• Top 5 Fast Food Restaurants

  

  Written by bug 26 Comments
  Last Updated:: October 20, 2008

  With my belly full from a rushed thirty minute workday lunch break, it is the perfect time to settle in and dissect the intricacies of some of the most popular fast food restaurants. I can safely say that 95% of the population dabbles into the fast food realm, usually within limits of eating said food “every once and a while”. There are some of us out there who eat it for breakfast lunch and dinner, touting oversized brown paper bags that are reserved for family orders. These are the exceptions; the addicts. They fill that entire family pouch with their own fresh steaming feast. Fast; cheap food that goes from microwave to the toilet in under 15 minutes. Here at old-wizard.com we have gone on such binges, stayed abreast of the newest trends in fast food, and once in late 2005 even got up of the couch and drove straight to Taco Bell to try the brand new Crunchwrap Supreme as soon as the TV commercial ended. With these types of impulses, we bring you our top five fast food joints, with a little insight to each.

  5. McDonald’s

  This name goes without needing any explanation. McDonald’s is one of the most widely known dining establishments with billions and billions served worldwide. Starting off with a basis of beef, McDonald’s has always been focused on beef for its entire existence. Hamburgers, Cheeseburgers, Big Mac’s and Quarterpounders; the list goes on and on. There isn’t really anything too flashy about McDonald’s – their menu is straightforward and has actually been downsized as of recent months. The last time I actually wandered into McDonald’s I was appalled by the lack of items on the menu. I remember seeing only five value menu options and a couple dollar menu options and that’s it. At some of the new locations I have seen McDonalds is trying to get a little classy, building what they call the McCafe right into the restaurant. Here they offer a variety of breakfast breads including muffins, danishes and even a few scones. Along with the breads, they offer all sorts of coffees and lattes, and some wacky specialty drinks I don’t even remember the names to.

  Nothing really else here to talk about except for possibly one of the greatest, and cheapest dollar menu items around. The double cheeseburger, commonly known as the double che. This sandwich is the staple for a quick fix, when you are in a rush and really need something to eat and you see the golden arches up a bit on the street corner. You whip into McDonald’s drive thru, order up a fresh double che (or two) and devour those sandwiches before you are back on the road. This has to be the quintessential sandwich of our time, at the most insane price. There have even been reports of regular old hamburgers, and a boring cheeseburger This is so outrageous, and baffling, that a single patty of beef with pretty much the same fixins, can cost more than the double che. An inexperienced McDonald’s eater (is there such a thing?) would make this mistake and not even know it. If it wasn’t for the Double Che and McDonald’s dominating real estate locations throughout the world, I am not sure I would visit it as sporadically as I do.

  4. Burger King

  This facility always claims to be The King. Touting their flame broiled beef as being some of the best in the world. Burger King, or BK for short, has been around for what seems forever. They love to create sandwiches that make your mouth drop and have you saying “there is no way I can eat that AND fries”. Some of the sandwiches they devise are so large, it hurts to even think about eating. They offer some quality items on their menu, with a much larger meat selection than McDonalds.

  As for their side items, BK was one of the first to offer onion rings as an optional side. This changes the face of the fast food game completely, offering patrons a different option than just ordinary fries. These rings can be ordered as a complete substitute to fries, or you can opt to mix and match a 50/50 ring/fry mix. It isn’t that BK needs help with their fries, because they are the best fries in the entire world. They combine the perfect balance of all features including overall size, girth and crispiness. These fries are a bit thicker than most other fast food fries. The length is about the same as other fries, but often seem to be more consistent, not ever receiving a pile of insanely small shriveled up burnt pieces of potato. The last factor in these amazing freedom fries have to be the crunch factor. BK fries have some of the most amazing crunch that has ever been tasted in a french fry. It may have something to do with the thickness of the fries or even the fashion in which they are created, but it is a flavor and texture that just can’t be beat. This has to be one of the most prevalent factors for personally choosing BK over McDonalds, and it is great because these two establishments are mostly found right across the street from each other.

  A final little jewel I would like to touch on is one of the most hidden sandwiches on the BK menu. The Rodeo Burger. This is primo, amazing flavor, and just downright an amazing burger. Often one can scour a BK menu for minutes and not see the Rodeo Burger listed, yet by simply asking the workers “Can you make a Rodeo Burger?” they instantly know what you are talking about and almost get excited about making you one. A simple burger, spiced up with onion rings and some BBQ sauce. It has a taste that is unworldly, and the cost doesn’t break the bank either. There might not be anything better than a frosty drink, Rodeo Burger and some BK fries to brighten up your day.

  3. Arby’s

  Arby’s, also identified by its frequent visitor name of Arbles has their own style and niche that may interest the non traditional fast food eater. Arby’s main focus is on roast beef sandwiches. This establishment prides itself on leaning heavily on a menu littered with different types of roast beef options. When you finally decide upon one sandwich that peeks your interest, you then have to pick the thickness level of roast beef to be piled on your sandwich. Sometimes this can lead to a massively dense sandwich, if the visitor has an insane appetite. Paired with the ginormous mound of roast beef these sandwiches are always found paired with the familiar cheese sauce. A hot and liquidy, yet firm cheese sauce, it resembles pump cheese that you would dip fresh crunchy nachos into.

  The fries at Arbles are in a league of their own, known as curly fries, and they pack a flavorful spicy punch. The rest of the menu is quite diverse as well, featuring many sandwiches that resemble a deli. Artisan bread, fresh crisp ingredients like peppercorn turkey or honey ham, hugging iceberg lettuce and crisp tomato slices, offer meals on the less traditional side. To go even healthier you can choose from one of three Arbles salads. Quite possibly one of the most interesting parts of the Arbles options has to be their sides. If you don’t opt for the spicy curly fries, you can get served up a few potato cakes as a substitute. What is a potato cake you ask? It is basically a triangle shaped hash brown, but not as crispy as a traditional hash brown. If you don’t opt for these potato cakes, you can go for other options such as mozzarella sticks, loaded potato bites, onion petals with tangy sauce, or their newly release side known as mac and cheezers. Pretty much everything here is fried up in some way shape or form. The new mac and cheezers option is a pile of mac and cheese, formed into a triangle and fried. Ables really has something for triangles, and it is uncertain what that kind of fetish this is known as. For toppings and additions to the meals, Arbles offers a sauce station that is bound to satisfy the pickiest of eaters. An Arbles visitor can choose from a spicy three pepper sauce, honey mustard, ketchup and even a custom made horsey sauce, which is known to the rest of the world as horseradish. Squirting the sauces into the individual cups offers the eater plenty of flavor options on their tray for optimal enjoyment.

  The environment is fun at your local Arby’s restaurant, the staff likes to have fun and joke with you. On the way out there is a golden bell mounted to the wall on a cherry wood frame. Here dangles a white rope attached to the bell and mounted on the wood frame are instructions etched into a brass plate: “ring bell if satisfied with our service”. All too often you can hear this bell being rung by satisfied exiting guests who fully enjoyed their Arbles experience.

  2. Roy Rogers

  Roy Rogers is a dying breed. Found far and few between scattered along the eastern seaboard, these amazing restaurants have been slowly disappearing off the maps. You can usually find a surviving Roy Roger’s location that is dependant on tourist bus trips, with heavy travel to and from two regional cities. Busload after busload of tired and withered tourists march off the bus and find themselves staring at a Roy Rogers’ neon sign, welcoming them inside. In they go, walking through the maze-like human corral, gazing at the menu. Chicken, burgers, biscuits and fries amaze these people. Such titles as holster fries, Double R Bar Burger and the Gold Rush Sandwich dance about in the hungry tourists’ minds.

  Based on my personal experience, the wait times at a Roy Rogers nine out of ten times is extremely low. So low that upon my last visit they were barking at me to place my order before I even laid eyes upon the trusty menu. Like a beef hungry slaughter house owner, the Roy Rogers employees rip through the tour bus load at record speeds, taking verbal orders, cash and credit cards at dizzying speeds. Before you know it the entire dining area is being rushed by hungry people holding trays – with steaming hot yummy piles of food on them. Someone yells: “Fixin’s bar?! What the hell is this?!” The starving tourists hovering around this mysterious bar, like intrigued mosquitoes buzzing around a bug zapper. Fresh lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, onions and sauces. A plethora of free fixins awaits every Roy’s visitor, allowing you to customize your sandwich with virtually unlimited topping combinations. This is quite possibly the most amazing value that Roy Rogers has kept true to. Allowing their customers the options to add as much or as little fixins to every meal. It is possible to saunter into a Roy Rogers, go straight to the fixins bar and scoop yourself a mound of pickles on a napkin. This luxury is something that is usually found at higher scale restaurants – but at Roy’s – its standard. Enjoying an entire meal is easy, the wholesome food goes down like no other. You may even have enough time left over to peruse the gift shop for some stupid souvenir before you must pile back on the bus and carry on. Bottom line is Roy Rogers offers a deliciously diverse menu with a wild west theme, insanely fast and efficient staff, and a fixins bar that is so unique it is worth visiting without even ordering a meal.

  1. Wendy’s

  Wendy’s has always been perhaps the tastiest and most well rounded fast food establishment ever experienced in the universe. Stepping into a Wendy’s and seeing the old school style menu board is both comforting and easy to read. It’s like walking into a Stop and Shop, you always know where the bread, the milk and the cereal is located. The setup is exactly the same in every store, and you feel comfortable walking in and navigating the aisles. This same feeling is achieved when walking in and working your eyes about the Wendy’s menu board.

  Often Wendy’s has one or two sandwiches available that are short term items, something experimental with absurd loads of bacon, or some sort of super spicy crispy chicken sandwich. These items are hard to miss, often with a large photo of the sandwich smacked right in the middle of the menu. It is suggested that you try one of these items, as they don’t last long – Wendy’s likes to keep it fresh.

  With frequenting this establishment, an alternate name has come about and tends to roll off the tongue a bit easier: Wendals. Wendals is perceived by some as being the male version of Wendy. Nevertheless, what sets Wendal’s apart from all other restaurants is their diversity of items offered to their guests. This was inspired by the famous Dave Thomas, the founder and owner of Wendy’s for much of his life. Do you know of another fast food joint that offers baked potatoes with the option of loading it up with sour cream chives and butter? No. Have you ever heard of another fast food joint offering chili as one of their sides? With the option of adding shredded cheddar cheese on top?? No you haven’t!! These are the types of items that sets Wendals light years ahead from other fast food establishments. The chili is meaty and wholesome and the baked potato is an honest size, these two items can be combined with pouring the chili over the baked potato to create a meal in itself that can’t be found anywhere else in the fast food galaxy.

  The other area I need to focus on is their value menu, which of course both the chili and potato can be found on, nestled up against several other options. This is one of the most comprehensive value menus ever found, offering several burgers such as the Junior Bacon Che, and chicken options like the Crispy Chicken Sandwich. A person visiting Wendals can easily create a feast with 5 items off of the value menu. A notation that must be said: all of the items used to be at a flat 99 cents, but inflation and our horrible economy has caused some of the items to go up to the $1.20 and $1.29 range. Even at these prices, it is still a value. One of the most favorite dollar menu feasts includes the following: 1 Jr. Bacon Che; 1 Five Piece Chicken nuggets; 1 Caesar Side Salad; 1 Small Soda; 1 Small Fries. With this you can take 4 of the five piece nuggets, and break them up by hand (caution – they WILL be steamy, fresh and hot!) crumbling them over the Caesar Side Salad. Add in the dressing, croutons and cheese flakes and put the lid back on, shake it around, uncover and you have yourself a $2.20 chicken Caesar salad. You can’t find that anywhere else folks. This is the starter part of the meal, and with that out of the way you can move onto your traditional burger and fries meal, often taking swigs of your soft drink of choice. It is up to you when you want to eat that final lingering nugget, but if I was a betting man it would probably be somewhere around mid burger. The taste of those nuggets get lost in the bacon and beef flavors, but Wendals has got your back – giving you that last lingering nugget for you to enjoy in the last moments of your Wendals Super Value Menu Feast. This is quite possibly the most satisfying feast that can be found on a budget, and created just for you in an honest and speedy fashion, just how Dave always wanted it.

26 Comments

1. #1 Steve-o says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 3:27 am

   I think everything, everywhere should be served with an absurd amount of bacon. Especially bacon.
2. #2 JB says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 3:26 pm

   No White Castle love?
3. #3 Will says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 4:34 pm

   gross. Oasis sucks
4. #4 superchaosman says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 7:23 pm

   what no checkers now they have bad ass fries
5. #5 herbs says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 7:35 pm

   wow before reading this, I called out what i thought would be #1-5 I guessed every one right except roy rogers, because up in maine we don’t have those. But this list is pretty much what i would have put down. Awesome job guys
6. #6 NecroVMX says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 3:37 am

   A few thoughts..

   1) Wow, you put thought into this list. There’s a pleasant change.

   2) Arby’s? meh

   3) I miss Roy Rogers

   4) I think Wendy’s is a regional thing. Around here, I feel that Wendy’s has had a pretty sharp decline in quality of both food and service in the past few years, dating back to right after Dave Thomas died. The man’s business practices worked, and here they are changing it. Look how shrunken the menu is, remember the pita sandwhiches? I miss that shit.
7. #7 Alex says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 1:58 pm

   Where’s Subway?
8. #8 Gary says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 2:00 pm

   Good list, but it should have been a top 10:

   Taco Bell

   Subway

   Pizza Hutt

   Dominoes

   Sbarro

   Long John Silver

   KFC

   All of these places could have been considered…
9. #9 Ben says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 2:03 pm

   KFC! Damn I knew there was one missing. Yeah there are 4 chains that are all very similar (McD, BK, Roys and Wendys) on this list. Try out some variety guys.
10. #10 Vintage Junkie says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 2:13 pm

    you have some problems:

    “One of the most favorite dollar menu feasts includes the following: 1 Jr. Bacon Che; 1 Five Piece Chicken nuggets; 1 Caesar Side Salad; 1 Small Soda; 1 Small Fries. With this you can take 4 of the five piece nuggets, and break them up by hand (caution – they WILL be steamy, fresh and hot!) crumbling them over the Caesar Side Salad. Add in the dressing, croutons and cheese flakes and put the lid back on, shake it around, uncover and you have yourself a $2.20 chicken Caesar salad. You can’t find that anywhere else folks. This is the starter part of the meal, and with that out of the way you can move onto your traditional burger and fries meal, often taking swigs of your soft drink of choice. It is up to you when you want to eat that final lingering nugget, but if I was a betting man it would probably be somewhere around mid burger.”
11. #11 Earl says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 2:14 pm

    Here we go again… Great video game article, totally pointless list.
12. #12 Jay says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 2:17 pm

    LMFAO!

    I thought this was going to be stupid, but it was hilarious!
13. #13 Salo says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 2:19 pm

    This was absurd. I love it.
14. #14 TheMountain says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 3:19 pm

    Great article. I never seen anyone describe fast food like this in my life.
15. #15 David says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 3:48 am

    Foolish Americans and your lack of Poutine! MWA HA HA!!! Burger King would have SHOT up the list if you guys in America had Poutine there like we do in Canada, and if some of you don’t know what poutine is, its fries with Cheese curds and gravy, its one of the Greatest food creations of ALL time!!!
16. #16 Mr. Vorhias says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 5:44 pm

    Arbys win!
17. #17 Blue says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 4:04 pm

    We had an Arby’s here. We ran it out of town. Our population of one million isn’t large enough to support that chain.

    I would have put McDs at number one and have added Subway and Harveys.

    If you can have Mr. Rogers (?) on your list, I can have it my way at Harveys!
18. #18 john says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 9:57 pm

    Carls Jr.!!!!
19. #19 Wizard blows says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 12:40 am

    Arbeys, Burgerand Wendy’s suck. Harveys is the King
20. #20 stfulolerskayes says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 12:12 pm

    5. Taco Johns

    4. McDonalds

    3. Jack In the Box

    2. Dairy Queen

    1. Whataburger

    Eat that shit beyotches!!1!!
21. #21 Joe says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 8:49 pm

    i enjoy everything the the McDonald’s McCafe coffees except the goofy name
22. #22 MaximoDestructo says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 11:42 am

    You guys suck ass.

    Top 5 Fast Food Chains

    1. Subway
    2. Roy Rogers
    3. Sbarro
    4. Burger King
    5. Arbys

    I hate this site.
23. #23 dominationoffood says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 2:56 am

    It should have been top 10 but this shud be it:

    10. Taco Bell

    9. Cotillas

    8. McDonalds

    7. Subway

    6. Jack In the Box

    5. Roy rogers

    4. Sonics

    3. KFC

    2. Arby’s

    1. Wendy’s
24. #24 andrew says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 7:50 pm

    Hell yea Wendy’s is definately the best, spicy chicken sandwich mmmmmm.
25. #25 Atom36 says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 7:09 am

    What about What-A-Burger it’s better then mcdonald’s, burger king, & wendy’s combined, ok not combined but it’s definitely better then all three on their own. They have bigger burgers then burger king, they cook them better then all three (if all three actually cook), & it’s taste is better & only rivaled by in & out burger. P.S. where’s chick-fil-a?
26. #26 else3573 says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 6:35 am

    If people are counting Sbarros, then I’m adding Great Steak Escape. Love that place, and it’s nation wide. In the tri-state area, Cluck U chicken kicks ass. On the west coast, Fat Burger and In and out burger are both great.