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fast food restaurants

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In-N-Out Burger, Subway and Wendy’s have emerged as the best fast food chains in a new survey by Zagat.

Zagat food guide, better known for its reviews of upscale restaurants, conducted a large-scale poll for its annual guide, which involved the input of 10,554 voters.

Chains were divided into two categories according to size: those with 100-5,000 U.S. locations and those with over 5,000 U.S. locations.

In-N-Out Burger and Wendy’s emerged as the chains with the best-rated food and overall ratings, while Subway ranked top for popularity and service.

Five Guys was named the chain with the best burger, however, beating Wendy’s and Burger King to the title.

Five Guys in turn was trumped to the title of top french fries by Fast Food giant McDonald’s.

Of course, some might be surprised to see the esteemed restaurant guide turning its hand to fast food in the first place.

The Zagat blog, however, insists that such chains are an important category, given the huge number of meals we consume from them each year.

“The convenience of these establishments makes them super-popular – the surveyors averaged 9.4 meals a month at chains, with 5.8 at fast-food restaurants and 3.6 at full-service eateries,” it read.

“That’s an amazing 1.2 million chain meals per year. Not quite one billion served, but still pretty impressive.”

Zagat reviewers cast verdict on each of the most popular menu items, with KFC taking home the title of Best Fried Chicken, and Chick-fil-A ranking top for the grilled variety.

McDonald’s had the best breakfast sandwiches while Steak ‘n Shake ranked top in the milkshake category.

For those attempting to cut back on calories, Panera Bread had the best healthy options, while Wendy’s was a winner again when it came to the best salads.

MOST POPULAR

LARGE CHAINS (100 to 5,000 U.S. locations)

1. In-N-Out Burger

2. Panera Bread

3. Chipotle

4. Five Guys

5. Chick-fil-A

MEGA CHAINS (over 5,000 U.S. locations)

1. Subway

2. Wendy’s

3. McDonald’s

4. Taco Bell

5. Burger King

 

TOP-RATED FOOD

LARGE CHAINS

1. In-N-Out Burger

2. Papa Murphy’s

3. Chipotle

4. Panera Bread

5. Bojangles’

MEGA CHAINS

1. Wendy’s

2. Subway

3. Pizza Hut

4. Taco Bell

5. Burger King

 

TOP-RATED SERVICE

LARGE CHAINS

1. In-N-Out Burger

2. Papa Murphy’s

3. Jimmy John’s

4. Fazoli’s

5. Panera Bread

MEGA CHAINS

1. Subway

2. Wendy’s

3. Taco Bell

4. Pizza Hut

5. McDonald’s

 

TOP OVERALL

LARGE CHAINS

1. In-N-Out Burger

2. Fazoli’s

3. Panera Bread

4. Papa Murphy’s

5. Chipotle

MEGA CHAINS

1. Wendy’s

2. Subway

3. Pizza Hut

4. Taco Bell

5. McDonald’s

 

BEST BURGER

1. Five Guys

2. Wendy’s

3. Burger King

4. In-N-Out Burger

5. Fuddruckers

 

BEST FRENCH FRIES

1. McDonald’s

2. Five Guys

3. Burger King

4. Wendy’s

5. Chick-fil-A

 

 

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A new study out of the University of California, Riverside, has found that commercial charbroilers – like the ones used in the country’s fast food restaurants, are doing more harm to the air quality than an 18-wheeler truck.

Researchers claim that the charbroilers send a staggering quantity of particulate matter into the ecosystem, more than any truck or factory smokestack.

Bill Welch, principal development engineer for the study at UC Riverside’s Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-Cert) said in a statement: “Emissions from commercial charbroilers are a very significant uncontrolled source of particulate matter…more than twice the contribution by all of the heavy-duty diesel trucks.”

A new study has found that commercial charbroilers used in the fast food restaurants are doing more air pollution than a truck

A new study has found that commercial charbroilers used in the fast food restaurants are doing more air pollution than a truck

He added: “For comparison, an 18-wheeler diesel-engine truck would have to drive 143 miles on the freeway to put out the same mass of particles as a single charbroiled hamburger patty.”

Residents in a South Boston community believe those claims, and insist that they’re being smoked out of their own homes thanks to a new burger place in the neighborhood.

Marie Madden, who lives across the street from the new Tasty Burger restaurant, told the Boston Globe: “It’s just horrible. The smoke was just pouring out of the stack Saturday.”

At a community meeting on Monday, restaurant owner David DuBois pledged to set up a high-tech air-scrubbing system that will block the smoke, according to the Globe.

He told the paper: “It [the system] takes out the particulate and from what I understand it will take the odor out and most of the smoke, if not all of it.

“At the end of the day I believe this solution will solve the problem in a big way.”

 

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After launching the world’s first hot dog-stuffed crust pizza, Pizza Hut is now revealing a pizza ringed with burgers smothered in cheese.

None of these exciting new foods, though, are available in the U.S. Even as American restaurant sales pick up, restaurants like Pizza Hut and McDonald’s are expanding overseas in search of more adventurous eaters.

Pizza crust, once just a convenient handle for holding a slice, is fast becoming a delivery system for cheese, meat, and who knows what else in the future. Pizza Hut U.K. recently released a pizza with hot dogs baked into the crust, squeezing an extra serving of pig into an already meat-laden pizza.

After launching the world's first hot dog-stuffed crust pizza, Pizza Hut is now revealing a pizza ringed with burgers smothered in cheese

After launching the world's first hot dog-stuffed crust pizza, Pizza Hut is now revealing a pizza ringed with burgers smothered in cheese

This time, Pizza Hut Middle East is taking into account the patrons who are looking for something a little “healthier.” In addition to the beef-topped pie ringed by cheeseburgers, the restaurant also offers one surrounded by chicken fillet balls and topped with, you guessed it, even more chicken.

The pizza business in the U.S. is still booming, though, in spite of the country’s tame culinary tastes. 41% of Americans now eat pizza at least once a week, up from 26% two years ago.

In spite of Americans being deprived of the latest and greatest in the food world, Pizza Hut’s new offerings might still be thing. Fast food restaurants like McDonald’s and Burger King were once considered a symbol of the increasing Westernization of the world. Now, it seems, the world outside the U.S. is finding its own calorie -and fat- laden path.

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McDonald’s is prepared to target a more pious crowd for the season of Lent with its latest innovation – Fish McBites.

Fish McBites was first reported on Tuesday, a day before the start of the Christian season of fasting on Ash Wednesday.

It was pictured at a McDonald’s branch near Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, which may strengthen the impression that it is aimed at the faithful who have denied themselves the pleasure of meat.

Fish McBites appear to be modeled on Chicken McBites, a version of popcorn chicken introduced over the last few months.

But it is also inspired by the Filet-O-Fish, a fixture on the McDonald’s menu for more than four decades and the company’s most popular maritime product so far.

Fish McBites, like the Filet-O-Fish, are made from Alaskan pollock and served with tartar sauce.

The new snack is currently available only in selected restaurants, at a price of $1.99 for a small portion, $2.99 for a regular and $4.99 for a “shareable” size.

McDonald’s is prepared to target a more pious crowd for the season of Lent with its latest innovation - Fish McBites

McDonald’s is prepared to target a more pious crowd for the season of Lent with its latest innovation - Fish McBites

McDonald’s website trumpets the new product as “tender, flaky and delightfully poppable”, and encourages its customers to “Say ahoy to this seaworthy lineup”.

A McDonald’s spokesman told the Huffington Post: “These are in test in a couple of markets, however the test is in infancy. We will continue to evaluate customer feedback and restaurant operations.”

While it is not clear whether or not the timing was deliberate, fast-food restaurants which rely primarily on sales of red meat have been known to suffer during Lent.

During Lent, which this year started on February 22, Ash Wednesday, and ends on Easter Sunday, April 8, devout Catholics are not supposed to eat meat – particularly on Fridays.

Many other people, religious and non-religious alike, try to give up indulgent treats they know are unhealthy.

The Filet-O-Fish itself was introduced in 1962 in response to poor sales every Friday at Lou Groen’s McDonald’s franchise in Cincinnati, Ohio, an area with a large Catholic population at the time.

It has reportedly become popular with other religious groups such as Jews or Muslims who require their meat to be slaughtered in accordance with ritual guidelines, but have no such restrictions with fish.