I’ve never even seen a Chick-Fil-A. Feeling a little deprived.
I love Dunkin Donuts. They have a few sandwiches that are excellent (for fast food…in my opinion). The chicken salad is particularly good.
I like Chipoltle…but only go there on occasion, and usually with my nephew when I’m visiting!
Panda Express.
Chipotle has a salad option, which is different from the burrito bowl but similarly delicious (the salad has lots of lettuce, no rice, and salad dressing; the bowl has rice, a little lettuce on top if you choose it, and no dressing).
If Chipotle and Panera are on the list, where’s Noodles and Company? They’re all similarly priced and the food is of similar quality, in my opinion.
Oops. Wrong one.
Chick fil A
In n Out
Baja Fresh
Chipotle
5 Guys
Milo’s is a new fave
Whataburger is also good
@MomofWildChild What do you get at Bojangles? There is one by my house, but I’ve never been.
BTW…I totally agree with the five worst. They are terrible.
Interesting! Thoughts -
Papa John’s as fast food? Sure, guess I never thought about it. Not a fan of mass retailer pizza in general. Dunkin Donuts is a guilty favorite, not so much for their food items, though. Their crueler is one of my weaknesses. Panera’s always been a great study-break joint, but I wouldn’t file it under fast food imo.
Chipotle’s burritos used to always make me feel sick, but their burrito bowls are fantastic. I usually go for the tofu option (not vegetarian or anything, though). Used to be a big CFA fan, but it’s been months since I last went. Not a fan of either KFC or BK, and haven’t been to Taco Bell in ten+ years.
Never been to Jack in the Box, and having a friend who works at McDonald’s has supplied me with enough horror stories to avoid McD for a lifetime. Bojangle’s, mentioned above, is another guilty favorite though! Love their biscuits and gravy.
We don’t have Chik-fil-a in our area. Chipotle, Panera, Panda Express, Noodles & Company, and Cosi are the local favorites.
I’ve never thought of Panera as a “fast food” place.
If Panera is then my favorite is Noodles & Co.
From that list: Papa John’s- hate it. Least favorite pizza place (ok, maybe Jets would rival them); Dunkin’ Donuts- I eat there, wouldn’t qualify it as “best” but I like their food; Panera- love it, don’t consider it fast food; Chipotle & Chik fil a- never eaten at either place.
The only one I eat at from the worst list is McDonald’s and that is just their fries. They actually also have really, really good oatmeal with fruit. It’s delicious when I need breakfast on the go.
One of my favorites not on the list is Subway. Good, cheap, fast, not terrible for me.
Chipotle is probably the most overrated one IMO. I’m not sure how to say which are best, but some of my favorites are Qdoba, Chick-Fil-A, Culver’s, and Jet’s. Maybe Dibella’s or Firehouse too.
Also, Panera is horrible. Has anyone had a sandwich? What do they put, maybe 3 oz of meat on it?
Noodles and Company is okay, but I think the meat portions (and the portions in general) are too small. Not sure why they don’t offer a more full meal sized option. It’s no where near as egregious as Panera though.
I’d throw Panda express on the list of worst. Go to any random American-Chinese place, they’ll have better versions of the same dishes and better prices.
3 oz is a full serving of meat.
My go to fast food… Starbucks. Their breakfast stuff is pretty good. And for lunch, I typically get a ham and cheese grilled panini sandwich.
It’s a serving in the way that you’re supposed to eat 5 servings a day or something. If I’m going to pay $7 for a sandwich, I’m expecting triple or quadruple that amount.
A Panera sandwich is not a meal, it’s a snack.
There are Chipotles, but around here, they have to compete against places run by Mexican families.
Same in Arizona. In some parts, you can’t drive for more than 5 minutes without seeing a Mexican restaurant.
In my experience, family owned Mexican places are always closed on Sunday, and almost always closed by 9 the rest of the week. While places like Chipotle and Qdoba are open later and on Sundays.
I have always thought Panera as a “can’t go wrong” place until recently. I think the quality has gone down. Salads are more “blah” and really looking close to bag-o-lettuce. I never do sandwiches there but will do soup if I’m doing a pick 2- even those seem kind of thick and not so flavorful to me.
Another vote for Noodles and Company. Pasta Fresca, extra feta, vegetables and dressing. It’s where I learned to appreciate Sriracha.
Thanks to this thread I’ve been craving Chipotle ALL DAY…
I like Subway too. They have great salads as well as their sandwiches.
I hate Subway. The meat and cheese is barely real. .@mom2collegekids- bojangles has great biscuits and chicken. The chicken sandwich is great (on biscuit) and the sweet blueberry biscuit is fantastic. It’s our road trip stop. There isn’t one convenient to where I live.
Our Jets pizza places are pretty good.
We had a good lunch at Panera today and my salad was beautiful and tasted great. It had blueberries, strawberries and chicken.
Also not a Subway fan. My H buys those pizza things there like they are the best food item on earth. Blech!
Maybe it’s just our regional Paneras! I do love their blueberry oatmeal in the morning - delicious and filling!!!