May 28, 2019 13:13:06 GMT theend said:

Just because I have a friend who is a very successful area manager of Noodles and Company I will note that Noodles considers themselves "quick serve" and not fast food.

Absolutely. It's a two-pronged rationale:

1 - Own a category themselves
2 - Distance themselves from traditional "low-quality" fast food

It's fun to mess with him and call it fast food. He sees a clear distinction as he is in the industry. To us outsiders it's pretty similar. I do know they prep quite a bit of food there. A lot more fresh food than I would have expected.

May 28, 2019 17:24:08 GMT theend said:

It's fun to mess with him and call it fast food. He sees a clear distinction as he is in the industry. To us outsiders it's pretty similar. I do know they prep quite a bit of food there. A lot more fresh food than I would have expected.

I think there’s a definite difference. And whether it’s the marketing working or savvy consumers, it’s clear the general public has divided them as well.

I was huge into Dunkin forever. I just got into Starbucks recently because it’s by my job and they have a Starbucks coffee machine in my office.

I’m not making a list because I’m boring. I like the usual boring stuff. McDonald’s and Burger King. I actually hate Taco Bell and White Castle. I don’t really order from Pizza Hut or Dominos since I live in a highly populated pizza area and prefer pizza from real pizza places.

I'm not including pizza because that's a separate category imo.

Also only including places I've actually eaten at. There's a lot of fast food I've just never tried because I don't want to or it's not in my country.

And I'm not including things like Five Guys or Fatburger or stuff like that because it isn't fast food imo.

S Tier
In-N-Out: literally the only fast food where I've considered driving/flying to another country just so I could eat it.

A Tier
A&W: easily the best burgers that aren't In-N-Out, and their root beer is killer.
Harvey's: I think this is a Canadian chain but I'm not sure. Either way, it's a very polarizing chain here. You either love it or hate it. Personally I love their burgers and love that you can get almost any topping, and they make them fresh in front of you. And their shakes are great.
Taco Bell: I don't care that it's shit, I can eat 10 tacos in one sitting and I love it. Or go big on Cheesy Gordita Crunches.
Dairy Queen: Good burgers, good onion rings, amazing shakes and ice cream. Can't go wrong.
Popeye's: Better than KFC but not many in Canada. Hard to find.

B Tier
McDonald's: can't go wrong. You always know what you're getting. But I do get sick of it quickly having worked there when I was younger. But when you're drunk/stoned and load up on McDoubles & Junior Chickens..damn.
Wendy's: I still like their spicy chicken sandwich and I like their choices of sides, and Frostys rule. But their burgers have gone way downhill over the years, at least in Canada anyway.
KFC: I'm a fan but don't go out of my way to get it. My wife would probably rate it S Tier though. Easily her favourite.
Quizno's: My go-to if I'm getting a sub but I don't really eat subs very often. I'll bring a turkey sandwich from home or choose burgers over subs.

C Tier
Carl's Jr.: I'm not really a fan but their burgers are ok. I tend to go for chicken fingers or some other option if I end up here because I find the burgers are always messy and not at all as advertised. Really disappointing place, especially because it hasn't been in Canada for very long and it was somewhat exciting when they started to open here.
Mr. Sub: Slowly dying because of the Subway takeover of the past couple decades. I don't go out of my way for subs but I'll hit up Mr. Sub before Subway.
Pita Pit: One big "meh" from me. Almost every city that has a Pita Pit has a locally owned donair place somewhere else that is way better, so I'm going there.

D Tier
Subway: I only eat it when I have to. Sometimes you go to a small town here and it's the only option. I really don't enjoy anything they have but will eat it out of necessity.

F Tier
Arby's: I wouldn't go here if you paid me.
Taco Time: If you live in Saskatchewan or Alberta you probably think this is blasphemy but Taco Time is a terrible rip-off of Taco Bell and I hate it and I refuse to go there out of pure spite.
Burger King: everything here sucks and I don't know how they're still in business.

May 28, 2019 18:49:21 GMT KING KID said:

I was huge into Dunkin forever. I just got into Starbucks recently because it’s by my job and they have a Starbucks coffee machine in my office.

I’m not making a list because I’m boring. I like the usual boring stuff. McDonald’s and Burger King. I actually hate Taco Bell and White Castle. I don’t really order from Pizza Hut or Dominos since I live in a highly populated pizza area and prefer pizza from real pizza places.

Dude, NYC pizza beats the fuck out of everything I listed. I'd kill to be able to just roll into any one of the thousands of places and grab a slice.

But to be honest, I'd take NYC local food over 99% of what's on my list. NYC has so many good joints/mini-chains too. My wife would do anything to get her hands on a City Diner (Upper West Side spot) blueberry muffin. I'd love me an Island Burger again. I also liked Tres Carnes a lot, but saw they closed (which makes me sad).

Come live in Staten Island.

We can be neighbors!

But it’s totally true about our pizza. I remember being in Florida and getting pizza and being puzzled by how blah it tasted. I’m a Sicilian slice kind of guy, which is square pizza for those that don’t know.

May 28, 2019 19:32:46 GMT KING KID said:

Come live in Staten Island.

We can be neighbors!

But it’s totally true about our pizza. I remember being in Florida and getting pizza and being puzzled by how blah it tasted. I’m a Sicilian slice kind of guy, which is square pizza for those that don’t know.

I never enjoyed Grandma's Pizza that much, but a big fat NY slice? Nothing better.

But literally every type of food in NYC is better. Everything. K-Town? Oh my god, get in my belly.

May 28, 2019 19:32:46 GMT KING KID said:

I’m a Sicilian slice kind of guy, which is square pizza for those that don’t know.

That's Little C's Deep Dish!

May 28, 2019 19:04:23 GMT RT said:

I'm not including pizza because that's a separate category imo.

Also only including places I've actually eaten at. There's a lot of fast food I've just never tried because I don't want to or it's not in my country.

And I'm not including things like Five Guys or Fatburger or stuff like that because it isn't fast food imo.

S Tier
In-N-Out: literally the only fast food where I've considered driving/flying to another country just so I could eat it.

A Tier
A&W: easily the best burgers that aren't In-N-Out, and their root beer is killer.
Harvey's: I think this is a Canadian chain but I'm not sure. Either way, it's a very polarizing chain here. You either love it or hate it. Personally I love their burgers and love that you can get almost any topping, and they make them fresh in front of you. And their shakes are great.
Taco Bell: I don't care that it's shit, I can eat 10 tacos in one sitting and I love it. Or go big on Cheesy Gordita Crunches.
Dairy Queen: Good burgers, good onion rings, amazing shakes and ice cream. Can't go wrong.
Popeye's: Better than KFC but not many in Canada. Hard to find.

B Tier
McDonald's: can't go wrong. You always know what you're getting. But I do get sick of it quickly having worked there when I was younger. But when you're drunk/stoned and load up on McDoubles & Junior Chickens..damn.
Wendy's: I still like their spicy chicken sandwich and I like their choices of sides, and Frostys rule. But their burgers have gone way downhill over the years, at least in Canada anyway.
KFC: I'm a fan but don't go out of my way to get it. My wife would probably rate it S Tier though. Easily her favourite.
Quizno's: My go-to if I'm getting a sub but I don't really eat subs very often. I'll bring a turkey sandwich from home or choose burgers over subs.

C Tier
Carl's Jr.: I'm not really a fan but their burgers are ok. I tend to go for chicken fingers or some other option if I end up here because I find the burgers are always messy and not at all as advertised. Really disappointing place, especially because it hasn't been in Canada for very long and it was somewhat exciting when they started to open here.
Mr. Sub: Slowly dying because of the Subway takeover of the past couple decades. I don't go out of my way for subs but I'll hit up Mr. Sub before Subway.
Pita Pit: One big "meh" from me. Almost every city that has a Pita Pit has a locally owned donair place somewhere else that is way better, so I'm going there.

D Tier
Subway: I only eat it when I have to. Sometimes you go to a small town here and it's the only option. I really don't enjoy anything they have but will eat it out of necessity.

F Tier
Arby's: I wouldn't go here if you paid me.
Taco Time: If you live in Saskatchewan or Alberta you probably think this is blasphemy but Taco Time is a terrible rip-off of Taco Bell and I hate it and I refuse to go there out of pure spite.
Burger King: everything here sucks and I don't know how they're still in business.

Opinion on Fuddruckers? Or doesn't that count?

Mr. Sub> Subway> Quizno's

KFC would be near my S tier as well (to go along with Fudd's) but it is expensive. Agree about A&W and I would put the old Burger Baron (rip) near the top.

Arby's, Burger King and Wendy's are all trash and would be my F tier. Also Mexican food in the form of fast food holds no appeal to me.

Gotta say I love all the Burger King slamming. I always thought BK was garbage, but most people I know prefer it over McDonald's for some crazy reason.

May 27, 2019 3:18:02 GMT @ness said:

Arby's: No idea why Jon Stewart crapped on them. 

My least favorite thing about The Simpsons is how they always crapped on Arby's. Who pissed in Matt Groening's Big Montana?

Arby's rules. Back in 2002-2003 I went to Arby's 5 days a week. This is not an exaggeration. It was part of my daily routine for about a year. College-Home-Arby's-Work every M-F. I'd meet up with my friends at Arby's every day before we went to work. The staff would have my order ready as I walked in- Regular Roast Beef, deliciously warm chocolate chip cookie (they knew I liked them fresh because I geeked out one time about the spectacularness of the hot cookie), and a small drink. At the time I was weirdly anti-Curly Fries. This was obviously a youthful indiscretion. The staff loved us for some reason. Maybe they thought my friends were hot? I dunno. I think the Arby's thing stopped when our other coworkers found out and we'd end up with $50 orders and too many late payments.

Now I only go there like once every month or two. Sad. 

And Arby's isn't even my favorite! I'm not going chain by chain because it would be boring and redundant. Something like A, A, A-, A+, A with more pointless stories like how Taco Bell becomes the GOAT when you're drunk at 1:30 a.m. and it's the only place open. I'd only deduct for high prices (Wendy's & Roy Rogers, I'm looking at you) or too many bad service experiences. Fast food rules and I should eat more of it. 

So apparently I'm cheap with a faulty palate. That sounds about right.

Edit: No S tier because I'm old and never heard of this nonsense until yesterday. A through F or gtfo. 

I guess I will admit Arby's curly fries are it's redeeming quality.

Denny's was my go to spot when drunk at 2:00am. Nothing like steak and eggs after a good pub crawl.

Wendy's tried to give me salmonella on 2 consecutive occasions years apart ("ok, I'll give them a second chance") so they are forever on my F-list.

This new tier system I caught onto a few weeks ago on Youtube but with bands within a certain genre of music.

Ya know what else is great about Chick Fil-A? Their ketchup packets. They don't do the traditional ones and they don't do the pump keg like some do. They have a dual squirt/dipping combo. I usually grab that for when I get breakfast for the hashbrowns. Sometimes I think the "my pleasure" is super phony, but it may also have magic powers. Once I went in drive-thru and instead of "my pleasure" the lady said you're welcome. And you know what? She forgot my hashbrowns! So I went back in to get them. I wonder if not doing the greeting had anything to do with it?

In fact, I'm turning this thread into my fast food adventure blog. I don't plan to live to 50 anyway.

May 29, 2019 1:07:59 GMT Shootist said:

Denny's was my go to spot when drunk at 2:00am. 

I did this as well. Just not as much as The Bell. The problem with Denny's after midnight in these parts is there was ALWAYS a fight. My friends and I just wanted to eat relatively quickly and in peace. No drama needed. But noooo. There'd always be cop cars whizzing by. Staff would sometimes be questioned. Another time the cook got arrested while I was there for getting into a fight with a customer. I guess I could have went to a Denny's in a better neighborhood but where's the fun in that?

The Denny's near me (not the one with all the fights) went out of business within the last year. It was a sad day for the stomachs of Eastern Baltimore County. All that remains is an IHOP.

Since I'm here.....

A Tier- Chik-Fil-A, Arby's, McDonald's, Burger King
A- Tier- Taco Bell- Most fast food runs right through me. This doesn't necessarily bother me. Natural bodily functions are natural. If fast food happens to speed up the process then so be it. BUT Taco Bell runs through me a little more quickly then the rest. Yet it's still delicious! So A- tier sounds right. Sadly I haven't been to my early-mid 2000s go to spot in....years. 

May 29, 2019 1:29:12 GMT Baker said:

May 29, 2019 1:07:59 GMT Shootist said:

Denny's was my go to spot when drunk at 2:00am. 

I did this as well. Just not as much as The Bell. The problem with Denny's after midnight in these parts is there was ALWAYS a fight. My friends and I just wanted to eat relatively quickly and in peace. No drama needed. But noooo. There'd always be cop cars whizzing by. Staff would sometimes be questioned. Another time the cook got arrested while I was there for getting into a fight with a customer. I guess I could have went to a Denny's in a better neighborhood but where's the fun in that?

The Denny's near me (not the one with all the fights) went out of business within the last year. It was a sad day for the stomachs of Eastern Baltimore County. All that remains is an IHOP.

Since I'm here.....

A Tier- Chik-Fil-A, Arby's, McDonald's, Burger King
A- Tier- Taco Bell- Most fast food runs right through me. This doesn't necessarily bother me. Natural bodily functions are natural. If fast food happens to speed up the process then so be it. BUT Taco Bell runs through me a little more quickly then the rest. Yet it's still delicious! So A- tier sounds right. Sadly I haven't been to my early-mid 2000s go to spot in....years. 

My only exciting Denny's story was seeing Kerry Joseph, then starting quarterback of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, sit down to have a meal in the wee hours while my crew was recovering from the post game festivities.

Popeye's is also solid but just a step below KFC when it comes to sandwiches. I could live off of the spicy extra crispy for the rest of what would be my short life. Tim Horton's is inconsistent with some bad service experiences but their turkey bacon club with potato wedges and ranch on the side is the bomb. Plus to top it off the creamy chocolate chill is one of the better dessert drinks.

I'm not a fast food guy, but I just want to shout out Roy Rogers from my youth. Gone, but not forgotten, Roy.

I lumped Fuddrucker’s in with Five Guys, Fatburger, etc. I think if you order and sit down and they bring it to you 15 mins later it isn’t fast food. Shootist

I do like it though. And the kids love the arcade, batting cages & mini golf. So it’s a good time.

May 29, 2019 2:07:41 GMT Kilgore said:

I'm not a fast food guy, but I just want to shout out Roy Rogers from my youth. Gone, but not forgotten, Roy.

90s Roy Rogers had the GOAT fried chicken but they've sadly went into decline. For starters, I hadn't seen a Roy Rogers in like a decade...

Until I went to visit my brother in Hagerstown, MD a year or two ago. They had a Roy Rogers! I marked out. So the next time I went there I had to eat at Roy's. A mistake. Roy Rogers ain't what it used to be. Sad.

May 29, 2019 2:17:30 GMT Baker said:

May 29, 2019 2:07:41 GMT Kilgore said:

I'm not a fast food guy, but I just want to shout out Roy Rogers from my youth. Gone, but not forgotten, Roy.

90s Roy Rogers had the GOAT fried chicken but they've sadly went into decline. For starters, I hadn't seen a Roy Rogers in like a decade...

Until I went to visit my brother in Hagerstown, MD a year or two ago. They had a Roy Rogers! I marked out. So the next time I went there I had to eat at Roy's. A mistake. Roy Rogers ain't what it used to be. Sad.

Can confirm, Roy Rogers fried chicken was better than KFC. This sounds crazy, but I swear it's true. Last time I had Roy Rogers was in 1997/1998. They started going out of business soon after. Hilariously, one day we walked into my high school cafeteria and all the long tables had been replaced with 4 person booths they got (stole?) from several of the Roy Rogers on their way out of business. It was an upgrade! Roy kept on giving 'til the end. Legend. 

I don't know about American KFC's but in Canada KFC has dropped off a bit sandwiches notwithstanding. With the buckets sometimes the chicken is over done and looses that taste of the herbs and spices. Plus the gravy is watered down at times but recently my fries and gravy have tasted like the fries and gravy of my youth. Maybe they are making a comeback in that department?

For RT or any other Canadian here has anyone tried South St. Burgers? They are under the same umbrella as New York Fries (near A tier btw.) I just think a burger and fries (or poutine) from both of those places would be a tasty treat. They have South St. Burgers in Calgary but I didn't give them a try.

Not sure I can really be part of this thread; being a pretentious industries-killing millenial I don't eat much at chain restaurants and I haven't eaten at McDonald's/Burger King in well over a decade  -- I don't go there because I'm just sort of assuming they're D/F tier but I can't in good conscience give them a low ranking when I don't have recent firsthand experience with their food.

S-Tier:

In n Out: Because I'm from California and I think we're legally required to say it's the bestest under penalty of catapult. Fries are a little bit of a weak point but get them well done and it's all good from there.

Halal Guys: Only had it once but holy shit was it amazing. Chicken was tender, sauce flavorful and between the meat, the rice and vegetables it felt way more like a regular healthy meal than most fast food fare.

A-Tier:

Chick Fil-A: Closest one is half an hour away, across a bridge that costs me *checks notes* SEVEN DOLLARS to cross. Haven't gotten to explore the menu/many of the sauces much as a result. Not a fan of their politics but good food is good food.

B-Tier:

Costco: Cheap hot dogs that don't give me heartburn, mediocre but SUPER filling and cheap pizza. They tend to not do well when they try to expand the menu beyond this, though.

C-Tier:

Subway: It's passable. Not noticeably bad but not noticeably good either, it's just sort of there for caloric intake. Good for when I forget to bring lunch to work and need to grab something quick since it's a block away -- it's certainly not my favorite but I'll eat it, as opposed to other chains where I might decide I'd rather go hungry and wait til after work for dinner.

Noah's Bagels: Huge variety of both bagels and schmears. Not bad but not memorable, I only tend to see it now when I go to a volunteer beach cleanup or something and there's Noah's bagels and coffee and it's... it's fine.

F-Tier:
Jolibee. Went there once, had the spaghetti with fried chicken. Spaghetti was mediocre and the fried chicken gave me food poisoning. That location has since shut down so maybe I should give it one more chance.

Oh fuck, good shout with Costco, Michinokudriver! Best food court food ever. Love their pizza.

May 27, 2019 17:48:49 GMT 🤯 said:

Sbarro: Best food court pizza ever, but also... only food court pizza ever?

May 29, 2019 11:58:57 GMT 🤯 said:

Oh fuck, good shout with Costco, Michinokudriver ! Best food court food ever. Love their pizza.

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BTW in Canada we also had food court pizza in Ms. Vanelli's which closed up shop last year. It would be in that B-C tier.

May 28, 2019 19:59:36 GMT KJ said:

May 28, 2019 19:32:46 GMT KING KID said:

Come live in Staten Island.

We can be neighbors!

But it’s totally true about our pizza. I remember being in Florida and getting pizza and being puzzled by how blah it tasted. I’m a Sicilian slice kind of guy, which is square pizza for those that don’t know.

I never enjoyed Grandma's Pizza that much, but a big fat NY slice? Nothing better.

But literally every type of food in NYC is better. Everything. K-Town? Oh my god, get in my belly.

Not Southern or Cajun food.   They don't season it right.

May 29, 2019 22:08:48 GMT thereallt said:

May 28, 2019 19:59:36 GMT KJ said:

I never enjoyed Grandma's Pizza that much, but a big fat NY slice? Nothing better.

But literally every type of food in NYC is better. Everything. K-Town? Oh my god, get in my belly.

Not Southern or Cajun food.   They don't season it right.

There's some amazing Southern Food, especially in Harlem. I actually never had cajun food in NYC, so hard to say. 

I have been a little spoiled for food travelling, my first trip to Italy ruined Italian restraunts for me forever.
I also have been to the Canton region of China maybe 50 times, so Panda Express just ain't floating my boat any more.

S-Tier
Local Pizza joint that does an incredible pizza with a thin base, home made sauce, prosciutto and buffalo mozzarella (once you try this cheese there is no other for Pizza)

A-Tier
Bing Boys - They do street food and I love the BBQ pork one
Five Guys - Great burgers
In-N-Out - Burgers are good but nothing else is as good as Five Guys (Animal fries suck)

B-Tier
Nandos - Portuguese Chicken, like the Lemon and Herb basting

C-Tier
KFC - Popcorn chicken and the Burgers are alright
McDonalds - Never as good as you thought it would be but not bad enough that you don't go back

D-Tier
Red-Rooster - Can be good, but hit and miss on the quality depending on the Restaurant
Wot-a-kebab - While I don't mind the HSP (Halal Snack pack) always terrible indigestion

F-Tier
Hungry Jacks (Burger King) - Dry, indigestion causing and always a long wait in the drive through


Other interesting points:
McDonalds is universally referred to as Macca's here, though among my circle of friends it is always "Dirty Ron's"
Hungry Jacks is always 'Hairy Cracks" don't know why

May 29, 2019 23:49:16 GMT KJ said:

May 29, 2019 22:08:48 GMT thereallt said:

Not Southern or Cajun food.   They don't season it right.

There's some amazing Southern Food, especially in Harlem. I actually never had cajun food in NYC, so hard to say. 

The Sandwiches in NYC were what I found amazing, the pizza was good but not great.
I could totally go a Reuben from Katz's now.

Jun 4, 2019 9:58:01 GMT iNCY said:

B-Tier
Nandos - Portuguese Chicken, like the Lemon and Herb basting

Damn, I never thought incy would be a Lemon and Herb guy. Tough guy incy image is destroyed.

Jun 4, 2019 16:48:05 GMT PB said:

Jun 4, 2019 9:58:01 GMT iNCY said:

B-Tier
Nandos - Portuguese Chicken, like the Lemon and Herb basting

Damn, I never thought incy would be a Lemon and Herb guy. Tough guy incy image is destroyed.

I don't much like spicy food, I can tolerate it but don't get how people equate spicy with flavour.
Hot is a sensation not a taste.