Why pay more?

By Katy Billings

 

            Fast food chains are constantly competing with each other with twists on old favorites. Fish sandwiches, chicken strips, frozen beverages etc; however, the value menu is by far is a determining factor for many people, especially college students looking to save a buck. So which should you choose? Is it even worth it to try and save money with a value menu if you’re just going to be hungry an hour later? Here is a comparison of a few fast food businesses in the area.

 

            Taco Bell is by far at the top of my list. It is one of the only fast food restaurants to provide you with a side and a drink for $2. These meal deals come with a bag of Doritos, a drink, and a choice of a double decker taco, a 5-layer burrito, a gordita, or a shredded chicken burrito. This is probably the only deal that fills me up. They also have a dollar menu with cheese roll-ups, cinnamon twists, bean burritos, or soft/crunchy tacos.

           

            KFC comes in a close second with their Value Menu. There are 9 items on the menu for $2 or less. The KFC snacker, two biscuits, or two apple turnovers are 99 cents. The toasted wrap, a side salad, and the Colonel’s Crispy Chicken Sandwich fall under the choices for a $1.49. Then my personal favorite popcorn chicken snack box (which comes with a side of potato wedges, the honey bbq chicken sandwich, or the original recipe chicken sandwich are a $1.99.

 

            Wendy’s variety is what attracts me in. Their right price, right size menu has 13 options to choose from, with the most expensive item being a small chili or Double Stack at $2.09. They have the Jr. Cheeseburger Deluxe, Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger, Crispy Chicken Caesar Wrap, six piece Regular or Spicy Chicken Nuggets, Chicken Go Wrap (spicy or grilled) Caesar or Garden Side Salad all fall in the $1.49 to $1.99 price range. Then the Jr. Cheeseburger, Crispy Chicken Sandwich, four piece Regular or Spicy Chicken Nuggets, value fries, and value soft drink are the cheapest of options at 99 cents.

 

            Burger King offers two menus with their Value Menu and their Even More Value Menu. The BK Bacon burger, Chick’N Crisp Classic (also available spicy), Soft serve ice cream cup/cone, apple pie, and 16 ounce fountain drink all are priced at $1. The other options include 4-piece chicken nuggets, value fries, and value onion rings at a $1.19. The BK stacker and the Whopper, Jr. are a $1.29. The side salad, double cheeseburger, rodeo cheeseburger, 12 ounce ICEE, grilled/crispy chicken wrap, ice cream sundae, and Hershey’s sundae pie all fall under the $2 mark. Then there is the 12 ounce iced coffee and BK double stacker with the most expensive price on the list at $2.29.

           

            McDonald’s Dollar Menu & More takes the lead in the amount of options. There $1 options are the Grilled Onion Cheddar Burger, McChicken, Buffalo Ranch McChicken, BBQ Ranch Burger, Cheeseburger, Parfait, three cookies, ice cream cone, and two bags of apple slices. Other options fall under the $2 or less with the McDouble, the Bacon Cheddar McChicken, Bacon Buffalo Ranch McChicken, Double Cheeseburger, Daily Double, Jalapeño Double, Bacon McDouble, four piece Chicken McNuggets, and side salad.

            Over all there are plenty of ways to save a buck, whether or not you will be full off of these menu items depends on your stomach. Whether or not you can afford to be full depends on your wallet, but thankfully the fast food industry has tried to make an effort for the penny pinchers and struggling college students. We all can appreciate that.