The Most Popular Fast Food Chain In The US Is Not In North Carolina

People love Chick-fil-A, and their strong sales and excellent customer satisfaction ratings prove it. They continue to be one of America’s favorite fast food restaurants, but as popular as they are, they’re no longer the best, according to new research from 10Best USA Today.

Just announced are the winners of the latest 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards, an annual ranking of the most popular fast food chains. To come up with the list, they first have editors and fast food experts make their choices, then “USA Today” readers vote on their favorites to decide the winners.

Chick-fil-A was chosen best overall fast food chain in 2023, but they’ve been knocked down by a new winner, Del Taco. The regional Mexican chain, which is concentrated in the West and not in North Carolina, offers burgers and fries along with tacos, burritos, and nachos. Del Taco also has a dedicated breakfast menu, along with a vegan and vegetarian menu. There used to be one in Rock Hill, South Carolina but it closed. We hear that there are a few in Georgia though.

Del Taco wasn’t even in the top 10 in 2023, making their win for best fast food chain even more impressive.

Everyone knows that inflation has hit fast-food chains really hard. Even though sticker shock is prevalent, there are still some good deals to be had if you look closely. I just paid 10 dollars for the chicken sandwich meal at Burger King! 10 dollars! Value menu items are usually the best place to start saving money. The website EatThis,NotThat! has found the best fast-food burgers that you can still get for under $5 dollars.

A lot of fast-food chains offer specialty burgers with unique ingredients or flavor combinations. These usually include items like barbecue sauce, mushrooms, avocado, different types of cheese, or various condiments. Even french fries! Those burgers and combos usually get expensive. My favorite burgers are from Wendy's or McDonald's.

Make sure you sign up for discount emails and check the restaurant's apps for all the deals they offer.

Here’s a list of burgers under 5 dollars. These places are in Charlotte. I've also added the nutritional info, because you know when you're eating fast food you want it to be as healthy as possible! Haha.  (prices may vary depending on your location):

This is a great value that was priced at $2.69 as of September 2023 and a Double Bacon Stack goes for $3.59. (1 Order) 370 calories, 23 g fat (8 g saturated fat), 650 mg sodium, 25 g carbs (1 g fiber, 5 g sugar), 18 g protein.

This burger can be found for as cheap as $3.19 but you can also get the Sourdough Jack for $4.69 and the Classic Buttery Jack for $4.79 according to Fast Food Menu Prices. (Cheeseburger 1 Order) 570 calories, 30 g fat (13 g saturated fat), 1310 mg sodium, 45 g carbs (3 g fiber, 8 g sugar), 30 g protein.

The double cheeseburger goes for $4.99 in some DQ locations. (Double) 570 calories, 34 g fat (15 g saturated fat), 1530 mg sodium, 38 g carbs (1 g fiber, 8 g sugar), 29 g protein. 

McDonald’s has gotten some bad press lately over their really high prices but the classic cheeseburger and McDouble are still affordable. A cheeseburger is $1.88 and a McDouble goes for $2.60. (Cheeseburger 1 Order) 300 calories, 13 g fat (6 g saturated fat), 720 mg sodium, 32 g carbs (2 g fiber, 7 g sugar), 15 g protein. 

This BK burger goes for as little as $2.09 in some locations and if you exclude the bacon it costs $1.99. (1 Order) 440 calories, 24 g fat (11 g saturated fat), 970 mg sodium, 32 g carbs (1.4 g fiber, 7.7 g sugar), 27.1 g protein. 

Made with fresh meat and Wisconsin cheese, this burger can cost as little as $3.39 in some locations as of September 2023. (Single) 460 calories, 23 g fat (11 g saturated fat), 610 mg sodium, 39 g carbs (1 g fiber, 7 g sugar), 23 g protein. 

This burger goes for as low as $3.99 and the All American Cheeseburger is priced as low as $2.29. (Double 1 Order) 670 calories, 39 g fat (14 g saturated fat), 1780 mg sodium, 49 g carbs (3 g fiber, 9 g sugar), 28 g protein.