8 Fast Food Chains With Huge Fry Portions And Value To Match

What feels better than spending less and getting more? As the cost of fast food rises, the prospect of getting more grub for the dollar is becoming increasingly challenging. Take French fries, for example. In 1995, a large fry at McDonald's cost just $1.29. Today it costs around 4-times as much. According to a study by FinanceBuzz, prices at McDonald's have nearly doubled since 2014, and that's just one of numerous chains now charging considerably more for an order of fries. Basically, when we think of fast food nowadays, it doesn't automatically mean affordable food like it used to.

However bleak that sounds, there is a silver lining. It's still very much possible to find savings at your fast-food go-to and get more fries for your bucks. You just have to look beyond the front-facing menu prices. To help you save a little dough the next time you crave fried potato sticks, we did a deep dive into the menus of various popular fast-food chains. We compared average prices by fry size, identified inconsistencies, and highlighted ways to keep more money in your pockets. After emerging from the rabbit hole, I was able to come up with eight fast food chains with huge fry portions and value to match.

The prices at In-N-Out are from a bygone era. While other chains max out their fry offerings to satisfy as many palates as possible, In-N-Out keeps it simple with a single fry size. The chain's quality-over-quantity ethos actually works in its favor, too, because keeping the menu succinct is how In-N-Out stays affordable, allowing customers to get more bang for their buck without compromising the experience. The chain doesn't offer many deals, but it's hard to complain when the French fries cost just $2.40 in Los Angeles. 

With a serving size of 125 grams, you're spending less and getting more than you would in a medium fry from Burger King, and only a little less than a large fry. Meanwhile, a medium fry from Jack in the Box and Chick-fil-A has similar serving sizes but costs over $1 more. You can purchase two In-N-Out French fries, spend a little more than you would on a large from several chains on this list, and in many cases get nearly twice the amount of food. Additionally, if you upgrade to the infamous Animal Style fries, which cost a little under $5 and feature grilled onions, melted cheese, and the chain's signature spread, it'll be just like buying another order of fries. 

You'd be hard-pressed to find a fast food chain that offers more value than Burger King, especially when it comes to the French fries. While BK fries are generally affordable, there are several ways to get more value. 

In fact, a quick hack to get more fries but spend less is to purchase two Value French Fries instead of a large fry. In Los Angeles, a value fry costs just under half what a large does, which is about $4.40. A serving size is 89 grams, and that's actually a bit more than the serving size of a large (173 grams) when doubled. That means you get a little more fries than you get in a single large. 

You can extract extra value with any meals that cost under $13, too. A large Whopper Meal with fries and a soda can save you around $3, which is only a little over a dollar less than the cost of a large fry by itself. Some other perks include BK's six sauce flavors, like the Hidden Valley Ranch and buffalo dipping sauces, and this simple ordering trick to score free fries. 

The waffle fries at Chick-fil-A aren't your typical fast food fries, but they're no less delicious. Available in three sizes, prices and serving sizes in Los Angeles align with several chains on this list, with only a $1 difference between a small waffle fry and a large one. At most, you won't spend more than $4 on a single order of fries, which is less than what BK charges for its large fries, which have a smaller portion.

The real savings, however, come from purchasing a large fry instead of a medium-sized one. For just 50 cents more, you can get 54 more grams than the medium, compared to the 29-gram difference between a small and medium. In other words, you get twice the amount of waffle fries in a large than you do in a small size, and only have to spend $1 more. Another perk that adds to the experience is Chick-fil-A's wide range of sauce flavors, including our number one pick, the namesake Chick-fil-A sauce.

Wendy's catches a lot of flak for its burgers costing 8-plus dollars, and rightfully so. There, you're paying more than every chain on this list for fries, with the exception of just KFC and Five Guys. However, that's just at face value, because the pricing of the fries and various sizes is pretty inconsistent, which, if you do the math, means you can save extra moolah.

Of all the fry quantities, purchasing a large offers the most value, as it only costs $0.30 more than a medium in Los Angeles, compared with the price differences between a junior and small ($1.50) and between small and medium ($0.70). The calorie count amounts are equally imbalanced. There is only a 50-calorie difference between a junior and small, and a 90-calorie difference between small and medium, but a 120-calorie difference between a medium and large. Technically, that means you're spending less and getting more overall if you purchase a large rather than another size. Also, it just so happens that fries are one of Wendy's best-selling items.

Jack in the Box may not have ranked very high on our list of worst to best fast food fries, but real fans know how tasty the curly fries are. That aside, I was surprised to find that the regular French fries offer more value. A large French fry, for example, delivers 196 grams per serving and costs around $4 in Los Angeles, compared to a large Curly fry, which costs about $4.30 and delivers only 177 grams. That's a noticeable increase in quantity for just 30 cents more, but of course, that's if you enjoy the regular fries. Either way, it's just one of several savings to be had at Jack in the Box.

There's also value in purchasing a large fry instead of a medium one. A large fry has 52 more grams than a medium, the biggest difference of any fry size on the menu, including curly fries. That means, for 30 cents more, you get more fries than any other single order of fries. 

Jack in the Box also offers three potato wedge options, two of which are loaded, all for $4 or less. A large curly and a large regular fry both cost more than plain potato wedges, yet the wedges deliver between 74 and 93 calories more. And while that isn't a metric for quantity, it most certainly gives you an idea of how much more filling the wedges are than the fries.

Del Taco has some of the lowest prices and largest fry portions of any fast food chain. For instance, in Los Angeles, it's about $4 for a large Crinkle Cut fry with a serving size of 218 grams, which is a better price-to-quantity ratio than every chain listed here, except Five Guys, which charges over double the amount, but also gives over double the amount. The large serving sizes are one reason Del Taco was dubbed the best maker of fast-food fries by USA Today 10Best. Add to that, there's extra value when you purchase certain menu items.

For 50 cents less, you can buy a regular-size fry (170 grams) for around $3.50 and still get more fries than you do if you purchase a large one from several of the other chains listed here — and only a little less than the rest. Del Taco's loaded fries also offer value. The Deluxe Chili Cheddar Fries cost 80 cents less than the Carne Asada Fries (about $7), but are the same serving size (340 grams). You can save a couple bucks by purchasing the queso-loaded fries, too, which have a serving size of 393 grams and cost a little over $5.50. So unless you're a carne asada diehard or a queso-lover, you can get the same amount of food for less.

KFC offers fries and potato wedges, but only in two sizes: individual and family. While I was unable to find their official serving sizes, KFC does share the calorie counts, which differ so much as to suggest a noticeable difference in quantity. Here's a quick side-by-side to give you an idea of how much more fries and wedges you get at KFC compared to other chains. At Burger King, a large fry has just 440 calories, while a large from Chick-fil-A has 600 calories. Compare that to the 760 calories in KFC's family size potato wedges and 840 calories in the family size Secret Recipe fries. Suffice it to say, KFC does not skimp on quantity.

The value increases even further when you compare prices. In Los Angeles, KFC charges around $6 for its family sizes, which is a bit more than other chains. But because of the extra amount, you don't feel as if you're paying more. A large fry from Wendy's, for example, is close to $5, but only 239 calories. Burger King charges a little over $4 for a large fry, and, as mentioned, it's almost half the calories. 

On top of that, KFC has rotating members-only deals that give additional discounts on combos and family meals. And there are permanent combos, too, like the $7 Box Feast combo that can save you around $7, and you can keep almost $30 in your pocket with the Build-A-Bucket: 8 pc. Family Meal.

Five Guys fashions itself as a fast-casual chain rather than a fast-food one. But since it sells burgers and fries just like the others listed here and is known for doling out overflowing scoops of fries, we had to include it. First of all, if you're choosing Five Guys over other chains, then you already know it costs a pretty penny, so in this case, the chain can really only be compared to itself. Five Guys has larger serving sizes on average, with its Little Fries delivering 227 grams, Regular Fries 441 grams and Large Fries 567 grams.

When we did the math, however, we were surprised to learn that the regular fries offered the most value. A regular fry at Five Guys costs around $8 in Los Angeles and is closer in price to a large fry (about $9.50) than to a small (about $6). What's more, if you look beyond prices, you'll find value in the serving sizes. There is a 156-gram difference between a regular and large, compared to an 184-gram difference between the regular and little size. So, for less than a couple bucks more, you get nearly twice the serving size. A cheeseburger combo can save you around the price of a regular fry, as well.

To determine which fast food chains have huge fry portions and value to match, we noted how much popular chains charge for each fry size, along with their calorie counts and serving sizes. We found several ways to extract value, namely by comparing prices with other chains or by comparing serving sizes, calorie counts, or price differences between sizes. With these approaches, we were able to expose inconsistencies and pinpoint ways customers could save money.