Fast food is often synonymous with unhealthy, cheap, low-quality foods, but that’s not the case across the board. Many restaurants use superior ingredients, and while visiting those spots may cost a little more, you certainly get what you pay for. From fresh, never-frozen meats, French fries cut and prepped in-house, milkshakes made with real ice cream, hand-breaded filets and more, these chains are offering customers the real deal. Here are five fast-food chains that take pride in using first-class ingredients.
In-N-Out
In-N-Out’s dedication to high-quality ingredients is well-known to loyal fans of the West Coast burger chain. The meat is carefully monitored and shipped in fresh, the fries are made in-house, and the milkshakes are made from real ice cream. “From the first bite of your burger to your last french fry, quality is the most important ingredient at In-N-Out Burger. We don’t freeze, pre-package or microwave our food. We make things the old-fashioned way,” the company says.
Shake Shack
Shake Shack is one of only three chains that does not use any antibiotics, animal by-products, or sub-therapeutic antibiotics in its meat supply. “Shake Shack stands by the National Milk Producers Federation’s standard of not tail-docking dairy cows. We also encourage our suppliers to use selective breeding of dairy cows to eliminate the need for dehorning. Additionally, we prohibit rBST/rBGH in our fluid dairy supply,” the company states.
Chipotle
Chipotle is also stringent about no antibiotics in its beef or chicken. “At Chipotle, we’re not only committed to making real food from real ingredients that you can pronounce but also raising the bar for locally sourced produce and responsibly raised animals,” the company says. “We source cheese and sour cream from pasture-raised cows that are never administered rBST, and meats from animals that have no added hormones and that do not receive non-therapeutic antibiotics. In 2021, antibiotics were never administered to the animals used for our beef and chicken, and for 87% of our pork. Animals that are sick get the medical treatment they need in all cases, and although most of our suppliers remove animals that have received antibiotics from our program, 13% of our pork in 2021 came from farms that allow pigs to stay in our program even if they received antibiotics to treat a diagnosed illness.”
Culver’s
Culver’s was recently named best fast food restaurant in the United States by Fodor’s Travel, an accolade that is well-deserved. The chain uses fresh, never-frozen beef, whole cuts of chicken, and real wild-caught cod for its North Atlantic Cod Sandwich. Culver’s started the Thank You Farmers® Project in 2013, and works closely with the National FFA Organization. “Because we care so much about what we serve–and what you eat–how could we not champion this great organization?” the company says.
Chick-fil-A
Chick-fil-A prides itself on using whole chicken breasts for every sandwich and the highest care in food preparation. “Chick-fil-A customers expect great-tasting and quality food when they visit our restaurants,” the company says. “That’s why our salads are prepared fresh daily, our Chick-fil-A Lemonade is made with only three ingredients and our chicken is breaded by hand in our restaurants. Our commitment to using quality ingredients has been central to our operations for more than 50 years.”
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