Wendy's

A very long time ago I wrote a rant about my dislike of Subway despite its huge market share in the U.S. In a hypocritical twist of fate, I came to enjoy Subway a lot more in my last year of college, mostly because the local franchise had some great deals that often made a meal at Subway criminally cheap compared to on campus food and other fast food, and I came to at least accept the quality of certain sandwiches.

Then I came home during Easter this year and spent ten bucks even on a meal at Subway, right around the time they decided to raise their prices. Ten dollars that could have gotten most or all of a meal at Panera Bread or Quiznos, both of which offer a much better meal. Hell, just name your favorite joint and you could eat for a ten spot. Subway officially became bullshit once again.

So I started revisiting the other fast food places I often ignored during senior year in favor of Subway's walking distance trip.

- Burger King has trumped out Wendy's and McD's for me. A selection of sickeningly fatty sandwiches and very good fries make it the perfect place to go when I go for fast food (which is sparingly these days). While every other company aims for healthy, BK has got my back with chicken fries and quad stackers (the latter of which I will never eat, but I like to know it is there just in case).

- Wendy's is damn close to BK. They prob. have the highest quality burger meal in terms of ingredients, and the fact that most of them come with veggies on them by default. A lack of tasty fries makes them a little harder to appreciate. However, we know no one goes to Wendy's for anything but the 99 cent menu, which still reigns supreme over all imitators. I like how diversified Wendy's menu is these days, as it offers something for everyone without shoving any particular item down your throat.

- I hate to sound like a walking cliche, but McDonald's has worn dangerously thin on me. Their burgers have nothing unique about them; I'm amazed that they still don't all come with lettuce. That means I have little incentive to go their over the competition. I suppose that's where they would come in and introduce me to their new, healthier options. To this I would tell them I don't come to their establishment to watch my weight. Throw in some of the most annoying advertisements on the television, and you have a company that is shooting themselves in the foot again and again.

- Quiznos is only marginally pricier now than Subway and in another league of tastiness. I don't think Subway has to worry about them too much in terms of competition, because I don't see it being as easy for Quiznos to expand. You can put a Subway in a dusty old basement if you want, which I think is part of why they have become so prevalent.