Zagat's Best of Fast Food Chains.....Rates McD's French Fries #1

Well, I saw their list in each category on yahoo.com.  The one I was interested in was the french fries.  5 Guys was not in their top 5....

You have a lot of guts to post something positive not only in the Fast Food thread but also about the second most hated company in America (Wal-Mart must be number 1). Besides, what does Zagat's know?

What does Zagat's know?  They know enough to be able to charge for their reviews..Even on line!  I think it's total bulls--t!  Won't get my money.  I'd rather take recommendations from this site.  At least here, the price is right.

Hey what do you think?  Whose more successful?  The Stern Empire or The Zagat Empire 

You don't like Wal-Mart?  I'm on my way there in a few minutes actually.  Hey, when is 5 Guys going to be coming?  Do you know?
 
Stop causing trouble on this site!  And watch your spelling!

Baah Ben: Zagat does not review restaurants.  They publish results of surveys of diners.  I have an offer on my desk from them to give me a free copy of their book if I fill out the survey my judgements on local restaurants.

Their methodology has its own problems, but the results are not from some editor in an ivory tower.

The fries at Mac Don and Al's place were a lot better back in the day before they changed the oil used similar to how even Coca Cola Classic is not as good before the change from the original, errr "second" original not the cocaine laced actual original formula  I prefer Wendy's fries to those from the arches when it comes to national fast food chains. Regionally, gimme In n Out fries.
 
I worked at In n Out when I was in high school in the mid-60s, even then they used vegetable oil to fry the potatos that arrived whole to every location every day, potatos that In n Out grows on their own farms like with the rest of their produce. Anyhow, I used to wash, peel and slice the potatoes as I was the produce preparer. Up until sometime in the mid-1980s when they were forced to change methods due for so-called health reasons, when the fries were pulled out of the fryer, they were tossed onto white terry cloth towels, like gym towels, to drain and rinse them. I was quite agile doing that-tossing them on a towel, grabbing them by the long edges and shaking them before placing them into the salting tray. They never have had fries under a heat lamp awaiting to be served.
 
"Some folks eat to live, others live to eat"
 
 
 
 

MD - They do not personally do the reviews like the Sterns, but in my opinion they are in the same field.  They are looked to as a source when you want to find a good dining spot.  And, they do a good job.  So, they have a formula and they use others' opinions in a way that they are comfortable with.  Personally, I'd rather go eat the food myself like the Sterns do before rating a place.   Do they ever state that they've eaten at a particular place, too?    

Several years ago, they'd let you access their reviews (done by others) on the Internet.  Then, all of a sudden, they stopped allowing free access and were charging for their site.  Now, if that's changed great.  I am not aware of it..I don't even bother looking at their site anymore; haven't for years.

As far as getting a free copy of their book, I never got that opportunity.  Not sure I'd want to go through all that survey work anyway.  I've learned to live without their help.  But, if I read their reviews on a window front of a restaurant or anywhere else for that matter, I give it respect.  
 
I have no problem with restaurant critics, if they know what they are doing.  I guess you have to develop confidence in their comments.  I really don't look at them as being elitists.  But, it is nice when their comments coincide with a lot of diners who  comment on sites like roadfood.com etc.  Then you can be pretty certain that its going to be a good dining experience.  That is exciting stuff!!  Then you can tell your friends we're gonna have a good meal and pretty much not have to worry.  I've said it many times here, I do take responsiblity for trying to make sure my friends and anyone does not waste their hard earned money.
 
The Orlando Sentinel had an excellent restaurant reviewer..Scott Joseph.  The guy never steered me wrong.  I like the work New Times does in Broward and Dade, too.  I also use citysearch.com (Best of), tripadvisor, chowhound, roadfood, fudors, the local city magazines like New York, Pittsburgh, etc.

Five Guys is not a national chain.  I'm not sure how zagat compiles their "best of" for chains, but that fact alone would seem to suggest that it wouldn't make the top 10.

McD's fries are widely accepted as being good.  Of course, there are those who are very very fancy and would never stoop so low as to eat them, but they're fooling themselves and no one else.  

Here is a link to the actual survey results:

http://www.zagat.com/fastfood

tommyeats


Five Guys is not a national chain.  I'm not sure how zagat compiles their "best of" for chains, but that fact alone would seem to suggest that it wouldn't make the top 10.

 
 
In-n-Out  is not a national chain either but it reveived the most votes for "best burger".

Greymo

tommyeats


Five Guys is not a national chain.  I'm not sure how zagat compiles their "best of" for chains, but that fact alone would seem to suggest that it wouldn't make the top 10.

 
 
In-n-Out  is not a national chain either but it reveived the most votes for "best burger".

I saw that.  As I said, I don't know how they tally the votes.  But it should come as no surprise that McD's fries beat out Five Guys', or that In-and-Out won best burger.

Tommy - Well that would explain for me how they left 5 Guys off of their Best Fries List.  So In n Out is considered a national chain and 5 Guys isn't?  

I'm a fan of 5 Guys; the best fries I've ever had from what I'd call a fast food chain..National or whatever.  No, they are not as good as the Dirty O in Pittsburgh, but they're good. 

I still do go to Krystal and fries come with what I order.  I see no difference in theirs vs McDonalds.  They are just ok.  If they'd use the ketchup pump and those little cups at Krystal, I'd enjoy them much more.  I hate those little packets.

Baah Ben


Tommy - Well that would explain for me how they left 5 Guys off of their Best Fries List.  So In n Out is considered a national chain and 5 Guys isn't?  

I'm not actually trying to draw a distinction to which (five guys and in-n-out) is considered a national chain and which isn't.  

McD's fries are known far and wide.  It's no surprise that they won best fries.  The fact that the number of people who might possibly vote for them is likely roughly the population of the entire country removes any shock associated with it winning 'best fries.'

In-n-out is not national, but I would guess is nationally known, at least to a greater extend than Five Guys.  It doesn't hurt that In-n-outs are located in places like San Francisco and Las Vegas, rather than Paramus and Bethesda.  That's not to say there's anything wrong with Paramus and Bethesda, but San Francisco and Las Vegas likely attract more people from all across the country, many of whom have taken the in-n-out koolaide.   I am not shocked that in-n-out won 'best burger.' 

I can see where McDonalds probably has the best fried frozen potato product, but I don't see how anyone can find Burger King's product even eatable.   I'm not sure they are much different than fried, grease laden cardboard that's been rolled around in sawdust.

Well, if they are both being considered chains and the issue is strictly votes...So then Zagat's is what?  A popularity contest?  Like voting for the all star teams?  When the most popular and not necessarily the best players are chosen...Who needs Zagat's.....

A fresh cut russet potato fried in peanut oil vs a frz (Russet?) potato fried in vegetable oil.  

According to Five Guy's web site, they just recently hit the 400 restaurant mark:
http://www.fiveguys.com/NewsArticle.aspx?n=3c098940-5d1f-4ed4-aee1-0cb4fe185da4

As tommyeats said, we don't know how Zagat's talled the votes. I watched the clip from the Today show, and they don't talk about that, either. I don't know if the survey takers were given a list with only certain chains listed, or if it was a "write in" type vote. All the chains they declared winners have well over 400 restaurants each. I think we can label this survey "for entertainment purposes only".

Not that you care but Burger King Fries are so awful because they decided to make them as crunchy as possible buy dipping the original Fry into a starch.  This made them extra Crunchy and Extra awful!  I used to work for the company that sold them the starch and worked with them to create these awful fries.

Five Guys does have amazing fries.  But I was jonesing McD Fries when I was PG and on a food restriction.  They are still one of my Favorite Fast food Fries.  My favorite being the crinkle cut fries you get on the boardwalks and beaches of the NJ shore.