Best & Worst Chain Restaurants

Since McDonald’s was established in the 1940s hundreds of different chain restaurants have appeared to compete with it. Now days, chain restaurants are found in almost every country. They quickly became popular because of their cheap food price, greasy food and quick service. Even though chain restaurants are popular, most of their foods are unhealthy. Although, there are some chain restaurants that are starting to add more healthy foods in their menus. Below is a list of the best and worst chain restaurants in the nation (US). The restaurants are ranked by how healthy their foods are.

Top nine chain restaurants (listed from best to worst)

1. Subway: The biggest sub restaurant in the United States and the fastest growing chain restaurant in the world. As of fall 2008, subway has more than 30,000 restaurants in 87 countries and is catching up quickly to the chain restaurant leader McDonald’s. Most of Subway’s 6 inch sandwiches are below 350 calories and 6 grams of fat, and are low in cholesterol. Subway sandwiches are good sources of fiber and protein but are high in sodium. To lower the sodium levels avoid adding pickles and salt. Subway also has healthier sides than most chain restaurants. Nutrition information are located on cups and napkins, but beware, calorie counts do not always include cheese, sauce and dressing.
2. Chick-fil-A: The second biggest chicken based chain restaurant in the United States. Chick-fil-A specializes in chicken entrees. Its menu includes pressure cooked or grilled chicken sandwiches, chicken nuggets, chick strips and wrap, chicken and fruit salads, sausage, eggs, and bacon. For desserts, expect to find ice cream, lemon pie, cheesecake and milkshakes. Nutrition brochures are readily available at local restaurants or at its website. Most of its entrees are under 500 calories and some are a little high in cholesterol. Watch out for its desserts because about half of them are over 500 calories. Chick-fil-A has one of the healthiest side items ranging from carrot and raisin salad to fruit cup.
3. Boston Market: Recently bought by Sun Capital Partners from McDonald’s, this chain restaurant has close to 700 restaurants in the United States. The restaurant specializes in rotisserie chicken, ham, turkey, meatloaf, mash potato and sandwiches. Most of its meals are under 500 calories and it also has a wide selection of salads that are low in calories and saturated fat. Boston Market also has foods that are high in calories, sodium and cholesterol. Most of its high calorie foods are sandwiches. If you are a person who enjoys thanksgiving dinners, you will most likely enjoy Boston Market.
4. KFC: With over 5,000 restaurants nationwide, this chicken based chain restaurant is one of the biggest in the nation. KFC’s menu is primary fried chicken but also offers roasted chicken products, mashed potato, apple pie, macaroni and cheese, and salad. Even though a lot of its foods are fried, many of them have zero trans fat per serving. KFC also has a great selection of salads and sides that are healthier than most fast food restaurants.
5. McDonald’s: The largest chain restaurants in the world with more than 31,000 restaurants worldwide. McDonald’s has been criticized many times about its menu and business practices. Many people compared McDonald’s to Walmart and blamed the popular chain restaurant for the pandemic of obesity in the United States. McDonald’s lunch sandwiches are high in calories, cholesterol, sodium and lack nutrients. Its breakfast menu is no better and its shakes are insanely high in calories. Some of its shakes are over 1,000 calories. In spite of its high calorie meals, McDonald’s has great choices of salads. Most of its salads are low in calories and fat, and decent in nutrients.
6. Denny’s: With more than 1,500 restaurants nationwide, Denny’s is the largest full-service family restaurant in the United States. Denny’s menu surprised me because most of its entrees are over 600 calories, high in cholesterol and almost all of them are high in sodium (drinks are not included). One good thing about its entrees is the high levels of protein. Its breakfast menu is even worst because of its higher calories and sodium levels. The thing that scared me about its breakfast entrees is the cholesterol levels; most of them are over 500 milligrams. The dessert and appetizers menu are not that bright either, except for the kid’s D-Zone menu.
7. Quiznos: The second largest sub sandwich shop in the United States with more than 5,000 restaurants. When it comes to calorie, Quiznos beats Subway by a mile. Many of its regular size subs are near 1,000 calories or more. The worst sandwich is the Tuna Melt; the regular size has 1,420 calories and the large size has 2,090 calories! Many of its subs are also high in fat and sodium. For people who are calorie sensitive, Quiznos has 5 small subs plus 2 salads under 500 calories, sammies under 350 calories and sides under 250 calories.
8. Taco Bell: The largest Mexican-style chain restaurant in the United States with close to 7,000 restaurants. Taco Bell is also owned by Yum! Brands Inc., the largest restaurant company in the world. Most of its foods are around 500 calories, but add its insanely large drinks and you will be close to 1,000 calories. The good things about its food are the decent fat and cholesterol levels. The bad thing is its sodium levels. If you hate calories, stick to their fresco menu and you should be fine. Taco Bell don’t have much choices when it comes to healthy sides. If you want fruits or salads, you will have to go somewhere else.
9. Domino’s Pizza: The second largest pizza chain restaurant in the nation with more than 8,000 stores. Eating just four slices of its 12 inch pizza will give you close to 1,000 calories or more. Most of its pizzas are high in fat, cholesterol and sodium. Its side dishes are just as bad except for the salads. The bad thing about pizza is that most of them are made with a lot of cheese. Most cheese are high in calories, fat, cholesterol and has little nutrients.

Most foods found in chain restaurants are bad for your health because they are low in nutrients, high in saturated fat and cholesterol, and are produced with growth hormones or sprayed with chemicals. According to the European Union’s Scientific Committee, six hormones (3 natural and 3 synthetic) are used to increase the growth rates of cattle. These chemicals are known to disrupt hormone balance which may cause development problems and may lead to prostate, breast and colon cancer. Scientists believed that about 70 percent of American cattle are injected with growth hormones. The main reasons for this is to save time and money for the beef industries.

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