After a long 8 hours of learning, the stomachs of students begin to rumble. By 4th block, many eyes stare at the clock in desperation to go home for dinner. Some students are lucky to go home at 2:15 pm, the end of the school day. However, some students can’t go home until another 2-3 hours due to extracurricular activities such as theater rehearsals, jobs, sports practices, etc. Many of these students resort to ordering fast food from DoorDash, Mcdonald’s, Popeyes, and many other restaurants. As a theater kid, I often saw my peers coming to rehearsal with a fast food bag in their hands.

Ordering your favorite meal is great! But have you ever considered trying a new fast food item you never tried before? Keep reading to discover a new favorite.

Throughout February, students were asked to respond to 4 questions regarding their favorite food items from Mcdonald’s, Panera, Starbucks, and Chick-Fil-A. 

1. Urbana’s Favorite Mcdonald’s Meals

Audrey Bastian, a senior at UHS, loves dipping her McNuggets in creamy ranch sauce. “It hits differently on a late night after work,” she explained. The Mcdonald’s creamy ranch sauce is zesty and fuses the flavors of onion and garlic. It tastes great with Mcdonald’s World Famous Fries too.

Gabriella Mbaoua, a senior at UHS, enjoys the McGriddle. “I don’t go to McDonald’s very often, but when I do, I always snag a McGriddle because it’s the perfect breakfast item to get there and the proportions are just enough for me,” she responded. Mcdonald’s sells 3 types of McGriddles; the bacon, egg & cheese McGriddle, the sausage McGriddle, and the sausage, egg & cheese Mcgriddle. This breakfast sandwich features soft and warm griddle cakes with no artificial preservatives, flavors, or colors. 

Chidalu Emy, a junior at UHS, usually gets the Filet-O-Fish. This classic fish sandwich recipe features a crispy fish filet patty on American cheese. It is topped with tartar sauce and served on a steamed bun. 

Sienna Breuker, a sophomore at UHS, finds the Spicy Chicken Sandwich with pickles, lettuce, and mayonnaise really good. “I get the spicy chicken sandwich every time I go to Mcdonald’s. It just tastes pretty good and it’s the best thing I’ve had on their menu so far,” she explained. 

Nathanial Rivera, a student at UHS, loves the Bacon Smokehouse. The Bacon Smokehouse is a mouthwatering burger that is made with thick-cut Applewood smoked bacon, sweet bacon-onion sauce, fried onion rings, white cheddar cheese, and mustard sauce. Unfortunately, this is no longer on the menu. But, if it ever returns, keep this in mind. 

Vivian Oh, a senior at UHS, loves the Buttermilk Crispy Chicken Sandwich. The sandwich contains shredded lettuce, Roma tomatoes, and mayo. It is very crispy, juicy, and tender. “I like how it’s both savory, and crispy as well,” she commented. 

I, Kimberly Bucknor, find the cinnamon rolls to be marvelous. The Cinnamon Roll at McDonald’s is served warm, loaded with cinnamon, layered between buttery pastry dough, and drizzled with delicious cream cheese icing. 

2. Urbana’s Favorite Panera Meals

Gabriella Mbaoua likes Panera’s Mac and Cheese. “I’ve been eating the Mac and Cheese at Panera since I was like 8 years old and it’s such a comfort food for me while I’m there,” she commented. The Mac and Cheese is a tender shell pasta with a blend of rich cheeses including tangy aged white cheddar cheese sauce.

Veronika Rosen, a senior at UHS, enjoys having Panera’s Grilled Cheese Sandwich, a sandwich with American cheese grilled on thick-sliced Classic White Miche. Rosen mentions that she likes this sandwich along with Panera’s Tomato Soup and Agave Lemonade.

Nathanial Rivera prefers to get the flatbread pizzas. Panera sells 4 different types of flatbread pizza: chipotle chicken & bacon pizza, pepperoni pizza, Margherita pizza, and cheese pizza. 

Audrey Houghton, a junior at UHS, likes Panera’s Bistro French Onion Soup. The soup is basically sweet caramelized onions in a savory broth with sherry wine vinegar gastrique, sea salt, cheese, and homemade black pepper focaccia croutons.

Vivian Oh prefers to have Panera’s Fuji Apple Salad along with a chipotle sandwich. “I like the dressing and the Fuji apple chips,” she commented. The salad consists of chicken raised without antibiotics, arugula, romaine, baby kale, grape tomatoes, red onions, toasted pecan pieces, Gorgonzola, and apple chips tossed in sweet white balsamic vinaigrette.

Personally, I always go for Panera’s Toasted Frontega Chicken Sandwich. In my opinion, no Subway sandwich can beat the Toasted Frontega Chicken. The sandwich consists of Black Pepper Focaccia stuffed with smoked, pulled chicken raised without antibiotics, fresh mozzarella, salt and pepper, vine-ripened tomatoes, red onions, fresh basil, and chipotle sauce.

3. Urbana’s Favorite Starbucks Items/Drinks

Vivian Oh prefers getting herself the Toasted White Chocolate Mocha with coconut milk along with 1 less pump of mocha syrup. “Having 1 less pump of mocha syrup makes the sweet taste of this drink less overwhelming,” she stated. This signature espresso pairs flavors of caramelized white chocolate combined with steamed milk and is topped with whipped cream and festive holiday sugar sparkles and crispy white pearls.

Gabriella Mbaoua enjoys the Vanilla Bean Frappuccino. “I usually never order a drink at Starbucks, but when I do, the Vanilla Bean Frap usually never disappoints,” she explained. This drink has a rich and creamy blend of vanilla bean, milk, and ice. It is also topped with whipped cream.

Sarah Seo, a senior at UHS, enjoys the Pink Drink with coconut milk and freeze-dried strawberries. This drink has accents of passion fruit and is combined with creamy coconut milk, which evokes a fruity and refreshing sip of spring. 

Dunja Senic, a junior at UHS, likes the Pumpkin Bread. “It’s warm with a perfect pumpkin taste,” she commented. The Pumpkin Bread is topped with crunchy pepitas.

4. Urbana’s Favorite Chick-Fil-A Meals

Sarah Seo enjoys the Regular Deluxe Sandwich along with Frosted Lemonade. The Regular Deluxe Sandwich consists of a boneless, breaded-seasoned chicken breast that is served on a buttered bun with dill pickle chips, green leaf lettuce, tomato, and Pepper Jack Cheese. The Frosted Lemonade is basically a combination of Chick-fil-A’s Lemonade and Chick-fil-A’s signature IceDream dessert.

Lily Woodham, a junior at UHS, likes the Cobb Salad.  “After softball practice, it makes the perfect dinner,” she stated. The Cobb Salad consists of Chick-fil-A Nuggets, mixed greens, roasted corn kernels, a blend of shredded Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheeses, crumbled bacon, eggs, and grape tomatoes. It pairs well with Avocado Lime Ranch dressing.

Have you tried a new meal/fast food item from this list? Feel free to share your thoughts on fast food items in the comment section!

Sources:

McDonald’s: Burgers, Fries & More. Quality Ingredients. https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us.html. 

Home | Panera Bread. https://www.panerabread.com/en-us/home.html. 

Starbucks Coffee Company, http://www.starbucks.com/. 

“Fil-A – Home of the Original Chicken Sandwich.” Chick, http://www.chick-fil-a.com/.