$10 feels like a real sweet spot for fast food. It’s not so much money that it feels prohibitively expensive, but it’s enough money that you should be able to get more than one item from the menu. If you pay close enough attention to the menu at your favorite fast food restaurant, you can probably get away with spending even less than that!
Unfortunately, to get a deal like that, you’re going to have to look for it. The average combo meal at any given fast food restaurant will probably cost you somewhere in the ball park of $15. But the deals are out there so if the idea of spending $10 or less on fast food sounds appealing to you, we’re here to help!
To help you save a few bucks, we’re naming the best way to spend $10 (or less) at all our favorite fast food chains and then ranking the deals from good to great.
If there is a fast food restaurant missing from this list, it’s probably because there is truly no good way to spend $10 there. Let’s dive in.
16. Chick-fil-A — Chick-fil-A Sandwich + Fries
Price: Sandwich $6.49 + Small Fries $2.99 = $9.48
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
Straight up, Chick-fil-A isn’t the best place to eat if you want to spend only $10. There isn’t a single combo meal that comes anywhere close to that price, so our pick for the best bang for your buck is to just take the sandwich, and add some fries to it.
The sandwich is pretty bare bones consisting of just a breaded chicken breast filet and a couple of pickles, but when paired with your favorite sauce, it elevates this simple sandwich into something much more satisfying.
The chicken filet is tender and juicy, with a sort of buttery finish to it. The pickles help to accentuate the savoriness while adding some tang.
It’s rare that a chicken sandwich doesn’t need sauce, but Chick-fil-A’s filets are always tender and juicy enough that they get away with it. Having said that, we think dipping the sandwich in Chick-fil-A, Polynesian, or BBQ sauce goes a long way to making this sandwich much more decadent and satisfying.
A small order of fries is going to give you about six or seven waffle fries total, which admittedly isn’t a lot, but the fries have a nice earthy flavor to them which will taste great on the side of your sandwich, or inside of it!
The Bottom Line:
Not a great place to eat if you want to spend $10, but this small meal will get the job done.
15. Arby’s — Classic Roast Beef + Small Curly Fries
Price: Sandwich $5.99 + Fries $3.69 = $9.68
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
$10 is a steep ask at Arby’s, especially if you want to put together a whole meal, but it can be done! Our pick for the best spend is a Classic Roast Beef sandwich and an order of curly fries. The Roast Beef is Arby’s flagship sandwich; it’s sweet, smokey, savory, and beefy.
Pair that with the onion and garlic-heavy curly fries, and you have a meal that packs a whole lot of flavor.
The Bottom Line:
A one-two punch of Arby’s biggest and best flavors.
14. Shake Shack — ShackBurger
Price: $7.99
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
Here’s the thing — the ShackBurger may just be the greatest fast food cheeseburger. The patty is sumptuous and beefy, with flavor-packed caramelized edges, topped with fresh produce and a slice of melted American cheese, and features a tangy burger sauce that wraps all the flavors together like a savory bow.
But as good as this burger is, we can’t just pretend that it makes for a cheap meal. $10 is not enough money for Shake Shack. While this burger sits comfortably under $10, it’s also incredibly small. The whole burger is about the size of your fist. So, a single cheeseburger isn’t nearly satisfying enough. We wouldn’t eat here without at least $15.
The Bottom Line:
A great burger that lacks an affordable deal.
13. Jack in the Box — $6 All Day Big Meal Deal
Price: $6
You’re going to see some iteration of this meal again and again on this ranking. The fast food brands are going all-in on the value meal, and we’re here for it.
Jack in the Box’s $6 All Day Big Meal Deal features your choice of any of the following entrees: a Double Jr. Jumbo Jack with Cheese, a Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger, a Jr. Chicken Sandwich, or a Supreme Croissant plus two sides, which include French fries, curly fries, hashbrowns, five tiny tacos, or four chicken nuggets.
We have no hard opinions about which sandwich is best here. All your options are pretty middling at best. As for sides, we think Curly Fries and chicken nuggets is the best play here. JiB’s Curly Fries are zesty, lightly breaded, and seasoned with a mix of garlic, onion, and black pepper. The chicken nuggets are heavily processed, but the breading has a peppery flavor that pairs nicely with a variety of sauces, from ranch to barbecue.
The only thing holding this one back is that you’re dealing with Jack in the Box. There are better-tasting fast food chains out there with similar value meals.
The Bottom Line:
A great deal, but if you don’t like Jack in the Box, this combination of foods isn’t going to win you over.
12. Chipotle — Barbacoa Taco + Chips & Guacamole
Price: Taco $4.35 + Chips & Guacamole $5.10 = $9.45
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
This is approaching menu hack territories but bear with us for a second. It might not seem like $10 can get you much at Chipotle, but this surprisingly filling meal begs to differ.
Unless you order through the app, you might not be aware that you can order a single taco, and that single taco can be loaded up with more ingredients than you might expect. Right off the bat, you can ask for a side of rice and beans, so now at the very least, you have a meal that consists of one taco, rice, beans, chips, and guacamole. Arguably that’s a full meal!
Your taco build could be anything you want, but we’ve actually experimented with all sorts of builds and we find that the best option is a barbacoa beef taco with grilled vegetables, corn, red salsa, and cheese. That’ll give you a classic street taco build!
If you feel like you rather have the rice and beans in the taco, go for it, but we find this simpler build tastes a lot better and allows you to focus in on the beefy, herbaceous, and earthy flavors of the barbacoa and the bright heat of the red salsa.
The only real issue with this meal is it’s going to taste so good you’re going to wish you had more than one.
The Bottom Line: They aren’t ideal, but it’s fully possible to enjoy a mini meal at Chipotle with some smart ordering.
11. KFC — Taste of KFC 2 PC Deal
Price: $6
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
The Taste of KFC 2 PC Deal gives you a greatest hits package of KFC’s best flavors. You get an Original Recipe leg and thigh, a side of mashed potatoes, gravy, and a biscuit. As far as I’m concerned, the only reason to get KFC is the Original Recipe blend of flavors, you get the herbaceous notes of thyme and sage, zesty black pepper, and a heavy dose of garlic and onion flavor. Sure, it’s not crispy, but the flavor is undeniably delicious.
Pair that with some buttery mashed potatoes and gravy (which serve as a delicious dip for the chicken) and a biscuit, and you’ve got the perfect combination of KFC flavors. And if two pieces isn’t enough, you can bump that up to a four-piece meal and it’ll still only run you $10.
The Bottom Line:
A greatest hits package of KFC’s best flavors.
10. Taco Bell — Pretty Much Anything On The Menu
Price: <$5
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
There isn’t a single menu item on the entire Taco Bell menu that is anywhere close to $10. If you really want to make your money spread, eat at Taco Bell. You can get any combination of your favorites here, be it Crunchy Tacos ($1.99), Bean and cheese burritos ($1.69), Steak and Garlic Nacho fries ($5.79), Crunchwrap Supreme’s ($6.49), or Mexican Pizzas ($6.19).
If you’re looking for a good combination, get a Mexican Pizza and a couple of tacos.
The Bottom Line:
$10 is enough to have you fed like royalty at Taco Bell.
9. Del Taco — Big Bundle
Price: $10
Del Taco’s Big Bundle will get you a Chipotle Chicken Burrito, a bean, rice, and cheese burrito, a snack taco, a mini cheddar quesadilla, and a snack-sized order of chips with guac. All that’s missing from this meal is an order of fries!
The highlight of the Big Bundle is the Chipotle Chicken Burrito, which is packed with zesty, earthy and peppery flavors. The only real weak notes are the chips and guacamole, which taste a bit bland and are too heavy on the onion. But that’s making a mountain out of a mole hill.
The Bottom Line:
A great platter of some of Del Taco’s strongest dishes. There is enough food here to feed two people.
8. Burger King — Trio
Price: $8
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
Burger King’s Trio allows you to put together any combination of three of the following: Whopper Jr, Chicken Sandwich, Bacon Cheeseburger, Medium Fries, Medium Soft Drink, or eight-piece chicken fries. Our build would be the Bacon Cheeseburger, fries, and chicken fries.
The bacon cheeseburger is a nice combination of smokey and charred flavors, the chicken fries are zesty, and the fries are salty and crispy. We think this combination gets you the best variety of flavors, but if you feel like tripling up on a Whooper — go for it you carnivore!
The Bottom Line:
A mix of charred, smokey, zesty, and ultra-salty flavors. Burger King’s Trio gives you access to a handful of the restaurant’s best menu items for a discounted price.
7. McDonald’s — $5 Meal Deal
Price: $5
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
McDonald’s was at the center of last year’s “fast food is too expensive” discourse, so good on the brand for switching course and offering people a legitimate deal. The $5 Meal Deal gives you everything you could ever want from McDonald’s: nuggets, fries, a drink, and a double cheeseburger all for an affordable price.
We have no notes here, this is one of the greatest deals in fast food right now. The only reason it’s not number one is because we think there are better burgers out there, and we’d gladly spend a few dollars more for them.
The Bottom Line:
McDonald’s is really putting the “value” in value meal with this one.
6. Rally’s/Checkers — 5 Item Meal Deal
Price: $6
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
Rally’s got the message that fast food is too expensive! The 5 Item Meal Deal is a treasure trove of flavors, you’ve got the choice between a Double Cheeseburger or a Spicy Chicken Sandwich (go with the burger, every time), an order of small Chicken Bites, a Medium order of Season Fries, a drink, and an apple pie.
Rally’s doesn’t have the best cheeseburger in all of fast food, but it’s solidly mid-tier (we ranked it 11th out of 20), offering a juicy beef patty that is nicely salted. The fries on the other hand are some of the best in fast food. They’re breaded and seasoned with a mix of garlic and onion powder, and black pepper.
As for the nuggets, like the cheeseburger, they’re solidly mid-tier with minimal processing.
The Bottom Line:
Rally’s 5 Item Meal Deal gets you a sampler’s plate of Rally’s best menu items for a cheap price. None of the food is mind-blowing (except for the fries), but each individual component is tasty enough that you don’t feel like you’re compromising flavor for a good deal.
5. Carl’s Jr. — California Classic Double Cheeseburger Combo
Price: $9.99
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
Generally, Carl’s Jr. is pretty expensive, but the brand does have a few combos that you can still snag for under $10. Our pick is the California Classic Double Cheeseburger Combo.
The burger might not have that decadent thing going for it that Carl’s Jr. is known for, but this standard burger build is effective and delicious. The sandwich features two charbroiled grilled patties, two layers of American cheese, grilled onions, Carl’s Jr.’s Classic sauce, lettuce, and tomato. The meat has that toasty charred flavor typical of Carl’s, while the sauce brings in some tang and accentuates the savory quality of the beef.
The fries aren’t the best, but they get the job done and taste even better when you put them in the burger.
The Bottom Line:
Even though this is one of Carl’s Jr’s simpler burgers, it still captures some of that charbroiled magic that makes this brand beloved.
4. In-N-Out — Single Cheeseburger (Combo # 2)
Price: $9.29
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
In-N-Out may not have a value menu, but their prices are so low that they don’t need one. You can order a single cheeseburger, fries, and a medium drink for under $10. That’s a steal!
So why isn’t it number one? Because the definitive order at In-N-Out is the Double Double. The single cheeseburger pails in comparison because of its meat-to-bread-to-cheese ratio. The beef patties are too thin and tiny for this to be a truly enjoyable experience. You can taste echoes of how good this burger is, but it never really comes together as a single.
So if you want to come away from your meal satisfied I think there are a few better options out there.
The Bottom Line:
If you want the full meal, go ahead and get a #2, but I rather spend about $5 on a Double Double with no sides and call it a day. That’s how much better the Double Double is over the single.
3. Popeyes — 3PC Signature Chicken Deal
Price: $8
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
Right now Popeyes is offering its own version of a value meal with the 3PC Signature Chicken Deal. Available in both Classic and Spicy, white or dark meat, the meal consists of three pieces of chicken, a side, and a drink.
Our pick is Spicy, White Meat, with a side of Cajun Fries, but really you can’t go wrong here. Both Popeyes’ Classic and Spicy chicken are tender, ultra flavorful, and deliciously crunchy, and the only side order at Popeyes we consider weak is the coleslaw.
It doesn’t have the same allure as the Popeyes chicken sandwich, but this is the cheapest you’re going to be able to experience that addicting Popeyes flavor.
The Bottom Line:
We’re going to take this time to remind you that Popeyes’ bone-in chicken is every bit as delicious as the chicken sandwich.
2. Dave’s Hot Chicken — Slider With Fries
Price: $10.49
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
Okay we are .49¢ above the threshold, but we’re going to make an exception here because not only is this a pretty good deal, but it’s probably the best order at Dave’s Hot Chicken for any amount of money! It’s amazing that this also happens to be the cheapest combo on the menu. How is two tenders and fries more money than a full a** sandwich?
Whatever, we won’t question it.
This combo consists of a chicken slider that consists of a giant chicken tender served in a potato bun with kale slaw, pickles, and a drizzle of Dave’s creamy and smokey comeback-style sauce.
The sandwich is available in seven different layers of heat. We suggest the “Hot,” option, which has a nice balance of cayenne pepper, paprika, black pepper, and garlic powder. It packs a lot of savory flavor and has a kick of heat, but isn’t prohibitively spicy.
The sandwich comes with a side of paprika-dusted fries, which taste equal parts earthy, smokey, buttery and salty. It’s a great meal and gives Chick-fil-A a run for its money.
The Bottom Line:
One of the best deals in all of fast food right now. If you want a flavorful chicken sandwich and a side of fries, it’s hard to find anything else this high quality for this cheap. Dunks on all the big chains out there right now.
1. Wendy’s — Bacon Double Stack Biggie Bag
Price: $8
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
Wendy’s Bacon Double Stack Biggie Bag is the best way to spend under $10 in all of fast food. The double cheeseburger is made with fresh beef, which none of the competition aside from the fast-casual restaurants (In-N-Out, Shake Shack) offer. A burger made to order from fresh non-frozen beef can’t be beat. The burger is juicier, beefier, and overall more flavorful than a burger made from a frozen patty.
Add to that some of the most legitimately spicy nuggets in fast food, some solid mid-tier fries, and a drink and you’ve got the greatest deal in all of fast food. Wendy’s Biggie Bag delivers quality food, an affordable price, and a large variety of different flavors. It doesn’t get better than this.
The Bottom Line:
The best-tasting deal in all of fast food. You’re not sacrificing anything with the Biggie Bag. This is affordable fast food at its finest.
