spicy mayo mixed with the pickle juice on the bun. It hit different than I expected and now I get why people fought over these things. Has anyone else had a fast food item they refused to try for months and then ended up loving it?

Cooking frozen fries in the air fryer with a spritz of oil changes everything

Been eating dry, powdery fries for months until I tried spraying them with a little canola oil before cooking. Did a batch at 400 for 12 minutes and they actually got crispy on the outside, soft inside. Anybody else got a trick for frozen fast food at home?

Shoutout to the cashier at Taco Bell who watched me drown my Crunchwrap in Diablo sauce every week for 6 months

She finally leaned over the counter last Tuesday and whispered 'you know the chicken shell is way better with the creamy jalapeno sauce' and now I realize I was just using hot sauce to cover up how dry the beef is.

McDonald's breakfast burritos vs the Egg McMuffin, I finally picked a side

I was running late for a Saturday morning shift at the warehouse last week and had exactly 7 minutes to grab breakfast. I stood there staring at the menu board trying to decide between the two, honestly it happens every time. I went with the breakfast burrito because it felt faster to eat one handed while driving. Big mistake, it was all dry tortilla and barely any filling, I was still hungry an hour later. Has anyone else noticed the burritos have gotten way smaller lately or was it just a bad morning at that location?