OPINION

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By Adam Sulanke

Do you like french fries? For some time now, people have wondered: Which fast food restaurant has the best french fries? Over the last few weeks, I have been searching to find out which restaurant will be crowned champion. 

I traveled around Richmond to taste fries from five different chain establishments: Chick-fil-A, McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Zaxby’s, and Arby’s. With everyone having different opinions on who the king of fries is, I had no idea what to expect. I taste tested a large fry from every restaurant and compared the price and overall quality of the fries.

On a recent Sunday afternoon, I hopped into my car and headed towards Midlothian Turnpike to try the first fries of the competition: Zaxby’s. I was not impressed with Zaxbys’ fries. This was my first time having them, and they did not live up to the hype. They were very generic and reminded me of fries that I could just go buy at a grocery store. They also had little-to-no seasoning, which made them very bland and didn’t give me the anticipation of taking another bite, like the others would. They came in at $1.99 for a large fry, which was one advantage, but they aren’t worth any more than that. People like Sam Hurst (‘24), who stated that ”Zaxby’s is fire,” believe that Zaxby’s has solid fries, but I will have to disagree with them. All in all, I’d say the very cheap price was appropriate for a very cheap fry. 

Wendy’s logo. Image courtesy of Wendy’s.

Wendy’s was up next, and it was also a disappointment. These fries, just like Zaxby’s, were something I could go buy at the store. They have the same fat cut and don’t have a quality seasoning. I don’t want something that everyone else has; you have to change it up. These fries were different, but not in a great way. They were very thick, which made me feel like I was getting too much of the soft middle and not enough crunch, which was another problem with this fry. Not having a great ratio of soft-to-crunch ruins a fry for me. Another problem was that Wendy’s fries were scorching hot; it felt like every bite was burning my mouth. Wendy’s fries came out to be $1.99 also.

McDonald’s fries. Photo credit: Polina Tankilevitch via Pexels.

I wasn’t sure about McDonald’s going into this battle, but I ended up impressed. Although they were very greasy, I still enjoyed them. Unlike Wendy’s, these fries were skinny and had an excellent soft-to-crunchy ratio. After doing some research, I found that McDonald’s soaks their fries in hot water for 15 minutes to give them that unique texture. These fries also had the best saltiness of them all. Not too much salt, but enough to taste where it makes a real difference. Some of them came out to be a little cold, but most of them were not. Like many others, Upper School English teacher Vlastik Svab says, “McDonald’s fries are the best for fast food.” The cheapest compared to the others, coming in at $1.89, put these fries even higher on my comparison scale.

Arby’s was expected to be high on my list, and they didn’t disappoint. Arby’s is known for their “Curly Fry,” which is different from most places, which makes them more desirable. The large Curly Fry came in at $3.99, a whole $2.00 more than Zaxby’s, but it was worth it.

Arby’s Curly fries. Photo credit. flickr user wEnDy.

Sam Hahn (‘24) says “Arby’s curly fries are the best because of the seasoning, and the crunch they have makes them delicious.” Hahn was absolutely right; the crispiness and the crunch make this fry amazing. The perfect mix between the crunchy outside and soft inside makes it a quality fry. I also wasn’t burning the roof of my mouth. Hayden Ronga (‘23) agrees, saying, “Arby’s fries are dank.”

Chick-fil-A, known for their waffle fries, has a unique style of fry, which I like. These waffle fries have a special touch compared to the other fries: great temperature, not too hot, not too cold, and salted very well.  Randolph Campbell (‘24) says that, “Chick-fil-A is superior because of the size of the fry.” The immense size of the fries gives them a different texture that makes it have a perfect mix of crunchy and soft. The fries came out at $2.45, which is in the middle pack of the other fries, in terms of economic impact. 

Chick-fil-A fries. Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons & flickr use J. Reed.

At the end of the day, the decision was tough. I knew quickly that Zaxby’s and Arbys wouldn’t be close in the running, but the other three were a challenge to choose from. I finally decided that Arby’s was my favorite. The shape of the fry was special compared to the others. Not only are they different, but the crunch and texture make this fry superior to the others. Although the price is higher, it is worth it. You are getting a quality fry that will give you thrill to bite into them every time. It was a tough decision, but I have crowned Arby’s the champion fry, with Chick-fil-A in a close second place.