Last updated: March 3, 2017
Inspired by The Ringer’s “Top 50 Fast Food Items in America,” I decided to create my own ranking and see how my tastes compare with the Ringer’s staff.
A few notes:
-I listen to a lot of Bill Simmon’s Ringer podcasts. Bill and his friend Joe House recently spent 30 minutes going over and most ripping apart The Ringer’s own top-50 list. Specifically, they were most upset with the high ranking Chick-fil-a’s waffle fries earned on this list. Well, those same waffle fries come in at my #2 on my list. They mean more to me than the chicken sandwiches, by quite a margin. Bill and Joe, you are wrong.
-Those who know me, know I love the Filet-o-Fish.
-My top-rated item not on The Ringer’s list: The Shack-Cago Dog at Shack Shack, which is by far my favorite thing on their menu.
| My Ranking | My Rating | Fast Food Item | Restaurant | The Ringer's Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9.9 | Filet-O-Fish | McDonald's | 44 |
| 2 | 9.8 | Waffle Fries | Chick-fil-a | 1 |
| 4 | 9.6 | Egg McMuffin | McDonald's | 32 |
| 3 | 9.6 | French Fries | McDonald's | 3 |
| 5 | 9.6 | Shack-Cago Dog | Shake Shack | n/a |
| 8 | 9.5 | Chicken Sandwich | Chick-fil-a | 5 |
| 7 | 9.5 | Curly Fries | Arby's | 6 |
| 9 | 9.5 | French Fries | Nathan's | n/a |
| 6 | 9.5 | Root Beer | A&W | |
| 10 | 9.3 | Chick-N-Pickle | Bareburger | n/a |
| 11 | 9.3 | French Fries | Five Guys | 10 |
| 16 | 9.2 | French Fries | Steak 'n Shake | 31 |
| 12 | 9.2 | Hard Tacos (Steak) | Chipotle | n/a |
| 15 | 9.2 | Hash Browns | McDonald's | 29 |
| 14 | 9.2 | Little Cheeseburger | Five Guys | 10 |
| 18 | 9.1 | Cheeseburger | In-n-out | 35 |
| 19 | 9.1 | Sausage McMuffin with Egg | McDonald's | n/a |
| 17 | 9.1 | Soft Tacos | Chipotle | 23 |
| 20 | 9.1 | Steakburger | Steak 'n Shake | 31 |
| 22 | 9 | Baked Apple Pie | McDonald's | 28 |
| 21 | 9 | Double-Double | In-n-out | 2 |
| 23 | 9 | Hot Dogs | Nathan's | n/a |
| 24 | 9 | Shack Burger | Shake Shack | 18 |
| 25 | 8.9 | Bacon Cheeseburger | Five Guys | 10 |
| 26 | 8.8 | Classic Grilled Hot Dog (Loaded) | Burger King | n/a |
| 28 | 8.7 | Blizzard | Dairy Queen | 7 |
| 27 | 8.7 | Checkerburger | Checkers | n/a |
| 30 | 8.6 | Crunchwrap Supreme | Taco Bell | n/a |
| 31 | 8.6 | Frosty | Wendy's | 8 |
| 29 | 8.6 | Quarter Pounder | McDonald's | 49 |
| 33 | 8.5 | Dave's Single Cheeseburger | Wendy's | n/a |
| 32 | 8.5 | Whopper Jr. | Burger King | n/a |
| 35 | 8.4 | Apple Pie | McDonald's | n/a |
| 36 | 8.4 | Biscuits | Popeyes | 22 |
| 34 | 8.4 | Glazed Doughnut | Krispy Kreme | 40 |
| 37 | 8.4 | Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger | Wendy's | n/a |
| 40 | 8.3 | Chicken Tenders | Popeyes | 21 |
| 41 | 8.3 | Double ShackBurger | Shake Shack | 27 |
| 42 | 8.3 | Jr. Cheeseburger Deluxe | Wendy's | n/a |
| 39 | 8.3 | Mashed Potatos and Gravy | KFC | 47 |
| 38 | 8.3 | Roast Beef Sandwich | Arby's | 33 |
| 44 | 8.2 | 7 Layer Burrito | Taco Bell | n/a |
| 43 | 8.2 | McNuggets | McDonald's | 14 |
| 46 | 8.1 | Chicken | KFC | 47 |
| 47 | 8.1 | Chicken | Popeyes | 4 |
| 48 | 8.1 | Mashed Potatos and Cajun Gravy | Popeyes | 45 |
| 45 | 8.1 | Origin Chicken Sandwich | Burger King | 43 |
| 50 | 8 | Big Mac | McDonald's | 16 |
| 49 | 8 | Whopper | Burger King | 46 |
| 51 | 7.9 | Crunch Shell Tacos | Taco Bell | 25 |
| 53 | 7.8 | Cheeseburger | McDonald's | n/a |
| 52 | 7.8 | French Fries | Burger King | 43 |
| 54 | 7.8 | Sour Cream and Chive Baked Potato | Wendy's | |
| 55 | 7.5 | McGriddle | McDonald's | 42 |
| 56 | 7.3 | McFlurry | McDonald's | 9 |
| 57 | 6.1 | Soft Cookies | Subway | 39 |
| 58 | 6 | French Fries | Shake Shack | 18 |
| n/a | n/a | Animal Style Burger | In-n-out | 11 |
| n/a | n/a | Animal Style Fries | In-n-out | 24 |
| n/a | n/a | Cajun Fries | Five Guys | 26 |
| n/a | n/a | Cheese Curds | Culver's | 48 |
| n/a | n/a | Cheesy Gordita Crunch | Taco Bell | 15 |
| n/a | n/a | Cherry Limeade | Sonic | 38 |
| n/a | n/a | Chicken Biscuit | Chick-fil-a | 30 |
| n/a | n/a | Chicken Fingers | Raising Canes | 34 |
| n/a | n/a | Chicken Nuggets | Chick-fil-a | 13 |
| n/a | n/a | Chicken Quesadilla | Taco Bell | 36 |
| n/a | n/a | Honey BBQ Chicken Sandwich | Whataburger | 37 |
| n/a | n/a | Pretzel | Auntie Anne's | 17 |
| n/a | n/a | Spicy Chicken Deluxe Sandwich | Chick-fil-a | 41 |
| n/a | n/a | Spicy Chicken Sandwich | Chick-fil-a | 12 |
| n/a | n/a | Spicy Chicken Sandwich | Wendy's | 20 |
| n/a | n/a | Two Tacos for 99¢ | Jack In The Box | 19 |
Filet-o-fish, the best fast food in America