The Fast Food Restaurant Voted America's Best Might Surprise You

Ask any American what the best fast food restaurants in the country are, and you probably won't hear the same answer twice. Unless, of course, you're in Texas and the answer is always Whataburger. Now, before we go lighting this poll on fire for not including Whataburger in the top 10 (I know, I know), let's remember that Whataburger is only in a few select states so it's not quite fair to get angry with the rest of Americans that haven't been lucky enough to have those taquitos at 2 a.m. But, you may see the beloved burger joint on our ranking of the best southern restaurant chains.

Ranker is a site where users can cast their votes in lists on so many topics; it's mind-boggling people actually have this many opinions, but we're pretty vocal on our cheeseburger thoughts, too. Burger joints, chicken chains and other fast food favorites are big business, and so those chains are always tinkering with menu items and service to win our loyalty.

Where's McDonald's? 

You'll notice that McDonald's didn't make this list again, either. It comes in on the list at spot 12, which is an improvement. Chipotle Mexican Grill and its burritos are still number 11 on the list, and Sonic Drive-In is lucky number 13. Pizza isn't represented until well down the list, either, and they're grouped closely to each other with Papa John's at 17, Little Caesars at 18, Pizza Hut at 24 and Domino's at 26.

In the battle for the favorite doughnuts, Dunkin' Donuts (#15) beats Krispy Kreme (#23). And it's a little funny that Carl's Jr. came in at spot 20, while twin sister chain Hardee's came in at #30. It was a big year for chicken chains; we'll give you a guess where one particular chain landed on the list (as a hint, Popeye's and its chicken sandwich came in at #14 on the list).

Chinese wasn't super popular fast food in America, with Panda Express coming in at #43. And if you count coffee as fast food (we definitely count it as one of the food groups), Tim Hortons came in at 28, beating Starbucks who landed at spot #31.

Here are the 10 best fast food restaurants in the country currently, according to Ranker.

10. In-N-Out Burger

Scraping into the Top 10 is everyone's favorite burger chain from California and Whataburger's biggest rival. You have to admit that Animal Style is a delicious way to order a burger, but is it really that great of a burger? We'd argue not.

9. Arby's

Home of the meats indeed. Whether you're into their roast beef, a deep fried turkey sandwich or you're a fan of their coveted curly fries, this restaurant chain has captured the hearts of meat-lovers looking for a drive-thru everywhere.

8. Dairy Queen

It must be the Blizzards, right? Don't break our hearts anymore, DQ, especially after closing 29 stores throughout Texas and the Southwest.

7. Burger King

Personally, we'd rank Burger King a bit higher on the list of best fast food restaurants than seventh, but hey, what can you do? Their French fries are forever underrated and their mission to switch to higher-quality ingredients is admirable.

6. Taco Bell

Seemingly overnight, Taco Bell became one of the healthiest fast food chains out there and Americans took notice. One of the few Mexican restaurants nationwide with a drive-thru, T-Bell has also become the best guilty pleasure fast food chain out there.

5. Five Guys

For a burger that beat out In-N-Out, Five Guys continues its tradition of crushing the West Coast burger chain that's mostly hype. Sorry, had to be said.

4. KFC

If you can believe it, KFC is the only fried chicken chain on this list. Colonel Sanders might never have imagined KFC's popularity as a fast food chain, but all of the versions of him sure make this a sweet victory. Celebrate with a box of chicken fingers as you take a bath with their drumstick-shaped bath bomb. Seriously.

3. Wendy's

Even though over 8,023 votes were cast, Wendy's slipped into the third place on the best fast food restaurants list. Last time around, voters from North Carolina to Florida to Atlanta chose this classic American fast food burger chain as the best. Regardless, we still love a good ice cream frosty, and you can't beat the brand's sense of humor. From the most retweeted tweet of all time to the hilarious sign war a Lubbock location had with a tea company across the street, Wendy's has been quietly delighting customers for years, so they're still tops in our hearts.

2. Subway

I don't know who the 7,023 voters are that ranked Subway as the second best fast food restaurant in the country, but Subway ranked way above other sandwich chains like Jersey Mike's and Jimmy John's. However, these voters are sincerely wrong. Whataburger for life. Bojangles' for life. Literally any fast food joint except Subway.

1. Chick-fil-A

Chick-fil-A made it to the top of the list of best fast food restaurants, in spite (or maybe because) they aren't open on Sundays. That original chicken sandwich is seriously what dreams are made of, and all of these Texan cities agree.

Fast Food Favorites