A good fast food meal needs something to go with it, fries are the ultimate pairing. Many restaurants offer fries, but they vary in quality. Which restaurant offers the best option? That’s what I have gone to find out. I traveled to six different fast food places to test. I had four criteria for deciding the best option. I used temperature, seasoning, texture, and sauce pairing. Each place will get a ranking out of six on each criteria. At the end, all scores will be added up to find the best fry choice.

The first location I went to was Burger King. The fries I got were nice and hot, with good amounts of salt. They were a little soft. These were fresh, thankfully, but they may be an outlier. These fries were slightly thicker and firmer than usual fries such as McDonald’s. The sauces were extremely disappointing. The Buffalo was mild and bland, the ranch was basic and didn’t go well with the fries. Finally, the zesty, which I had high hopes for, looked and tasted like old hummus. None of the sauces paired well. Overall, Burger King was surprisingly good, but with poor seasoning and sauce.

McDonald’s has some of the most respected fries in the business. My fries were very hot, which was nice, but unfortunately, they had very poor seasoning. There was a definite lack of salt. These were a bit too crispy, they crunched in a bad way. My sauce of choice with McDonald’s fries is sweet and sour, and it was pretty good, but was brought down by the fries. McDonald’s performance today was not as good as my experiences there usually are, it was just good, not great.

Chick Fil A is one of the most respected places to get a quick meal. The fries they serve are unique in the fast food industry, being waffle fries. They are also clearly great quality, and on occasion, you will get a fry made from the edge of the potato, with skin still attached. My batch of fries was lukewarm at best, although they did have a healthy amount of salt. Known for their large selection of unusual sauces, my favorites are Chick Fil A sauce, and Polynesain sauce. Chick Fil A sauce has an almost smoky flavor, akin to the campfire sauce used by Red Robin. Polynesian sauce has a very unique, sweet flavor that pairs startlingly well with the saltiness of the fries. Unfortunately, I wasn’t given any Chick Fil A sauce. This will take half a point off the final score. Chick Fil A had a strong showing overall, but the fact I didn’t get sauce will hurt it just a bit.

Sonic is not at all known for their fries, or even really their food (although I think they have the best corn dogs you can get). The fries portion size was pretty disappointing. The fries were also greasy, crumpled, and soggy. They weren’t too warm. The flavor and seasoning was just okay, nothing special. I was delighted to hear they actually have a signature sauce. Unfortunately, it was terrible. It was essentially a  thick, orange, and mild honey mustard. Its texture made me think of southern style banana pudding. Sonic overall had a poor showing; I can’t recommend going there for anything other than drinks and a select number of food items.

Generally, Arby’s is not the most popular place to get a fast meal, but I actually like eating there. Their curly fries are well known for their different flavor and shape. I was very impressed with the portion size compared to the other places I visited. The fries I got were relatively hot. They also had a very good flavor, and were well seasoned. It was different from salt. Sadly, the batch I got was crunchier than is ideal, which seems to be the norm. They are much better when cooked slightly less. Arby’s sauce is okay, not amazing. Horsey sauce is a quite good, less extreme horseradish. Overall, Arby’s had a good showing, with good flavor, decent sauce, and less than stellar texture.

Wendy’s is the final place I visited. The fries I purchased were not too warm, nearly chilly in fact. They were also poorly seasoned, and needed more salt. They had a decent texture, but were a little soggy. They seemed like a mix of Sonic and Burger King. For sauce, I use their honey mustard, probably some of the best in the business. Unfortunately with their fries, it isn’t amazing, it’s just the best option. Wendy’s overall was pretty disappointing.

Now to tally everything up based on the four criteria, temperature, seasoning, texture, and sauce pairing. I gave Burger King a 5 on temperature, 3 on seasoning, 6 on texture, and one on sauce pairing. McDonald’s got 6 in temperature, one on seasoning, 3 on texture, 5 on sauce. Chick Fil A got a 2 on temperature, 5 on seasoning and texture, and a 5.5 on sauce. Sonic got a 3, a 4, a 1, and a 2. Arbys got a 4, a 6, a 2, and a 4. Wendy’s got a 1, a 2, a 4, and a 3. In first place, we have Chick Fil A, with 17.5 points. A 16 points, in second place, we have Arby’s curly fries. With 15 points a piece, we have Burger King, and McDonald’s. Then rounding out last, we have Wendy’s and Sonic, with 10 points each. Overall, for a good experience overall, Chick Fil A lands on top, and if you want something different, I recommend Arby’s unique curly fries.