There is a universal fast food dilemma that strikes every time we pull up to the drive thru menu. When it comes to French fries, should you order a small, a medium, or a large? They are crispy, golden, salty, and undeniably addictive, but choosing the right size often feels like a guessing game. Fortunately, this decision has essentially been solved by science and economics. Thanks to a comprehensive deep dive by the digital creators at The Food Theorists, we now have hard data to settle the great fry debate once and for all. Armed with digital scales and a hunger for knowledge, they embarked on a tasting adventure across multiple fast food chains in different cities to uncover the exact weight, volume, and value of every fry size.
When it comes to fast food, everyone wants to feel like they are getting a good deal. The researchers broke down the nitty gritty of fry economics, weighing orders to determine the ultimate weight to price ratio. When the scales were balanced against the register receipts, the large McDonald's fry reigned supreme. If your goal is to get the most actual potato for your hard earned money, the largest size is undeniably the way to go. The price jump from a medium to a large is proportionally much smaller than the actual increase in fry weight you receive, meaning you get significantly more golden goodness without breaking the bank. In fact, upgrading to a large is almost always cheaper than buying two smalls, and you end up with more total weight.
There is, however, a fascinating twist in the...
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