Too tired to cook but don’t want to completely derail your diet? You can still pick up some fast food—and some of these speedy casual restaurants are not as unhealthy as you may think. Find out the healthiest fast food chains according to a recent data analysis, plus what restaurants were ranked poorly for overall customer experience!
About the fast-food chain rankings
Price monitoring website Pricelisto took a closer look at popular fast food chain restaurants, specifically their top five most popular menu items. According to KHOU 11, elements like total fat, sugar, protein, sodium, fiber and carbohydrates were used to calculate scores.
All 20 chain restaurants that were included in the study were ranked with a score out of 100. Though none came close to 100, some certainly fared better than others.
The healthiest fast-food restaurants
1. Chipotle
This Mexican grill snagged the top spot with a score of 66.71. Their items contain 320 calories on average, with 0.67 total fat and 11.7 mg of sodium per 100 calories.
The restaurant prides itself on using only “53 ingredients you can pronounce” and is big on local and organic produce, so it’s easy to see why it scored so high. Some of the most popular items according to the Pricelisto website? The guacamole, queso blanco and chips with tomatillo-red chili salsa.
2. Burger King
The only burger joint to crack the top five? Burger King! Menu items at this fast food restaurant average 467 calories, with 0.57 total fat and 7.90 mg of sodium per 100 calories. This gave it a score of 65.38.
One of its most popular items is the Whopper, which features a flame-grilled beef patty. Other menu go-tos? Croissan’wich breakfast sandwiches, the Original Chicken Sandwich, Chicken Fries and the Impossible Whopper.
3. Chick-fil-A
This popular fast-food chain is the largest to specialize in chicken sandwiches and received a score of 64.99. Its average calorie count was lower than that of Burger King’s at 368, but did have higher numbers in total fat (0.74) and sodium (14 mg).
Three of Chick-fil-A’s most ordered items are—no surprise—its chicken sandwiches: the Original, Spicy and Deluxe. The Deluxe adds tomato and lettuce for a bit of a healthier kick—though it does also include cheese.
4. Panera Bread
Fans of the bakery-cafe fast-casual restaurant will be excited to learn Panera Bread made the top five with a score of 64.91. Though it does have a higher average calorie count at 565.50, many items only have 0.42 total fat and 11.42 mg sodium per 100 calories.
Panera’s menu features a wide variety of sandwich options, like Garden Caprese andto Grilled Chicken & Avocado BLT. Their soups, like Broccoli Cheddar and Bistro French Onion, are also popular with guests.
5. KFC
Another chicken chain joins Chick-fil-A in the rankings. KFC which has more than 4,000 locations in the country, is known for its “World Famous Fried Chicken.” Now it also holds the title of being one of the healthier fast food options!
It received a score of 64.82, and the food reportedly averages at 548 calories. Total fat per 100 calories came in at 0.66, with sodium at 9.51 mg. Besides a plethora of chicken options, KFC also offers healthier sides like mashed potatoes, corn, and coleslaw.
The worst-ranked fast food restaurants for overall experience
When you’re grabbing a burger, taco or fried chicken from a local fast food joint, you want to know you’re not only getting quality items, but good service too. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case for some of the most popular chain restaurants in the U.S. Pricelisto also gathered data from TripAdvisor.com to find what customers deemed to be the worst fast food chains based on elements such as poor customer service, long wait times and low-quality food, according to The Mirror US.
Here are a few that cracked the top five:
McDonald’s
The largest fast-food chain snagged its position at second on the list thanks to an average score of 2.99 out of 5. McDonald’s customers (especially in Alabama and Iowa) most frequently mentioned unclean restrooms, slow service and a disappointing variety in the menu.
Church’s Texas Chicken
Church’s Texas Chicken may only have locations in 26 states, but that didn’t stop them from coming in fourth on the list. The restaurant received a rating of 3.08, and had even lower ratings in Missouri and Nevada.
Long John Silver’s
Rounding out the top five was Long John Silver’s, a counter-serve chain that sells fried fish and other seafood dishes. It received a 3.16 rating, with the worst reviews reported in Delaware and Maryland. Poor quality and an overall horrible dining experience were some of the most common issues
