Fast Food Salads: My Review Of McDonalds Salads vs. Wendys Salads (...From The Drive-Thru)

All I’ve gotta say is… Wow, fast food drive-thru’s are seriously fast these days!

I don’t go to the drive-thru much. Fast grease food restaurants just aren’t really my thing anymore.

Kinda reminds me of a sign I saw when driving past a Hooter’s in Florida. It read: “Fresh Grease Thursday!”

Also reminds me of a Bud Light Real Men of Genius ad — because I can never decide on what to order at a fast-food restaurant. It’s all pretty much the same to me.

Listen to Bud Light’s Real Men of Genius ”Mr. Really Indecisive Food Orderer Guy”:

However, Jim was out of town this past week, and I found myself craving the convenience of fast food restaurants for a change.

I opted for Wendy’s and McDonald’s on 2 different days — for a salad.

While fast food salads aren’t usually much to speak of, I was pleasantly surprised with the quick service I received both times at the drive-thru window.

It’s as if they’re actually purposely trying to get cars in and out quickly — at least during the lunch hour.

So, kudos to McDonald’s and Wendy’s for giving the people what they want: Fresh food… fast. (Well, okay… at least they’ve got the “fast” part down.)

Must read: Are Fast Food Salads Healthy?

McDonald’s Salads vs Wendy’s Salads

For the record, the McDonald’s salad (Crispy Chicken Bacon Ranch) blew the Wendy’s salad (Chicken BLT Cobb) away!

In pictures, the Wendy’s salad looks better than the McDonald’s salad. But in my mouth, the McDonald’s salad was better.

The crispy chicken bacon ranch Mcdonald's salad.

However… Maybe I should’ve opted for the cheeseburger instead of the salad after all. Here’s why.

The Big Mac, McDonald’s signature sandwich, boasts 590 calories and 34 grams of fat while the Bacon Ranch Salad with Crispy Chicken and ranch dressing has 660 calories and 51 grams of fat.
— Source

Well I de-clare!

Here are the current menus featuring ~~McDonald’s salads~~ (no longer available) and Wendy’s salads.

More About Wendy’s Salads & McDonald’s Salads

McDonald’s Salad Has More Calories Than Big Mac
Is Eating A McDonald’s Salad Unhealthy?
Wendy’s Powers Up Nutrition With Mediterranean Salad
McDonald’s Salads Nutrition Info
Wendy’s Power Mediterranean Chicken Salad Review
McDonald’s Salad Dress Nutrition Info
Wendy’s Salad Dressing Nutrition Info

Just For Laughs: Fast Food vs Dog Food

Perhaps I should just resort to eating dog food the next time I’m craving fast food salads.

Word is, dog food might actually be better for you than fast food anyway!

Don’t laugh… some people actually eat pet food as part of their regular diet. (Though you probably shouldn’t make a habit of it.)

UPDATE:

After enjoying the ~~Bacon Ranch McDonald’s salad~~ (no longer available) for several days in a row now, I’d have to say that I’m officially addicted!

However, I’ve managed to try this salad from 3 different McDonald’s locations where I live — and what a difference.

A review of McDonald’s Salads from 3 locations near me:

Franklin, TN (New HWY 96) – EXCELLENT salad. Chicken was very crispy on the outside and tender and hot on the inside. FRESH salad leaves, with primarily a mixture of spring greens rather than iceberg lettuce. LOTS of bacon and cheese (what gives this salad its name).
Nashville, TN (Broadway downtown) – The “crispy chicken” I ordered turned out to be “grilled” — which was a huge disappointment after leaving the drive-thru. Chicken was fatty and slightly undercooked with strange seasonings. There was hardly any bacon & cheese — which made this just like any salad with spring greens.
Nashville, TN (Metro Center) – The worst yet… Crispy chicken that was slightly undercooked. Mostly iceburg lettuce leaves, rather than spring greens. And a majority of the lettuce was brown …a sign that it was far from fresh. Again, hardly any bacon and cheese toppings. And worse yet: No French dressing at this McDonald’s! They weren’t out, they just don’t stock it. (The cobb dressing was just so-so.)

So, I’m sticking with the best. Fortunately the McDonald’s that serves the best salads is also the one closest to my home. I’m glad I had the best first — otherwise, I’m fairly certain that I never would gotten a second Bacon Ranch salad from McDonald’s… ever!

Since I watched them cut a whole piece of cooked chicken into slices and place it on my salad (heated) at one of the locations, I know that at least this part of the process is done manually — as it’s ordered. Whether or not all McDonald’s salads are pre-packaged and shipped to the stores, or whether each store pre-makes its own salads a day or 2 in advance, I do not know. (I tend to think it is the latter.)

More About Fast Food Salads

ANOTHER UPDATE:

My latest addiction is the McDonald’s Fruit & Walnut Salad!

It’s filling enough for a meal itself, but I often get it as a “healthy” dessert or snack (…at a cost of 310 calories). And, yes, I do realize those sugar-coated “candied walnuts” are far from healthy!