The "Best"

Jake and I went out to dinner the other night.  He wanted to go to Wendy's.  I tried to convince him to go somewhere else--Duck Deli, Luberto's--somewhere with decent food.  Well, guess who's choice won?  Yes, that Baconator was delicious.

We don't go to fast food restaurants very often.  Probably once every couple of months.  It's usually when we're traveling somewhere and we need something really fast.  Or as a special "treat" for Jake--it's the toy in the kids' meal that's the real treat. 

But for many, fast food is a way of life.  (As a personal chef, it's my goal to make this way of life disappear--heating up one of my meals is quicker, more nutritious and a heck of a lot tastier.)  A friend of mine, who shall remain nameless (and mindless) once uttered the words: "McDonald's?  Oh, man, I LOVE their food!"  I seriously don't think I've ever heard anyone speak about fast food with such passion and exuberance.  He's lovin' it.

Zagat's, the well-respected travel raters, have recently put out their survey on chain restaurants--both fast food and full service.  The best fast food burger?  Five Guys Burgers & Fries (I've never been there, although I have heard that their burgers are good.).  The best fast food fries?  McDonald's. 

The restaurants are grouped as Large Chains (up to 5000 US locations) and Mega Chains (more than 5000 US locations).  Overall, here are the fast food winners:

Best Food: In-and-Out Burger (large) & Wendy's (mega--our fast food of choice)

Best Facilities: Panera Bread (large) & McDonald's (mega)

Best Service: Chick-fil-A (large) & Subway (mega)

Check out more of the survey here.