Get your greasy fingers away from the keyboard. What if I already have a drink, or what if I want a burger, a chicken sandwich, and some fries? Too bad. Look, the McDouble is an icon. Close your eyes and imagine a mouthful of Chicken Nuggets.

What vaults the King ahead of the Golden Arches? Simple: better sandwich options on the value menu. It almost pains me to do this. More than half the options are vegetarian, which explains the love this chain gets from the plant-based crowd.

Sure, but how was I supposed to pass up two burritos one beef, one chicken and a spicy potato taco? Slather the whole mess in Fire Sauce and forgive yourself for your sins.

Takeout Tested. By Josh Wussow. Published January 30, Even with good-quality ingredients and attention to detail, Jimmy John's still manages to make much of its menu very accessible in terms of price.

In , Jimmy John's rolled out its Little John sandwich line. These sandwiches are a little smaller but sold for a cheaper price, which makes them great for lighter meals and snacks.

Originally, Little Johns were sold for only three dollars apiece, but the price seems to have increased somewhat over the years. Fear not though: Little Johns are still available for only about a couple of dollars more. Still very reasonable, especially compared to some other sandwich chains.

There are seven different Little John sandwiches available on the restaurant's menu. Some of the choices include ham, roast beef, turkey, salami, and a BLT. There's also a vegetarian sandwich that includes mayo, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado spread, and cheese. If you're in the mood for a good sandwich and you're looking to save a few bucks, the Little John menu should fit the bill.

Wendy's has been in the fast food game for generations, having opened its first restaurant in The company cooks its food to order, grills fresh and never frozen beef, and uses seasonal produce in its salads. Wendy's has some great deals on its menu for both breakfast sandwiches and burgers.

One of the best value items at Wendy's is the Junior Bacon Cheeseburger. The company first introduced this cheeseburger back in and it's been a staple on the menu ever since. It only costs a few bucks and comes with a junior hamburger patty and melted American cheese.

With its refreshing layers of crunchy lettuce, applewood smoked bacon, slices of sweet tomato, and a creamy spread of mayo, it's almost like a blend of a fast-food burger and a BLT.

The chicken nuggets at Wendy's are also a good choice, and the four- or six-piece orders of them will only set you back a few dollars.

Wendy's also has good deals for breakfast, with mix-and-match options for only a few bucks apiece. These breakfast items include a sausage biscuit, egg and cheese biscuit, seasoned potatoes, and a medium coffee. Between its inexpensive choices for breakfast and burgers, Wendy's is a good call when hunger strikes.

Culver's sources its beef, chicken, and dairy from family farms to maximize freshness while supporting the agricultural community. The company's food has a fresher taste compared to a lot of other fast-food restaurants, and the menu is also a bit more eclectic.

At Culver's, you can get everything from fried jumbo shrimp and crispy Atlantic cod to fried cheese curds and Buffalo Chicken Tenders. There are also shredded pot roast sandwiches, grilled corned beef Reubens on buttered rye, hand-breaded pork loin, and corn dogs.

Of course, Culver's also offers classic cheeseburgers and its famous Fresh Frozen Custard with lots of different flavors and toppings. Culver's sells its single patty ButterBurger for about three dollars.

You can customize the burger with a variety of different toppings at no extra charge, including lettuce, onions, pickles, ketchup, mayo, and mustard. Culver's also serves chicken tenders made from ethically sourced whole meat, with an order of two costing around five dollars.

They're available in original flavor or buffalo, and come with a variety of dipping sauce options like bleu cheese, buttermilk ranch, buffalo sauce, and barbecue. The higher quality of the food at Culver's makes all of these deals feel well worth it.

Whenever we're in the mood for some of the best chain-restaurant mozzarella sticks around, Arby's is one of the first places that comes to mind, and the other offerings there are no less appealing. With a menu full of interesting offerings, Arby's is known for its roast beef sandwiches that are drizzled with a cheddar cheese sauce.

The company has a great deal that allows customers to mix and match two items for seven dollars, including its famous Beef and Cheddar, Classic Crispy Chicken Sandwich, and Mozzarella Sticks.

What we dig about this deal is that these three items are some of the best things on the entire menu. Arby's also serves sliders at a great value, with each of them costing only about two dollars.

Slider choices include buffalo chicken, classic fried chicken, roast beef and Swiss, or roast beef and Swiss with diced jalapenos.

The company also offers limited-time deals, like an online-only deal in the fall of , which lets you choose from five of its classic menu items, each for three dollars or less.

Ever been in the mood for tacos and burgers at the same time? If you're anything like us, the answer is definitely yes. The problem is that most fast-food restaurants only sell one or the other, forcing customers to make a choice between the two. What's awesome about Jack in the Box is that you don't have to compromise, because you can score both burgers and tacos all in the same place.

The tacos are also ridiculously cheap: Jack in the Box sells two crunchy tacos stuffed with beef, melted cheese, shredded lettuce, and taco sauce for about a dollar. Tacos for breakfast? Jack in the Box offers that too. The company's breakfast tacos come with Jimmy Dean breakfast sausage, fresh scrambled eggs, taco sauce, and cheese for under two bucks apiece.

If it's burgers that you're after, Jack in the Box also sells a handful of them for around three dollars, including its Junior Jumbo Jack Cheeseburger and Junior Bacon Cheeseburger. Checkers and Rally's sells burgers, hot dogs, wings, and more. The company is known for its filling menu items and relatively cheap prices.

There are lots of options for only around two dollars, including grilled hot dogs, cheeseburgers, and a box of fried all-white meat chicken bites with seasoned fries. Another bargain is the Pick Two Mix and Match deal, usually working out at around four or five dollars.

Some of the menu items available for the Pick Two include the Checkerburger, Double Checkerburger with Cheese, Spicy Chicken Double, and Chili Dog. The restaurant's Meal Deal is yet another way customers can get a good meal on the cheap.

For around five dollars, diners can pick between a Checkerburger and a Bacon Cheddar Crisp burger — and that comes with a small order of fried chicken bites and some seasoned fries. Add on top of this the fact that there are also cheap cheesecake sundaes, chocolate chip brookies , and funnel cake fries to satisfy your sweet tooth, and it's easy to see why this is a good destination for growling bellies.

For some of the best values on the fast food scene, Checkers and Rally's is absolutely worth making a pit-stop for. Restaurants Fast Food. By Trevor Carlson Oct.

The shredded beef in this taco is a big step up from Taco Bell's regular ground beef. Tender and juicy, it makes this a fast-food version of a birria taco.

Other cheap eats include Taco Bell's nacho fries, cheesy fiesta potatoes, beans and rice, and cinnamon twists — all of which only cost about a couple of dollars.

Part of what makes Taco Bell's value truly exceptional is the wide range of low prices that it offers on its menu. While many other fast food joints might only have a handful of deals, Taco Bell feels more generous in its variety of affordable options.

Jimmy John's is a popular sandwich chain that sets itself apart from some of its competition by preparing some of the menu's main ingredients in-house. The company hand-slices its deli meats fresh at each location, makes its ranch dressing from scratch, chops its veggies by hand, and bakes loaves of bread in its stores to ensure ultimate freshness.

Even with good-quality ingredients and attention to detail, Jimmy John's still manages to make much of its menu very accessible in terms of price.

In , Jimmy John's rolled out its Little John sandwich line. These sandwiches are a little smaller but sold for a cheaper price, which makes them great for lighter meals and snacks.

Originally, Little Johns were sold for only three dollars apiece, but the price seems to have increased somewhat over the years. Fear not though: Little Johns are still available for only about a couple of dollars more.

Still very reasonable, especially compared to some other sandwich chains. There are seven different Little John sandwiches available on the restaurant's menu.

Some of the choices include ham, roast beef, turkey, salami, and a BLT. There's also a vegetarian sandwich that includes mayo, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado spread, and cheese. If you're in the mood for a good sandwich and you're looking to save a few bucks, the Little John menu should fit the bill.

Wendy's has been in the fast food game for generations, having opened its first restaurant in The company cooks its food to order, grills fresh and never frozen beef, and uses seasonal produce in its salads. Wendy's has some great deals on its menu for both breakfast sandwiches and burgers.

One of the best value items at Wendy's is the Junior Bacon Cheeseburger. The company first introduced this cheeseburger back in and it's been a staple on the menu ever since.

It only costs a few bucks and comes with a junior hamburger patty and melted American cheese. With its refreshing layers of crunchy lettuce, applewood smoked bacon, slices of sweet tomato, and a creamy spread of mayo, it's almost like a blend of a fast-food burger and a BLT.

The chicken nuggets at Wendy's are also a good choice, and the four- or six-piece orders of them will only set you back a few dollars. Wendy's also has good deals for breakfast, with mix-and-match options for only a few bucks apiece. These breakfast items include a sausage biscuit, egg and cheese biscuit, seasoned potatoes, and a medium coffee.

Between its inexpensive choices for breakfast and burgers, Wendy's is a good call when hunger strikes. Culver's sources its beef, chicken, and dairy from family farms to maximize freshness while supporting the agricultural community. The company's food has a fresher taste compared to a lot of other fast-food restaurants, and the menu is also a bit more eclectic.

At Culver's, you can get everything from fried jumbo shrimp and crispy Atlantic cod to fried cheese curds and Buffalo Chicken Tenders. There are also shredded pot roast sandwiches, grilled corned beef Reubens on buttered rye, hand-breaded pork loin, and corn dogs.

Of course, Culver's also offers classic cheeseburgers and its famous Fresh Frozen Custard with lots of different flavors and toppings. Culver's sells its single patty ButterBurger for about three dollars. You can customize the burger with a variety of different toppings at no extra charge, including lettuce, onions, pickles, ketchup, mayo, and mustard.

Culver's also serves chicken tenders made from ethically sourced whole meat, with an order of two costing around five dollars. They're available in original flavor or buffalo, and come with a variety of dipping sauce options like bleu cheese, buttermilk ranch, buffalo sauce, and barbecue.

The higher quality of the food at Culver's makes all of these deals feel well worth it. Whenever we're in the mood for some of the best chain-restaurant mozzarella sticks around, Arby's is one of the first places that comes to mind, and the other offerings there are no less appealing.

With a menu full of interesting offerings, Arby's is known for its roast beef sandwiches that are drizzled with a cheddar cheese sauce. The company has a great deal that allows customers to mix and match two items for seven dollars, including its famous Beef and Cheddar, Classic Crispy Chicken Sandwich, and Mozzarella Sticks.

What we dig about this deal is that these three items are some of the best things on the entire menu. Arby's also serves sliders at a great value, with each of them costing only about two dollars. Slider choices include buffalo chicken, classic fried chicken, roast beef and Swiss, or roast beef and Swiss with diced jalapenos.

The company also offers limited-time deals, like an online-only deal in the fall of , which lets you choose from five of its classic menu items, each for three dollars or less. Ever been in the mood for tacos and burgers at the same time?

If you're anything like us, the answer is definitely yes. The problem is that most fast-food restaurants only sell one or the other, forcing customers to make a choice between the two.

What's awesome about Jack in the Box is that you don't have to compromise, because you can score both burgers and tacos all in the same place. The tacos are also ridiculously cheap: Jack in the Box sells two crunchy tacos stuffed with beef, melted cheese, shredded lettuce, and taco sauce for about a dollar.

Tacos for breakfast? Jack in the Box offers that too. The company's breakfast tacos come with Jimmy Dean breakfast sausage, fresh scrambled eggs, taco sauce, and cheese for under two bucks apiece.

If it's burgers that you're after, Jack in the Box also sells a handful of them for around three dollars, including its Junior Jumbo Jack Cheeseburger and Junior Bacon Cheeseburger. Checkers and Rally's sells burgers, hot dogs, wings, and more.

The company is known for its filling menu items and relatively cheap prices. There are lots of options for only around two dollars, including grilled hot dogs, cheeseburgers, and a box of fried all-white meat chicken bites with seasoned fries. Another bargain is the Pick Two Mix and Match deal, usually working out at around four or five dollars.

She has over 15 years of writing and editing experience, and her restaurant reviews and recipes have previously appeared in Serious Eats, Thrillist, and countless publications in her home state of Wisconsin.

Fast-food restaurants have been quietly axing dollar menus over the past few years in favor of combo meal deals. You pay more, but get multiple items at a discount from the regular menu price. Family-friendly restaurant chains, too, are cutting back on coupons and specials.

Just remember that many are offered for only a limited time. The golden arches logo of the largest chain in the country is just as iconic as its Big Mac and Happy Meals. Though fans of Taco Bell are upset about recent menu reductions, you can still grab some cheap meal deals , even late at night.

The home of the Whopper always has meal deals available, and they change often; navigate to the " Offers " section of the BK app to see what's good.

For more great restaurant guides and deals, please sign up for our free newsletters. Square burger patties? You bet. But Wendy's is better known for its spicy chicken sandwiches and nuggets now, not to mention a cult following for chili and Frostys.

Though the 11 herbs and spices in the seasoning are still a mystery , it's no secret that KFC is one of the go-to fast-food restaurants for fried chicken.

Related: Fast-Food Deals to Feed the Whole Family. Related: Best Cheap Pizza: Deals and Price Comparison. The things that make Papa Johns' pizza so good are the extras you get in the box: creamy garlic sauce for dipping the crust, and tangy pepperoncini peppers.

Popeyes created a phenomenon when it released its chicken sandwich, but the restaurant's classic fried chicken pieces are still the star of the show see how we like to pair them with Popeyes sauces.

Related: From Cajun Fries to Buttermilk Biscuits: 6 Popeyes Side Dishes, Ranked. Detroit's Little Caesars is well known nationwide for selling inexpensive pizza that's always hot and ready to be picked up.

Panera has made a name for itself with fresh breads and bakery items, sandwiches, coffee shop beverages, and great soups.

Related: Secret Menu Items at Your Favorite Family Restaurants. Probably America's favorite Italian chain , Olive Garden has been dishing up pastas, salads, and those famous breadsticks for decades.

Tex-Mex is king at this casual sit-down chain with a chili pepper in its logo. Chips and salsa, queso dip, and barbecue ribs are favorite menu items. Dairy Queen isn't just for soft serve and Blizzards, especially in rural areas where there's a DQ in practically every town.

Found mostly in the western United States, Del Taco is another reliable bet for cheap, fast Mexican eats. Almost everyone has celebrated a special event at Red Lobster, a seafood chain that's as good for families as it is for date night.

Which one of these two names you'll see on the sign depends on which part of the country you're in, but whether it's known as Hardee's or Carl's Jr. BJ's gets its Brewhouse moniker from the microbreweries at some locations, but every location of this casual sit-down chain has a menu of pizza and homestyle favorites.

Found mainly in the Southwest, El Pollo Loco is the place to indulge in Mexican favorites based around savory grilled chicken, including grilled chicken breasts.

Dating all the way back to , Bob Evans serves up hearty comfort food in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic in a country living-themed atmosphere. Cooking up sliders since , White Castle is often credited as the first fast-food burger chain. Now it can be found in 13 states, mostly in the Midwest.

Named after the football huddle, Huddle House is a hour family restaurant that was founded in the s and is concentrated in the Southeast.

Spaghetti, lasagna, and garlic breadsticks are crowd-pleasers, so it's no surprise this Italian restaurant chain is a hit with families. Best known for its outlandish slogans, commercials, and having "all the meat," Arby's satisfies its customers with roast beef, curly fries, and fresh deli sandwiches.

Biscuit and fried chicken lovers adore this Southern fast-food chain that serves breakfast all day. You can add a swipe of creamy pimento cheese to any biscuit — and you should. Looking for a healthier breakfast option? Check out these healthy fast-food breakfast items.

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Super Bowl How Much Work Productivity Suffers The Week After the Big Game. CD Rates Today: Feb 9 — Earn 5. Many of the offers appearing on this site are from advertisers from which this website receives compensation for being listed here.

This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. These offers do not represent all available deposit, investment, loan or credit products. These days, rising food prices may be busting your grocery budget.

You also have the option to customize some of these items with upgrades like guacamole, jalapeño peppers and fire roasted salsa for an extra fee. Cheeseburger, four-piece spicy or crispy Nuggets, Jr.

Fry and a value-sized drink. At Burger King , you might be able to find a few items for a buck, depending on where you live. Items include Large Fries or Onion Rings or a Sausage Biscuit. Sandwiches and two Small French Fries at participating U.

restaurants when you use the BK App or website to order. to 11 p. Dairy Queen no longer offers a dollar menu, but DQ still serves up different fast food deals throughout the year, including Happy Hour specials, which may include your favorite drinks and the always popular buy-one-get-one for 99 cents Blizzard promotion.

Prices, participation and exact menu items will vary by store, but here is a list of all the items you might find. Famous for its freshly brewed coffee , Tim Hortons is also a good place to get your donut fix for under a dollar.

and get half-price on slushes, teas and other drinks or order online to get the same discount all day. Information is accurate as of March 9, Prices and deals are subject to change and may vary by location. February 12, Read more. Saving Money. February 09, February 08, Savings Advice.

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Get Started Create a Budget Manage Debt Apply for a Mortgage Live Richer Podcast Create a Financial Plan. We checked in with a few random Sonic locations to find out what each item goes for and learned that, while prices certainly fluctuate, the deals are consistently decent.

Perhaps more than prices, Sonic's Everyday Deals menu shines for its variety—it has sandwiches, breakfast items, and dessert, and is friendly to both vegetarians and carnivores.

Wendy's is credited with creating the first fast food value menu back in , and while the deals have evolved over time, we'd be rude not to acknowledge that this ranking only exists in the first place because of Wendy's bold move to make prices as cheap as possible for consumers.

Today, the Biggie Deals Menu at Wendy's is most comparable to Sonic's value menu, but a bit more extensive. It features a Jr. Cheeseburger, Jr. Cheeseburger Deluxe, Jr.

Bacon Cheeseburger, Double Stack, Bacon Double Stack, Crispy Chicken Sandwich, Crispy Chicken BLT, and Jr. Wendy's is wary of promising specific prices for its items because, as is the case with most chains, pricing may vary, but based on some sample addresses that we plugged in, the deals seem to be solid.

They're not mindblowing, which makes it hard to get super hyped, but they're easy on your wallet nonetheless. The chain has variety in the sense that it includes all sorts of burgers and sandwiches, but if we were to give Wendy some advice, it would be to add more sides to the list and include at least one vegetarian option.

The menu has six items in total, including a taco, a quesadilla, two burrito-like "grillers," loaded tater tots, and a dessert-y side. Each price tier features two items. Taco John's value menu isn't the most shocking thing we've ever seen, but it's clearly defined and plenty easy to understand, and for that, it makes an impression.

Currently on the dollar-ish menu are the Chicken Chicken Chipotle Melt, Beef Burrito, Cheesy Bean and Rice Burrito, Cheesy Roll Up, Chips and Nacho Cheese Sauce, Cinnamon Twists, and—thankfully—the newly recovered Spicy Potato Soft Taco.

The seven distinct items are fairly small but impressively cheap and incredibly desirable. Best of all, they serve as the perfect canvas for playing around with the chain's many customization options.

Based on memory alone, the Cravings Value Menu would take the crown for its variety, affordability, and friendliness to various diets, but when we compared each chain's offerings out side by side, we realized it has a fiercer competitor.

If you want some chicken, you have plenty of taco, burrito, and roller options. If you prefer beef, might you consider a taco or mini taco salad? May you can't eat meat.

Even so, half the menu fits your needs. If you have a sweet tooth, choose between a Mini Churro or Donut Bites, and for a thirst-quenching option, choose between iced coffee and a brewed iced tea. What good is a value menu that only suits certain palates? What good is a value menu that only contains a few items?

What good is a value menu that still racks up a hefty total? Want more Thrillist? Follow us on Instagram , Twitter , Pinterest , YouTube , TikTok , and Snapchat. Skip to main content News Fast Food.

By Thrillist News.