FOOD NEWS
Fast Food French Fries That Don't Taste As Good As They Used To
BY Meredith Burkhart
McDonald's
McDonald's iconic fries had a crispy outer layer and tender, fluffy inside, thanks to a vegetable oil and beef tallow blend called Formula 47.
However, McDonald's switched from Formula 47 to pure vegetable oil to address public outcry against their food's unhealthy fat content. The fries haven't been the same since.
Wendy's
After over 40 years, Wendy's switched its fries — adopting a natural cut fry along with a few other tweaks — to address the rising drive-thru and food delivery culture.
It took Wendy's over two years to perfect the fries for launch. While some may miss the steak fries of the past, many are satisfied with today's natural cut side option.
Hardee's and Carl's Jr
The company made one of the tastiest curly fries until a 2006 rebrand. They switched to a thick, natural-cut fry to complement the Angus beef ThickBurgers.
The natural-cut fries may be bigger, but the ratings they have received are not. The fries don't get horrible reviews, but no rave ones are coming in either.
Sonic
Sonic served the generic, straight fast food fry up until 2024. The chain did a complete overhaul of its fry menu by getting in on some crinkly fried goodness.
Named Groovy fries, Sonic's curled delicacies were made to be dippable and came with Groovy Sauce. Thick, crinkled, crisp, and salty, these fries are surely a groove to get into.
Arby's Fries
Despite some iconic fries on its menu, Arby's seems to be veering into other fast food lanes, and its new crinkle cut fry happens to be one of those lanes.
The fries are supposed to be lightly salted, but this doesn't seem to be the case. Some have even used words like "mediocre," "undercooked," and "limp" to describe them.