Krista: I fully went in expecting to have to rate these taters below a 5, but I was pleasantly surprised. They were SO FRESH. And, let’s be real, freshness ups the taste of ANY french fry. However, these did have a nice outside, and they didn’t taste like they had been submerged in week-old grease, so I gave them a solid 7. Total: 14.3 Krista: I felt like calling the cops, truly. Sorry Five Guys, but not only were these fries expensive (I know they give you a LOT but still), but they really just were mushy, not fresh, and lacked flavor. 5.5 for this experience is still high, IMO. Total: 11.1 Krista: Seasoned fries are my ABSOLUTE FAVE, so it’s no surprise I really liked these. I could have done with the outside being a little more crispy, but the flavor was allllll there, so they get an 8.1 from me. Total: 17.3 Chris: These things were FRESH. The freshest of all the fries we got from anywhere during this testing. Can’t promise every Jack in the Box will give ’em to you fresh out the fryer, but ours were fantastic. Hot, crunchy, salty — elite. Reflecting on ’em now, as I write this, I feel like I should give a higher rating than I did at the time, which is an 8.6. Krista: WHOA. WHOA. WHOA. This was an early and surprising turning point in the game. I SEE YOU JACK IN THE BOX!!!! I’m from Kansas, where Jack does not live in his box, so even after living in LA for eight years now, I have only been here once. I may go back again. Probably not for burgers, but just to try my luck at getting fries this good again. Fresh, tasty, crisp. 8.3 Total: 16.9 CURLY FRIES: Chris: Admittedly, I’m not a HUGE fan of curly fries, but I did enjoy these. They were also well seasoned, and there were some good, bouncy spiral ones, so I gave ’em a strong 7.2. Krista: As president of the Arby’s curly fry fan club, I could get behind these curly fries from time to time. There weren’t enough plump, boingy (Chris already said bouncy so I was trying to think of another adjective!) ones, and so the half circles were kind of crispy and not as good. Still a solid 7.5. Total: 14.7 Krista: Salt, salt, where is the salt, In-N-Out?????? They were fresh, so they get points for that. I prefer them animal style, and now that I am looking back on this, I am shocked I actually ranked them a 7.8. That seems high because in my memory they were in the 6-range. But, alas, the video we have doesn’t lie. So, I will say my higher rating is because they were fresh and the outside was nice and crisp. Total: 15.6 Krista: I’m fully prepared for y’all to come after me in the comments, but I fear I do not love the waffle fry. Don’t get me wrong — Chick-fil-A is great, but I have never gotten a fresh batch of their fries, and these ones were mushy as well. 5.8 Total: 11.7
Krista: As a little behind-the-scenes moment here: We had now been in the car for well over THREE HOURS. Chris ran in to get these because they don’t have a drive-thru as I sat in the brutal LA heat in the car just marinating with six bags of half-eaten fries. Popeyes took at least 15 minutes to prepare these, so I feel like my mental state was not good when I entered this taste test. I kept saying the fries tasted like Popeyes fried chicken, so that probably means they use the same grease. I gave them a 6.9, but no lie, as we kept driving I kept thinking about them. Something was addicting, and I think now I would probably rate them a bit higher. Total: 14.8
Krista: 10/10 on presentation, but taste? It just didn’t cut it. They had no flavoring whatsoever. That’s all I gotta say. 5.4 Total: 10.8 Chris: I don’t know if it was just an off day for crinkle fries or what, but these weren’t really hitting the spot for me. In fairness, Arby’s only claims to have “the meats,” and they don’t boast their fries, so maybe they’re not a top priority. 4.9 Krista: Arby’s, I hate to do this to you, but stick to the curly fry. It’s your staple. These crinkles were just bland. They also could have been a LOT fresher. 5.2 Total: 10.1 CURLY FRIES: Chris: These were much more impressive than their regular ones. They weren’t particularly fresh tasting, but they reminded me of an onion ring in flavor, and I give ’em a solid 7. Krista: In the words of Lloyd Christmas, “YOU TOTALLY REDEEMED YOURSELF!” Here we go, 8.2. Nice bounce, good seasoning, and a great crispy outside to inside potato ratio. Total: 15.2 Krista: After not being to a BK in years, I didn’t believe Chris when he said they have top-tier fries, but HE WAS RIGHT: TOTALLY SLEPT ON. They were fresh, the seasoning was really great, the outside was perfect, and the inside has a pretty large amount of potato, which I appreciate. 8.7 Total: 17.2
Krista: I went in as unbiased as I could…as if I hated McDonald’s fries, but there is something about them that draws me in like a fly to the light. They just hit the best. They came out fresh, which definitely upped their rating, but they just make a good fry, period. 9.8 Total: 18.6
Krista: They went and burned my tongue!!! I appreciate the made-to-order freshness, but sometimes even that can’t compete with a lack of flavor and salt. They were OK overall, so I gave them a 7. Total: 14.5 Krista: I was disappointed at the lack of salt. I typically am not opposed to a Wendy’s fry, but if we are speaking to flavor and freshness, it just didn’t make the cut this time, unfortunately. 5.2 Total: 10.4
Krista: This little experiment proves what we have all known all along: Fries really need to be fresh — and I think this shows which places need to work on making sure their customers always get a fresh batch! That being said, I keep randomly thinking about Popeyes fries. In my head, I’ll be like, Yes, you loved them. Go get some NOW. Then 10 minutes later, I’m like, No, they really weren’t good; they tasted like chicken. So, I think I have french fry fog in my brain. It was too much, and my car still smells like a cherry air freshener mixed with stale fries. Also, Taco Bell was not selling their fries — we did try to include them. 14. Shake Shack: 10.8 13. Wendy’s: 11 12. Five Guys: 11.1 11. Chick-fil-A: 11.7 10. Carl’s Jr./Hardee’s: 14.3 9. Kentucky Fried Chicken: 14.5 8. Jack in the Box (curly fries): 14.7 7. Popeyes: 14.8 6. Arby’s (curly fries): 15.2 5. In-N-Out: 15.6 4. Jack in the Box (regular fries): 16.9 3. Burger King: 17.2 2. Wingstop: 17.3
- McDonald’s: 18.6
