The Most Iconic Items at America’s Biggest Fast Food Chains

This cult-favorite California-born chain, with locations only in the West and Southwest, makes its signature Double-Double with two patties, two slices of American cheese, sliced or grilled onions, lettuce, tomato, and what the company calls its “spread” (blend of mayo, ketchup, and sweet pickle relish). Those in the know often order it “animal style” – with caramelized onions, pickle chips, and patties fried with mustard on the grill.

The original name of this chain was Boston Chicken, so you know what its specialty is. Though the chain has added a line of sandwiches plus such dinner items as meatloaf, BBQ ribs, and sometimes baked fish, rotisserie chicken with a choice of sides remains the mainstay.

The Baconater, introduced in 2007, stands out from other fast food burgers: It consists of two patties with cheese, plus three strips of bacon placed across each of the two burgers – six in all. The chain has periodically featured variation, including one with jalapeños, pepper jack cheese, and chipotle ranch sauce, and another that ramps up the Baconator with three patties and nine strips of bacon.

Dunkin’ puts such emphasis these days on its coffee, its frozen drinks, its bagels, and its sandwiches and wraps that it’s easy to forget about the treats it’s named for. Nobody forgets about Munchkins (otherwise known as donut holes), however. Jelly-filled, glazed, chocolate, and more, these are basically just little bite-sized spheres of doughnut dough – and even those who’d likely never eat a whole doughnut will grab one or two (or more) of these.

This comparative newcomer to the fast-food burger scene, which dates its origins back to a temporary hot dog car in Manhattan’s Madison Square Park in 2001 and now numbers more than 250 locations worldwide, is still known for its dogs and for its super-thick shakes, but its signature dish is this classic burger, made with a hormone- and antibiotic-free beef patty (or two of them if you so desire) on a Martin’s potato roll with lettuce, tomato, and mustardy Shack Sauce – cheese optional..