In-N-Out Burger rated highest of all 53 rated chains with high scores for food, service, value and speed. Wendy's came out on top in Consumer Reports test of best fries. It has a new recipe that edged out McDonald's and Burger King.
A nice, juicy hamburger or a hearty burrito could be just what you want to eat. But Consumer Reports' Tod Marks says you might want to think twice before stopping at some fast-food chains.
"We had our subscribers rate 53 restaurant chains for food quality, for service, and for value," said Marks.
In all, the Consumer Reports poll covered more than 98,000 visits to five types of fast-food chains.
"Some big-name restaurants didn't do so well because of low ratings for food quality."
Those chains are McDonald's, Burger King, Taco Bell, and KFC.
"McDonald's burgers rated the worst of all. And KFC was called out for being one of the slowest places to get 'fast' food."
The pizza chains Little Caesars and Sbarro also had low scores for food. "On the whole, some smaller chains got especially high marks for food quality, and they offered speedy and polite service that some of the bigger chains didn't match."
Five Guys was one of the top-rated burger places. You can choose up to 15 toppings from its menu for free. Chick-Fil-A, with its sandwiches, nuggets, and salads, came out on top for chicken.
"As for pizza chains, well, don't just go run off to the big names like Domino's or Pizza Hut. They got surprisingly low marks."
So which pizza chain pushed its way to the top of the ratings? Papa Murphy's take'n'bake pizza, where you custom order your pizza to make at home.
Chipotle ranked first for Mexican food. "People found the service speedy and polite, and the food was highly rated."
Before you hit the road, visit your favorite restaurants' website. Often you'll find printable coupons like these we found for Carl's Junior and Taco Bell.
The company's Facebook pages are also good places to look. If you really like a restaurant, you can sign up your e-mail for deals delivered straight to your inbox.
