Fast food restaurants vary in their prices and value. Fast food restaurants such as McDonald’s and Wendy’s have started offering value  items for $4 meal deals to combat inflation and low customer ratings. 

With the value meals and discounts that restaurants offer, I decided try different fast food restaurants and see which restaurant offers the best meal for only $10. My criteria included two simple factors: the taste of the restaurant’s food and the overall value that I was getting from the restaurant.

8. Shake Shack- Despite being the place known for burgers, Shake Shack is not the most affordable fast food restaurant on the list. With $10, I was not able to get a full meal, but instead purchased a shackburger for $9 as a light snack. It  was solid, but not good enough for a meal nor good enough on value compared to the other restaurants on this list. 

7. Cava- Although the restaurant is a good, healthy alternative in the fast casual world, to enjoy a meal from here comes with a larger price tag. Normally, I would get a grilled chicken bowl but with the total of the bowl being approximately $12, I had to opt for a kid’s meal for $9. Although the kid’s meal did stand above other fast food restaurant’s kid’s meals, the value for food under $10 was lacking compared to other fast food places.

6. Chipotle- With a chicken bowl and chicken burrito coming out to be over $10 with tax, I had to search for alternatives, and ended up opting for another kid’s meal. For the Chipotle’s kid’s meal I was able to get two tacos, along with their chips and a 16-ounce drink. Value wise, it was comparable to Cava, but taste wise it just barely beat Cava, making it sixth on my list.

5. Taco Bell- Being able to get two burritos and a taco for under $10 was wonderful, but unfortunately, it lacked flavor and was not that great compared to the other restaurants. For this reason, Taco Bell fell in the middle as it gave me a ton of value but was not great tastewise.

4. McDonald’s- Similar to Taco Bell, I could get a lot for $10: a four piece nuggets, a McChicken, a small pack of fries, a drink and a small sized McFlurry. However, the meal lacked taste, leaving me a little disappointed and ranking McDonald’s at a four. 

3. Wingstop- Although I was not able to purchase any wings for under $10, being able to get a chicken sandwich combo for $9 was a pretty good steal compared to other restaurants. Value wise, this was a great deal, however, my fries being soggy ruined my experience, which is the main reason Wingstop is not ranked higher.

2. Chick-fil-a- With a chicken sandwich meal deal being over $10, I had to sacrifice a drink, opting for a spicy chicken sandwich and a medium fry. Taste wise, it did not disappoint and Chick-fil-a is known to be consistent, but value wise, I wish I was able to get more food.

1. Wendy’s- Getting a biggie bag, including a crispy chicken sandwich, a four-piece spicy chicken nuggets, fries and a drink for $5 was already a steal, but then being able to also add a medium frosty as well made the value of this meal even better. With everything being warm, tasty, and still coming out to be just $9 , Wendy’s earned my top spot.