Which fast food chain offers the cheapest menu?

Both Burger King and McDonald’s introduced their $5 meal deals in June. Wendy’s has now been offering the Biggie Bag for five years, Today.com reported.

On a street in my hometown on Long Island, New York, all three chains are just two blocks apart, so I headed there.

Each meal costs $5, although the amounts varied slightly at the locations I visited due to taxes.

My meal at Burger King was $5.81, my meal at McDonald’s was $5.54, and my meal at Wendy’s was $5.43.

This was a real surprise to me. If I hadn’t tried them all at once – and therefore hadn’t had two other drinks to quench my thirst – I would have been a little upset at the size of the Burger King soda.

Each meal at the chains comes with a soft drink of your choice, but sizes vary: Burger King offers 16 ounces, McDonald’s offers 21 ounces, and Wendy’s offers 20 ounces.

For my sandwiches, I could choose between a Whopper Jr., a Bacon Cheeseburger, and a Chicken Jr. As a burger lover, I chose the Whopper Jr.

For a chain known for its burgers, BK knows a thing or two about chicken nuggets. These were perfectly seasoned, not too salty, and went well with the honey mustard. They were nice and crispy too.

My only complaint is that they were a bit tight.

I’m not sure if I’ve ever actually eaten a Whopper Jr. before, but I was very pleased with my experience.

My burger came on a sesame seed bun and was topped with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, mayonnaise and cheese. The sandwich was juicy and tasted about as good as any fast food burger I’ve ever had.

The only difference between a Whopper and a Whopper Jr. is the size of the patty. That said, if I just wanted to get a burger, I would order the regular Whopper.

McDonald’s has two $5 meal deals that are only available for one month: the McChicken or the McDouble. Since I went with the burger at Burger King, I stuck with the burgers at Mickey D’s as well.

I’m normally a McNuggets lover – you see, I had already eaten one before I thought to take a photo.

But I don’t think these McNuggets were as good as the nuggets from Burger King and Wendy’s. I found them bland and had a bit of a rubbery texture, but maybe I just got a mediocre portion. I’ll pay close attention next time I shop at McDonald’s.

I usually like McDonald’s burgers, especially Big Macs or Quarter Pounders. But my McDouble was disappointing because it was just two patties squashed together with ketchup, pickles and onions.

I can’t stress enough how dry this was. It took a big gulp of my Diet Coke to get it down.

Wendy’s has always favored inexpensive meals on its menu. The Biggie Bag has been around for five years, and the equally inexpensive “4 for $4” deal has been around for years as well.

The difference between 4 for $4 and the Biggie Bag is the selection. For $4 you only get a Jr. Cheeseburger. For an additional dollar you can choose between a Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger, a Crispy Chicken Sandwich, a Crispy Chicken BLT or a Double Stack.

They were neither too salty nor too bland. The subtle spiciness was just right for me.

They also had the perfect consistency – not too dense and just the right amount of crunchy.

In my opinion, a good fast food burger is an art. You shouldn’t eat too much of it because you’ll most likely eat it on the go.

Although it was a solid burger, I found it a bit much. The lettuce was too big and I didn’t like the bacon on top – I actually left it off in the end. Also, the burger had tomatoes, cheese, ketchup and mayonnaise on it, which made it messy.

I thought Wendy’s and Burger King fries had the same problem: Both were a bit soggy and mushy, and neither was salted enough.

McDonald’s fries, on the other hand, were thin, crispy and salty. This may be a matter of taste, but I crown McDonald’s the winner.

The ranking looks like this:

• Citizens:

  1. Burger King
  2. Wendy’s
  3. MC Donalds

• Nuggets:

  1. Wendy’s
  2. Burger King
  3. MC Donalds

• Fries:

  1. MC Donalds
  2. Wendy’s
  3. Burger King

• Beverages:

  1. McDonald’s and Wendy’s
  2. Burger King

Wendy’s has the best selection overall. It had a large drink, the best nuggets, the second best burger, and the second best fries. It was also the cheapest at $5.43. For me, it’s the best value.

However, if you have $5 to spare and are near one of these places, you can’t go wrong. Nowhere else will you get a sandwich, nuggets, fries, and a drink – which was more than enough food for me – for less than $6.