Ranking the BEST fast food places in the USA

[@caesarplaysgames]

As a proud American, this is the kind of truly patriotic content we need 🇺🇸 🫡

[@coxmosia1]

😊

[@Jones25ful]

*Hamburger Chant intensifies*

[@dopeiguana5032]

@@Jones25ful i wish we did that ngl

[@BradforChrist]

@@Jones25ful😂

[@CalamityAmity30]

The parent company that initially owned Carl’s Jr. acquired Hardee’s in the 90’s! Most locations in the west are Carl’s Jr. with the east having Hardee’s. I also love this tier list!

[@SpiralSine6]

Finally, the hard hitting historical journalism we’ve been waiting for!

[@Patriot2111fan]

If you ever find yourself in Virginia or North Carolina again, Cookout by far is the most popular regional fast food chain. 15 different milkshake flavors that you can mix with each other to make wild variations like peanut butter cookies and creme, and the simple ordering of getting a tray with a main item out of 10 and two sides out of 20 all for just 8.99 is just insane value. I swear by Chicfila and Popeyes but Cookout is just something different.

[@Bonbonguy]

They’re all throughout the southeast now in over 10+ states. And they have over 40 shake flavors that you can mix and match. Really an insane value at less that $10. I was scrolling through to see if anyone brought up cook out lol.

[@Patriot2111fan]

@@Bonbonguy yea I couldn’t remember the actual count on the flavors but the mix match makes the combinations through the roof, it’s good that they’re expanding if only White Castle did the same lol.

[@Bonbonguy]

@@Patriot2111fan as someone who moved from NJ to NC you are speaking my language lol

[@Patriot2111fan]

@@Bonbonguy let us not forget that Wawa is the greatest gift and so many people live in ignorance. God I wish I was back up north.

[@backpackerraden6268]

Cookout is the best

[@Dryltd]

Lol, I wasn't ready for "The Lord's Calories"

[@SMG2024]

We have a bunch of In n Outs in CA. It's not the novelty. It's awesome every time and its always busy.

[@ZoppanEgod]

Please more of these types of videos! :)

[@novakiller2344]

As a proud Wisconsinite, I can’t believe Culver’s is not on the list

[@mikehorvath9661]

I second this. I’m in Indiana and I absolutely love Culver’s!

[@joshawott331]

We have a few in south Carolina and I've never had bad experience at one

[@williamwallaceoftheus8033]

I’ve lived in seven states and six of them have had a Culver’s. I’m sure the seventh one had one some where though considering it’s a huge state

[@doyce100]

As a Texan, I second Culver's, it's great

[@kittiepride7772]

@@doyce100 As also a Texan, I can confirm, their food is great.

[@jakesheldon7637]

I’m a driver for dominos! The specialty pizzas have some good sleeper combos and most people don’t know about them! If you’re a cheese lover like myself you’ll have to try the Wisconsin 6-cheese pizza (and there’s always coupons for specialty pizzas online/over the phone if you ask)

[@josecambronero9419]

The thing with Five Guys is that while the food is great, the price is also crazy expensive

[@williamwallaceoftheus8033]

IKR

[@JesusGomez86]

I’m actually surprised he didn’t mentioned that. He mentioned with Arby’s. But pretty much it’s 20 bucks for a burger, fries, and drink at Five Guys.

[@josiahwolf22]

We just got our first In and Out Burger in Idaho and it has been long lines with people waiting for hours for the last four weeks. It is insane, but it is sooooo good!

[@tommcdonald1873]

This was fun. In my grading system, what oil you use ranks heavily which because of allergies efffects my families ranking. In NH, the nature of mom and pop fast food, seafood especially limits how we are exposed to chain fast food. Example of chains that we rank lower due to the use of peanut oil are Five Guys and Chik-fil-a. BTW Wendys is #1 in this house 👍 and Arby's for me is real good too.

[@ahhculdee]

Five Guys and Chik Fil-A are top tier

[@nate1066pollock]

The only thing worth eating at McDonald's, imo, is the breakfast menu. Man, watching this video made me hungry.

[@fmgmack]

The Popeyes slander is wild northeast Ohio just might not have the ummm….. cultural diversity in the workforce necessary to have a successful Popeyes franchise 😅

[@BloodRider1914]

​@@fmgmackTrue, but Youngstown is majority non-white at least

[@hiplsnols4394]

@@fmgmackit has 40% of the… right population

[@wick7179]

Not sure if you have been a heavy soda drinker throughout your life- but if so- a tier list on sodas would be cool!

[@tylernewberry5981]

Popeyes chicken sandwich automatically puts it in B tier. There's not much else there that does it for me, but if you haven't had the chicken sandwich, it is a must. It is usually a very big piece of chicken, very well seasoned, and crispy. If you like spicy chicken sandwiches at all you'll love theirs.

[@MichaelHorstmann]

Popeyes chicken sandwich is top tier. Chris, if you didn’t try this, you missed out. If you did, they must’ve had a clown in there that day. Try again

[@lampdust1016]

Yeah but the service is usually horrible and when I got it my manayes were rotten like Jesus it was horrible worst smell ever but other than that it is 👍

[@coiboyify]

Popeyes in Canada is A tier

[@ZRaddue]

You gotta try Popeyes again. Their chicken, particularly their tenders, are FAR better than anything KFC has on offer, and their sides are better across the board too. My go to for a Popeye's order is a three or five piece tender combo (spicy tenders) with blackened ranch sauce and red beans and rice. You gotta give it another shot. Also their biscuits absolutely blow KFC out of the water.

[@ZRaddue]

Also their spicy chicken sandwich is really good too.

[@Jamessmith-xk3fh]

The only things KFC does better than Popeyes to me is biscuits and mashed potatoes and gravy. I use to love KFC chicken as a kid in the early 90s but it's not as good anymore. I will eat it but it's not my first choice

[@Jamessmith-xk3fh]

Sometimes it could just be the restaurant because it can be different depending on where you get it. You do have the human element in every restaurant

[@kpearce711]

100% the same as my go to with Popeyes. May I suggest adding some blackened ranch to your red beans and rice. So delicious!

[@sonofhawaii4227]

You got Chik-fil-a right for sure. By far the best fast food. We recently got two locations here on Oahu which is great. The ONLY negative is that they’re closed on Sundays. In n Out burger is ranked right up there with them. That’s our go-to when we travel to the mainland west coast. I’m slowly moving back to Pizza Hut over Dominos though. I LOVE deep dish style pizza which Dominos doesn’t offer. Thanks a lot Chris 🤦🏻now you got me craving chik fil a chicken nuggets! Awesome list and video! Aloha 🤙🏼

[@Shifty69569]

Hey Chris, I always 2 ratings: Taste in general And taste/price ratio

[@andakin117]

I'm about an hour away from Lake Erie in northern PA, so I'm not too far from you and I couldn't agree more with your rankings. some of these I've never tried but what I have had I agree wholeheartedly.

[@vthextra]

Where at? I used to live in Mercer County.

[@andakin117]

@@vthextra Mckean County. I love your videos BTW

[@glory2christcmj702]

Maybe a sports related tier list? Like a best sports tier list, or best sports teams or something along those lines would be cool, if you're interested in doing one, of course!

[@FirstEarlOfHolland]

Next time you’re in Pittsburgh, check out this place called Sir Pizza. It’s in the Sewickley area, and it’s the best pizza I’ve ever had. Granted, there’s some heavy bias as I’ve been going there since I was a kid and know there owners. Some people also think it’s too salty or too saucy. But plenty of those people still say it’s the best pizza place around here

[@Jason-35D]

If you’re ever Phoenix or Tucson you can check out the Picacho Peak Civil War battlefield, and eat even more In-N-Out.

[@DarthRaptor22]

If you ever find yourself in the Miami area, try Pollo Tropical. Cheap and delicious

[@Attackz]

I'd love to see a football badge tier list

[@vthextra]

Great idea!

[@johnnymiller3684]

Popeye's original chicken sandwich is the best! ... Also, Northeast Ohio has Swensons Drive-In Restaurants, which is my favorite by far. I think they recently opened on in Boardman.

[@IrishTechnicalThinker]

When I first visited America and went to Boston in 2005, I loved going to Wendy's from an Irish perspective it was surreal. People were so polite when I ordered food, I asked for a burger and chips and the girl started laughing at me, in America you call them fries but in Ireland we call them chips. We also call your chips, crisps. The girl said we don't serve chips and my face dropped, the family who I stayed with helped explain I was over from Ireland living with them. I still remember the family who I lived with for 4 weeks and how they well they treated me. A Christian family and I thank God for that experience.

[@wlg1223]

Bojangles is a very good chicken place in North Carolina and Virginia

[@joshawott331]

South Carolina too!!

[@YouMe-ru6wi]

Restaurants from the video that I've never ate at are: Arby's(none were I live) Chick Fil A(none were I live) Chipotle(none were I live) Five Guy's(none were I live) In And Out Burger(none were I live) Jack In The Box(none were I live) Jimmy Johns Panda Express(none were I live) Papa John's Popeyes(none were I live) Sonic(none were I live) Waterburger(none were I live) White Castle(none were I live) Thanks for the video.

[@duckydude1382]

In n out is popular here in CA because it's one of the few fast food places left with reasonable prices, Even McDonald's has exorbitant prices

[@DreamcastFarm]

Arby's is underrated fr. I love the curly fries and reuben. Also Dairy Queen's pretzels are crazy good

[@howdydo13]

You Preposterous Popeyes Poultry Protester. I’ve never been so disappointed

[@ryanmalee8022]

You teach me hisotry and niw that I'm in the states, this is really gonna help a lot. Thanks

[@rogue4101]

YES!!! WENDY’S IS SO GOOD!! And it’s gotten much better over the years with menu changes and restaurant renovations. Definite S tier.

[@mjsteele42]

I'm with you except for their fries. Worst among the big three burger places.

[@NoahFromOhio]

As a fellow North East Ohioan, you should definitely try Swenson’s from the Akron area. The Galley Boy is what they are famous for. Some great shakes too.

[@defendska2158]

Glad you mentioned BK milkshakes...nobody talks abiut them but they are incredible

[@alyssadanielle1017]

loved this video chris and honestly shifted my perspective a bit on some restaurants!

[@troyaugustine9125]

Love Wedgewood Pizza. As for Hardee's if I remember right there was one on Raccoon Road. Went there all the time in Highschool.

[@vthextra]

There are no Hardee's locations in the Youngstown area anymore. Closest ones are over by Akron.

[@IwhowasdatXD960]

Five guys,Wendy’s and JJ are S tier, i love them

[@rocketbaboon56]

Can we get more content like this? Sometimes we get caught up in the history it would be cool to learn about ya

[@mjsteele42]

I'm in Ohio too (outside of Toledo). We got Chick-fil-A locations less than 10 years ago. For me, I rank it at the top primarily for their consistency of service. My food is ALWAYS correct. It's served quickly and the employees are always doing their job efficiently. My other big positive is their diet lemonade. As a diabetic, I love when there is a no or low sugar option OTHER than diet cola. Their diet lemonade is phenomenal. I'm not always eager for a chicken sandwich (their menu is very limited) and their waffle fries are great within the first few minutes. But their quality falls off very quickly as they get colder.

[@LrLawrencium]

I recommend trying Raising Cane’s if you ever have the chance. You can ask for the chicken extra crispy to get it fresh.

[@mjsteele42]

Never understood the popularity. A location opened within 10 minutes of my home last year and the drive thru is ALWAYS packed. But it just seems like you're getting food that you'd feed to your picky 8 year old: chicken fingers and crinkle fries. I don't get the popularity at all.

[@LrLawrencium]

To me it just tastes better than most fast food chicken and the sauce is one of the best@@mjsteele42

[@afrayedrope1939]

Another regional is Culver’s. I’d put them in A tier the frozen custard is the best and the butter burgers are elite

[@Leviticus_Prime]

I would argue that having white castle on there is weird because it's more of a regional thing than a national chain. For example you don't see white castles down south. They have a similar restaurant called krystal

[@shoukatsukai]

Texan here. Whataburger fell off probably 5 or so years ago. Everytime I go there nowadays, they don't seem to have a lot of urgency when there are a lot of people. I once waited an hour to get my order out, and it was literally the No. 1 on the menu. And even then the food you get there is overly greasy. This sounds blasphemous but if this is Texas' representative of fast food compared to In N Out in California, we are WAY behind. Our barbecue is best in the world at least.

[@harrisonbaylor1432]

It depends what location you go to. There are four in the town I live in and there’s a clear hierarchy of what a burger just from those four. But yes they are not very fast.

[@drew.168]

When they sold out they went downhill. I won't complain too much because it brought them here to kc. Which btw is the best bbq in the country 😛

[@shoukatsukai]

@@drew.168 best BBQ sauce =/= best BBQ, fight me 🤣

[@drew.168]

@shoukatsukai you are right, we have the best bbq and best bbq sauce lol its a debate for the ages. I go to corpus by car every year and haven't found a spot better then places here. Both are good so it's really splitting hairs imo. Yall do brisket a bit better but I think we edge you out in versatility (chicken ribs turkey sausage etc)

[@shoukatsukai]

@@drew.168 Best barbecue in the state is in Lockhart in Central TX. Texas indeed does beef the best, but when it comes to versatility, I haven't really compared KC, Memphis, or Carolina ribs to compare. So for now, Korean BBQ is my go to for versatility.

[@Cowboybrian01]

Please come to Oklahoma or Texas and try whataburger! The Dr. Pepper shake is life-changing!

[@ikninja1hd]

love these videos on vth extras

[@katwithattitude5062]

There are only two of these in the small town in Wisconsin where I live, those being DQ and Subway. The city nearest to us has all of them except Whattaburger, Jack in the Box, White Castle, Carl's Jr (which is the same as Hardees with a different name since a merger some time ago), and Sonic. Of the ones in that city I have never been to Chipotle, Taco Bell, Panda Express, Papa Johns or Popeyes. I've only had Dominos once but in a different city. It was OK. I've been to the others a lot, but some not as often as I used to. I like Wendy's, McDonalds, and DQ and those are probably the ones I have been to the most, but my favorites on the list are probably Jimmy Johns, Chick-fil-a, and Five Guys. The most colossal fail on this list, though, is not including Culvers. They're in enough locations and states now for them not to be included.

[@ChristianSirianni]

You should rank your favorite TV shows, or cartoons too.

[@Joey_Cisar]

Need A&W and Steak n Shake on here!

[@realmynameshiro]

Nothing to do with fast-food, but I see you have a Cinemark in your area. I love how it looks, gives me some old-school 60s-70s vibes the way they designed and built it.

[@kristiann8676]

Loving these different videos ❤

[@JoeMamaLlama1234]

i hate the pizza hut ranking cus i grew up with pizza hut pan pizza and love it to death. not many around where i live anymore so whenever i do anything needing celebrating like my birthday or finishing a college semester i go to a pizza hut and it stays fresh and warm the long drive home. it has never failed me.

[@mitchellhedden1978]

Where I live in London, ON, Canada, we’ve had fries at KFC as long as I can remember. They’re the same fries as Taco Bell since the two franchises are owned by the same company.

[@davidmarch22]

To quote Jonathans voice overs, “when you go down south and have yourself some Bojangles, you’ll never want to go to the f**king north again.” Chicken: Seasoned, juicy, crispy and tender Fries: Crispy, seasoned, and fluffy Biscuits: Tender, flakey, and buttery. M&C: Creamy, cheesy, and mouth-watering Without a doubt, the best chain chicken that you will ever have!

[@BrianShetty]

Wendys is my favorite of the trio as well. The amount of options they have, even healthy wise have been consistently good

[@mjsteele42]

In my area, they're the best of the three for food but the worst (by far) in terms of service. Drive thru line is always ridiculously slow for no apparent reason other than ineptitude

[@mattperiolat]

I personally think you are underrating KFC, but I grew up loving their chicken and their biscuits are absolutely to die for. That and Harland Sanders begat Dave Thomas so you can argue no Wendy’s without KFC. I would casually mention three regionals for consideration - A&W is pretty solid for burgers and their root beer is fantastic if you want something different from Coke or Pepsi. Culver’s is very Midwest but making it more into mid-America. Burgers are heavy, but good when done right, like their crinkle cut fries, but the reason to go is their custards and concretes. Absolutely fantastic stuff, but for sure a fast pass to diabetes. And then there is number three - the competition for Wendy’s as my personal #1 for Fast Food: Steak & Shake. Very regional, but consistently good burgers, fries and a pretty good mix and selection of product. Has a footprint in Ohio/Kentucky/Indiana so would encourage you to give them a shot at least.

[@TheXhadeZ]

I can’t comment on most of these, as I am not from the US. But we just got Popeyes in Poland and it’s like 100x better than KFC it’s so good. Strong recommend.

[@snbks4ever]

Heck yeah!! Fast food review!! Personally i love McDonald's or Burger King and in my area a ton of other new places have arrived like Popeyes and Chipotle. Wendys is great too depending which burger i want

[@RealStreetPA]

Arbys premium nuggets with their honey barbeque sauce is one of my faves.

[@natemoorman4562]

There's some takes in here hotter than anything you can get at any of these places

[@YAH2121]

Referring to Chic fil a as "the Lord's calories" is top tier

[@professorwhat2704]

That list needs some Raising Cane's.

[@Jones25ful]

Cookout > ChickfilA

[@vthextra]

Never even see one before, though apparently there are a few in NE Ohio. It's 101st on the list of fast food chains by number of locations.

[@vthextra]

never heard of Cookout.

[@Jones25ful]

@@vthextra it’s a western Virginia/ North Carolina Fast Food place, think they’re as far north as Manassas. It’s the only fast food place I know that has Hushpuppies and Cheerwine on the menu. Also fantastic milkshakes and BBQ

[@guswebb9430]

There’s a ton of Cane’s down here in Columbus. They’ve been rapidly expanding the last few years. Way more than In n Out and Whataburger. It’s pretty solid though and worth a try, since you’re a big chicken fan!

[@Poked128]

As someone from around Youngstown and I still live there I never knew Arby’s was from there.

[@vthextra]

Yeah the original was in Boardman but no longer exists. The one on Mahoning Ave. in Austintown near the intersection with Raccoon is now the oldest one.

[@historytoremember]

The closest Chick-fil-A is about a hour away but if we are near we will go

[@MrBossman00]

This is the kind of content i’ve been waiting for 👍

[@torresmat10]

Have you had Raising Cane's, Chris?

[@kineuhansen8629]

agree on mcdonald last time i was there my french fries where to salty and my normal cheese burger where way to dry it did not have any taste

[@nonyabusiness2913]

This is cool. Do movies next!

[@SignedSpade]

If you do restaurants as someone from Rudolph Ohio, you have to talk about Bob Evans because he means a lot to the town

[@theartofcollecting2006]

Not sure what we have specifically in Iowa other than Tasty Taco because I’m like the pickiest eater, so I like sticking to the same ones and don’t go to a lot of new places

[@therealone4350]

Carl’s Jr bought Hardee’s i believe and from what my dad told me Hardee’s is the Carl’s Jr of East of the Mississippi ( speaking from someone from the CA )

[@patrickpinder4118]

I feel you should automaticly add a tier under F called the woodrow wilson tier. And for any list, only 1 slot is available for this tier.

[@ermine1448]

soda list next?👀

[@vthextra]

you mean pop. :)

[@brenthinshaw8391]

Wendys breakfast alone puts it in S tier, the breakfast baconator is the top fast food breakfast item

[@kylejohnson3889]

When you put McDonald’s so low my heart started hurting…..now wether it’s from the ranking or the burgers are finally catching up with me remains to be seen😂😂😂😂

[@chrismarkert7673]

Next time you are at Five Guys in Austintown at 46 and Mahoning you can visit a wetland I designed years ago.

[@ashowofhands9813]

Haha my first job was at a Taco Bell. As a Mexican American their tacos are fine but not as good as the real thing, but I LOVE their Baja blast freeze and Cinnabon delights!!

[@bbl2019]

You said “simple menu” referring to In N Out. Do you know all the options on their (not so) secret menu?

[@jcasino86]

Big gripe on Taco Bell, it's one of my A or S tier for me. Other fast food places that need to be ranked on the list are El Pollo Loco, Jersey Mike's, and Little Caesars. But the biggest omission is my absolute favorite S-tier fast food place: Wienerschnitzel

[@ryanbaker9617]

I’m a chick-fil-a fan, and I had Dave’s Hot Chicken the other day. Dave’s Hot Chicken is growing incredibly fast, and 5x better than CFA. If you see one, give it a shot!

[@realmynameshiro]

I think my S-tier would be Little Ceaser's, Taco Bell, Subway, Dairy Queen, KFC, Wendy's and Burger King Doesn't really count as fast-food restaurant, but Tim Horton's is my go-to place anytime any day

[@dbarber1313]

I am not sure if this is still the case, but I remember a few years ago reading an article on all the main fastfood spots and Arby's won the title for lowest quality meat used on their menu

[@omega5279]

I too will never forgive Taco Bell for eliminating the Caramel Apple Empanada. Culver's is an S- tier for me

[@c71score]

Rally's/Checkers will always be my favorite. DQ joins them in the S-tier for me, underrated burgers and fries and I have a Biden-level love for ice cream. Burger King and Subway get a high ranking for me just because my friends worked there when I was a teenager, and would "accidentally" get extra stuff in my order.

[@Leviticus_Prime]

The only thing good at Papa's is there biscuits. They put that louisiana spice in the biscuit batter and it makes them really good

[@leiaelkins5656]

We had a Popeyes near us, they had a fire a while back

[@jamesjackson6606]

Best burger I’ve ever had was in Birmingham England, “the original pattyman’s” Can’t recommend it enough

[@kingdaymon6433]

This was the wrong video for me to watch while starving and waiting for dinner😂😂

[@jordanhooper1527]

I would imagine the reason UK burger king is different is probably the same reason McDonald's is different. Because our food health laws are different etc. so I know UK McDonald's fries are literally just potatoes, oil and salt as opposed to the US that has a ton of crap in.

[@chetstevensq]

Popeye's redid their basic chicken sandwich to be a direct competitor for the Chick-Fil-A original, bun, chicken and pickles. That is really the only thing I would ever go there for. No one goes to Taco Hell for the taste, it's all about affordability.

[@kevin9863]

As someone who lived in Pittsburgh and moved to San diego, I can def say you need to try Popeyes again. For some reason, the Popeyes on the east coast look like abandoned warehouses (same thing with el pollo locos). But on the west coast, its a world of difference. Unfortunately for Wendys its like the opposite out here, tastes terrible on the west coast but amazing on the east coast. Living in the west coast, in and out is crazy overrated, that appeal wears off real quick when you live near one.

[@mathiasmueller9693]

I feel the same way about in and out, tasted great in CA but not so good in TX

[@sandwich1734]

finally, Wendy's is often slept on, it deserves a #1 in every tier list!!

[@TribeTaz]

Gotta say, pretty close how I would rank them. Have you had the burgers at Sheetz? Very good burgers

[@pauldelacruz7486]

Changes I would make: chic fil A. Wendy to C DQ to B Whataburger B+ Jack in a box C McDonald's F

[@robs5855]

Popeyes B, Domino's D, Subway F. Rest of list is solid.

[@vmob7039]

Not the content we deserved but the content we needed.

[@chaz1975]

Too bad they don’t have Roy Rogers anymore. Awesome fried chicken and burgers

[@EUSA1776]

Putting Popeyes at F should be a jail-able offense.

[@mjsteele42]

Nah. Most locations I've visited are filthy and the employees move at a snail's pace. The chicken is okay but not great.

[@noahsrebels]

Chick Fil A is a staple when it comes to sweet tea, but honestly, Popeyes sweet tea is much richer and I like having it every so often, though I probably wouldn't have it everyday. If nothing else, I'd definitely recommend their tea and biscuits

[@MichaelDGrady]

Listen, I respect you as a fellow pastor and as a KZbinr, however…. DQ, “That’s what I like about Texas!” 😂 visit a small town in the Texas Panhandle and you’ll fall in love with a Hungr Buster or the Steak Fingers! 😂 Great Content as usual!