Boris and Turner Rate Fast Food pt.1

Turner Orvin and Boris Pekar|September 22, 2022

The fast-food industry is designed for the mass production of food, with an emphasis placed on speed of service. While most fast food restaurants are in a similar place speed-wise, the quality of food can differ widely between even the most similar restaurants. Our (Boris and Turner’s) curiosity was sparked. After some valuable thought, we posed our research question:

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Which fast-food restaurant is the best, based strictly on the quality of the food?

It is important to understand that the customer service, speed of service, E.Coli outbreaks (looking at you Wendy’s), and price of meals were not taken into consideration during the research process. However, we will be mentioning some light observations in these categories. A limitation that had to be considered was the inability to try every menu item at the restaurant due to time and monetary factors. An implication of our research was the human ability to feel hunger, which was necessary to take into account. It is likely that we would have graded the restaurants further down the line much more harshly, so we decided to split the review into three parts, minimizing the effect that being full has. We also consumed the meals within several minutes of one another, so that the filling burgers would not take their full toll on our digestive systems. Lastly, we needed to standardize our experiment. Comparing Cookout’s greatest burger to a sorrowful attempt at nutrition by Wendy’s seemed unfair. After a long discussion, it was decided that the best way to rate the restaurant would be based on its #1 menu item. We also defined a fast-food restaurant as a dining place that has a drive-through. This eliminated most Pizza and Sub places as fast-foods. We decided to record our entire process of eating the burger, to have direct quotes as well as in-the-moment ratings, to give a more authentic experience for our readers. After these details were established, the eating began.

Restaurant #1 – Wendy’s

The first restaurant on the chopping block was Wendy’s, located on Long Point Road in Mount Pleasant. Although the 4 for 4 and pretzel burger are some of the most popular options available at this fast food restaurant, we stuck to the #1 item on the menu. In this case, it was Dave’s Single: Wendy’s classic cheeseburger. At first glance, the burger looked pretty good. The bun was lightly toasted and the burger overall seemed appetizing. However, this did not last very long because when we looked inside the burger we were immediately reminded why fast food is often critiqued based on its quality.

The beef patty, lettuce, and most noticeably the American cheese all looked as if they had been sitting in a freezer for weeks. The eagerness to try the burger quickly evaporated but the important part, the first bite, had still not been completed. If the burger tasted good all appearance problems would be in the past. This though was not the case, and the first bite proved to be similar in appeal to the inside of the burger. It was definitely not Wendy’s best work and you could go so far as to say it was relatively bad compared to how Wendy’s normally is. Nevertheless, this is a one shot game and because Wendy’s performed so poorly they were hit with a mean score of 4.25 on their classic burger. It was edible but in no way flavorful. The burger was left unfinished. It should be noted, however, that we each received a free large drink to compensate for our wait time.

“That’s a fast food burger. That’s a four and a half bro, that’s a four and a half” – Turner

“Meat is… fine, cheese is horrid. I’d give it a four” – Boris

Boris’s Score – 4

Turner’s Score – 4.5

Restaurant #2 – Chick-Fil-A

The next restaurant on the list, Chick-Fil-A, was also on Long Point Road. Chick-Fil-A’s number one menu item is its classic chicken sandwich. Going into this one we were much more excited as the Chick-Fil-A chicken sandwich is world-renowned and always seems to be up to the standard of the company. A favorite of many, we attempted to eliminate all bias and drive into the order with a fresh start. Turner’s first reaction to the chicken sandwich was very good.

The chicken breast was a crispy light brown and the buttered bun was toasted perfectly. One of the most important parts of their chicken sandwich is the pickles, a key ingredient and reason as to why it is famous. The first bite reaction also lived up to expectations as the boneless chicken breast was extremely tender and had the perfect breading-to-meat ratio. The buttery bun adds to every bite because of the soft texture and slightly sweet taste that juxtaposes the crispy breast and salty pickles. Chick-Fil-A’s chicken sandwich performed well under the one-time rating and because of this the restaurant was given a mean score of 7.75.

“Are you allowed to have chicken? Get a picture of- wow dude” – Turner

“I’ll prolly go… you know, I eat them a lot, but they’re always right there. I’m gonna go 7.5 on the Chick-Fil-A sandwich” – Turner

“I mean it’s great juicy breaded chicken. You never get juicy and crusted at the same time. I’m… I might have to toss it the eight, I’ma have to toss it the eight.” – Boris

Boris’s Score – 8

Turner’s Score – 7.5

Restaurant #3 – Cookout

The third restaurant we rated was Cookout. Approximately 5 minutes from our previous location, the famed southeast stop maintains a steady flow of traffic at all times (including the late hours of the night) and is also known for its wide selection of milkshakes. The Cookout menu didn’t have the typical number system, so it was up to us to decide which item we were going to base the restaurant’s rating on. When we got to the drive-through speaker, we asked what the most popular menu item was. The worker didn’t really understand so we decided to make it easy and go with the Cookout-style burger, size small, the first item on the menu (located on the top left of the menu board). It should be noted that the service time was suboptimal, and the person taking our order had the speaker turned up several notches too high. The burger was topped with homemade chili, slaw, mustard, and onion; however, Turner requested to remove the latter from the burger. The Cookout-style was unique and looked exciting with a soft bun and a seemingly well seasoned piece of chicken. However from the first bite you could tell the difference between Cookout and the other restaurants. The burger was, well, tasteless. This was a shock because Cookout is a favorite of ours, a go-to when the night grows hungry. The cajun fries, on the other hand, were a whole different story. Boris was shaking when told to wait by Turner, unable to take his eyes off the best fries in the fast food market. Seemingly simple, the cajun fries received top marks across the board. However, the fries were a luxury purchase and were not included in our standardized fast-food order system. To put it plainly, the Cookout-style burger was horrible. It received low marks with a mean score of 4.5, but the Cajun Fries clutched up with a mean of 8.75.

Turner upset with the record slow service time at Cookout

“It’s better than Wendy’s so uhhh,” (takes another bite) “I’ll give this one a five. But- I’d like to mention that I just had two other burgers, so I’m not as hungry so the results might be skewed, but this is by no means a go-to in terms of fast food. Burger wise” – Boris

“Some yellow stuff… It’s not looking like my type of burger but I’ma go in for it,” (takes a bite) “It’s not really my thing but. Four haha. Four for the burger. Four for the burger. And then fries I’ma go with eight and a half” – Turner

Boris’s Score – 5

Turner’s Score – 4

Restaurant #4 – BoJangles

The fourth fast-food restaurant we visited was a mere minute away from Cookout. Seemingly deserted, the line was quick, with only one car ahead of us. The number one menu item was the Cajun Filet Biscuit, a renowned favorite of many. The product features a cajun-seasoned chicken filet in between two halves of a sliced biscuit. Upon first glance the biscuit looked promising, however, after attempting to eat it we noticed that the chicken was completely unnoticeable. The biscuit, floury and dry, overshadowed the flavor of the cajun filet, leaving an unsatisfactory aftertaste and a crumbly texture after our first bites. While it is likely that we received a biscuit from a “bad batch”, our review plummeted along with the high expectations we held. The texture and lack of chicken and cajun flavor brought us to give the biscuit a mean score of 3.5. We would like to note that we consumed this meal in a Walmart parking lot, and witnessed a robbery while Boris was giving his review.

“So um, the first thing that comes to mind is that the biscuit- I could not taste the chicken. Cause I take a bite and it’s just FULLY biscuit in my mouth. There’s no chicken for me to taste” – Boris

“Lowkey the Cookout burger was a two” – Boris

“Lowkey, lowkey, don’t get the Cookout style burger though” – Turner

“If Wendy’s is a four and Cookout is a two I’m gonna have to put this at a three, I’m gonna have to put this at a three” – Boris

“Boris is right that Cookout burger was more like a two or a three” – Turner

“Yeah we don’t want to get too controversial or upset our viewers but- Cookout is a two, I’m sorry” – Boris

“Would like to clarify that while we’re dissing the Cookout burger- this is Godsend” – Boris referencing the Cookout Cajun Fries

“The Cookout fries, oh my God. And they were hot too, yeah” – Turner

“But this- it’s not very good. I don’t think the lady was happy with us, the biscuits were super dry, and the chicken’s thin– there’s not much chicken there guys. It’s a lot of bread, a little bit of chicken. You’re all biscuit- like Boris said. So I’m gonna have to go with this: I’m still not as bad as Boris, I’m not going three, but I’m gonna give it a four. I’m gonna give it a four because I think it is a four” – Turner

Boris’s Score – 3

Turner’s Score – 4

Restaurant #5 – McDonald’s

Our final visit of the day was to the McDonald’s off of Johnnie Dodds Blvd in Mount Pleasant. What better way to end the day than with the classic? You can’t think of fast food without mentioning the infamous Big Mac. This trip, a little different than the others, was taken out of the car and into the restaurant. We felt this was acceptable because the drive through service was not a part of our rating system, and therefore ordering inside the restaurant should not affect the final score of the food (assuming it’s all made the same way).

Ordering at McDonald’s was absurdly efficient and simple, and using the new touchscreen technology we ordered the classic Big Mac. It should be noted that self-checkout is a wondrous advance in fast-food technology, eliminating a great deal of human error created by miscommunication during the usual verbal order. A burger famed around the world for its 100% beef double patty, classic Big Mac sauce (which we ordered double of), and sesame seed bun, all of which make it so consistently good. The Big Mac looked spectacular.

Four fast-food meals in and Boris was already itching to take a bite of the scrumptious burger. The burger was juicy, and the sauce along with the vegetables was nothing short of delicious. While the food quality was obviously incomparable to a home-made burger, this is the king of fast-food burgers. The Big Mac is a luxury item for the five dollars it is valued at. Our shocked delight at the food item led us to give it a mean score of 6. Overall a wonderful burger, and a definite go-to.

“When you say McDonald’s you think Big Mac” – Boris

“Wow this looks great” – Boris

“House sauce makes a burger so much better” – Turner

“This… is an actual 6” – Turner

Boris’s Score – 6

Turner’s Score – 6

Conclusion

Our first five fast-food ratings were a great success. Our research methods were well designed, and the ratings given were consistent and relative to one another. We hope that, while some ratings were obviously controversial, our readers note that the ratings were purely based on the food quality of ONE single order. Obviously, Cookout will never be a genuine two, however, the burger we received was tasteless, bland, and disappointing. We appreciate our readers’ time in reading this article, and are excited for article two of Boris and Turner’s fast food ratings!