When it comes to fast food we all know two things: it’s really bad for you and it tastes really good. We all know another thing about fast food; no matter what somebody tries to tell you all fast food joints are not, and never will be, the same. McDonald’s, Burger King, Five Guys, and Wendy’s are all completely different restaurants. When you get down to it, yes, it all consists of meat, cheese, bread, lettuce, tomato, pickles, onions, grease, and fixings. But no matter what, people have their preferences about how it’s made.
McDonald’s is notorious for their Big Macs, messed up orders, and McCafe smoothies. McDonald’s was established in May, 15, 1940 by Richard and Maurice McDonald in San Bernardino, California. Over the years, McDonald’s popularity skyrocketed and now it is the top fast food chain in the world with over 18,710 locations scattered across the globe. Obviously McDonald’s is doing something right; but what is that? They have been well known for their famous Big Macs, and Big Mac sauce is supposed to make the perfect burger to kick that junky craving. Who could resist the thought of a burger when we’re surrounded by advertisements of the fluffy sesame seed buns and thick patties with perfectly placed condiments? But something really weird happens when you finally get your order at the pick up counter, walk over to an unclean table, and open your burger box. The burger is about half the size, soggy, limp, greasy, and in some cases the completely wrong order. McDonald’s is arguably hyped up; but what makes it the top fast food joint? Three words–it is cheap. McDonald’s is dirt cheap compared to other fast food chains and spending three dollars can get you the equivalent to an eight dollar meal at another (unnamed) fast food chain. Seems like a pretty good deal, even with having smaller portion sizes, so putting up with the let downs of Mickey D’s is somewhat bearable.
If you’re not into getting your orders messed up a lot, then you might want to “have it your way.” Yes, I’m talking about Burger King where you can supposedly “have it your way,” which is actually the slogan. Burger King was started in 1954 in Miami, Florida by David Edgerton and James McLamore. Burger King is currently being hyped with their new addition to their menu, the “Satisfries.” Burger King has always had the rep of being second fiddle compared to McDonald’s. McDonald’s is known as the king of fast food and Burger King more of the joker. Burger King started with their health food menu before McDonald’s, which had them gain more popularity around 2008-2009. Burger King is home of the Whopper, which features their signature flame broiled, all-beef patties. Burger King is known for upping their food quality from giving larger portioned fries to changing food preparation techniques. Burger King does tend to lean on the spicier side of the spectrum, but they are actually known for that. BK also is known for its Whopper sauce, which is controversially better than their competitor, McDonald’s, Big Mac sauce. Burger King is known for taking ideas from other fast food chains and “beefing them up,” literally. Burger King is notorious for making their burger bigger and bigger, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Next up on the list of top fast food chains is Wendy’s. It was founded in 1969 in Columbus, Ohio by Dave Thomas. Wendy’s is yet another competitor to McDonald’s and has recently been dubbed number two on the fast food chain hierarchy. Wendy’s is known for their great quality and healthy food. Their slogan is “Always fresh, never frozen.” Wendy’s always has great portion sizes and their preparation is not as sloppy as others. When opening a burger from Wendy’s you can see the distinct layers between the bun, patty, lettuce, tomato, and condiments. It’s a prettily prepared burger that’s a good size, and a good portioned amount of fries that are not overwhelmingly salty. Seems like a pretty good thing, but the only “down side” is, it usually costs about a dollar more, which isn’t bad at all. Wendy’s has recently made a big comeback with advertising their fresh salads which surprisingly, come in a bit of a variety. When taking a bite out of Wendy’s food, you literally notice the amount of grease that is no longer flooding into your mouth as opposed to Mickey D’s or BK. Health wise it’s still not an ideal meal choice compared to a nutritious home cooked meal, but it is on the healthier side as far as fast food joints go.
Last, but not least, is Five Guys burgers and fries. It was founded in 1986 by Janie and Jerry Murrell in Arlington’s Westmont Shopping Center. Five Guys is known for their distinct atmosphere, which is very trucker. First off anyone with an airborne peanut allergy should stay as far away from this place as possible. The walls in Five Guys are always lined up with huge barrels of peanuts for the customers to take as they please. Not only that, but Five Guys has only, and will only ever, use peanut oil. Five Guys is known for their freshly made all ground beef patties that are massive. Five Guys also is proud to say that not one freezer is ever located in any of their locations only coolers which are emptied every 24-hours. The well known burger joint’s fries are fresh cut from bag of potatoes that have a sign indicating from where they were delivered. Five Guys, “Has been voted the Washingtonian Magazine’s ‘Readers’ Choice’ #1 Burger every year since 1999,” according to the Five Guys website. This burger chain does not have as many locations due to it only being available in the United States. Though it’s not as available as McDonald’s, its quality is top notch and it has the best quality burgers available in a fast food chain.
