Update 3: This is absolute madness. It’s now 24 hours since the polls closed, and it appears all the votes have been tallied, and with more than 8,500 votes cast, someway, somehow, we ended up with an exact tie. 4,267 votes for both Sonic and DQ. UNREAL. I’m calling this one. I’m sure all the votes have been tallied at this point, but even if a few somehow trickle in from a slow poll counter, it’s been 24 hours, and this needs to be decided.  We’re in uncharted territory here folks, and I’m not quite sure what to do. A re-match or re-vote? Sure, I could do that, but clearly these guys are evenly matched. In the interest of givng both DQ and Sonic a shot at the title, we’re gonna have to get a little crazy to respond to a crazy situation. Therefore, starting on Monday morning, the final will be a THREE fast food chain vote to determine the champion: Sonic vs. Dairy Queen vs. Wendy’s (who defeated Arby’s 57% – 43%).  Probably a little bit of a raw deal for Wendy’s who now has to face 2 competitors instead of one, but hey, DQ and Sonic have both proven their strength and I’m not sure of any other way to handle this.

Update 2: Voting has been closed since 1 pm, but in the interest of playing it safe and avoiding a 2000 Florida type debacle, I’m going to wait until tomorrow to call this match-up to make sure the overwhelmed polling application is able to tally any lingering votes it may have been delayed on counting.

Update: It appears all the votes have finally been tallied, so I’m calling this one.  Boy was that DQ vs. Sonic match-up close!

  • Dairy Queen (50.01%) defeats Sonic (49.99%) by just 3 votes out of more than 8,000!
  • Wendy’s (57%) defeats Arby’s (43%)

Dairy Queen and Wendy’s will face off for the Fast Food crown with voting to begin on Monday.

Today we begin voting on our Final Four match-ups, to help determine who will face-off in the championship and be crowned the greatest fast food chain in America.

Today’s match-ups: #4 Dairy Queen vs. #3 Sonic and #3 Arby’s vs. #1 Wendy’s.  Click the bracket below to see how we got to where we are today.

Voting will be open until 1 pm FRIDAY. (Update: Readers can vote on the final four match-ups once every 12 hours, so vote early and vote often!)

The championship is taking place next week.  Let us know in the comments who you think should win!

[poll id=”103″]

[poll id=”104″]

174 Responses

  1. Dee

    Out of all the fast-food joints I’ve been to in recent years, I’d have to say that CULVER’S is the very best all around!!

    Reply
  2. jessi

    my mother and i used to do mystery shops for sonics. there were about 10 stores within a 40 mile radius (va / nc area) and we did them all… there’s been a couple stores that have miserably failed because of lousy food, but for the most part, their food is great. always fresh, always hot, always cooked to perfection. i’m not sure where all these disgusting sonics are, but travel a bit and find a good one. they’re not all nasty.

    Reply
  4. Howard Gould

    Now to me Sonic has better food than DQ, there desserts rock..I spent many yrs working with Wendy’s and quality there is #1…Since Arby’s purchased Wendy’s..they need to bring back Salad Bar..

    Reply
  5. Mike H

    Wendy’s will take the title. Arby’s seriously??
    They’re in the red for sales.
    Check out the single sometime. It’s the only sandwich that is satisfying to fill you up, without making you feel like crud.

    Reply
  6. James

    you guys are crazy Sonic blows DQ out of the water. this must have been rigged for sonic to lose to DQ. you have got to be kidding me. and for all you haters out there sorry you have a sonic that is poorly ran. come down to the south were the weather is always warm, all the car hops are skating around and having a good time, and you will have one of the best experiences with fast food you have ever had period no questions about it. Sonic is still #1

    Reply
  7. CFO

    are you guys freaking serious? who eats food from DQ? its a crappy ice cream shop. at best they dabble in fast food. sonic has it all, amazing drinks, good food and decent prices as well as a solid variety. I agree sonic blows dq out of the water. its unfair that these two even have come up against eachother in the final 4. dq, although i like their deserts just cant compare with sonics overall variety and quality. GO SONIC!

    Reply
  13. Teresa

    I love Dairy Queen and will take it any day over Sonic. Not only do I love their food, ice cream, shakes, etc better but every Sonic I have ever been to has had crappy service.

    Reply
  15. faith

    i have 2 say dqqq, bc i work at 1 and our’s is the best food that i tasted and sonic has great slushies but thats about it, now dq has great chicken strpi baskets and ice cream 🙂

    i <3 DQ GRILL AND CHILL

    Reply
  17. David

    All Sonics serve food and havbe a great variety. DQ is limited on locations. Have to go with Sonic.

    Reply
  18. CHERRY LIMEADE

    YOU GUYS HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!!!!!SONIC VS. DQ?!?!?!?! THERE IS NO COMPARISON!!!!!SONIC ALL THE WAY!!!!!OVER 168,000 DRINK COMBINATIONS AND WE ARE IN JUST ABOUT EVERY SINGLE STATE IN THE COUNTRY

    Reply
  20. Josh

    Arby’s is by far the best. Have you tried their roast burgers? They are the jam and the fries are like a wonderful dream. After I finish the only thing I can do is think of the next time I bite into a mouth watering meal again from Arby’s. I will end this by saying you have to end your trip with a chocolate milk shake.

    Reply
  21. Robin

    I agree with Jessica (Apr 13, 2010 at 2:58 pm):

    “I think if Dairy Queen wins, they should stay open year round in Michigan.”

    Reply
  22. melissa

    DQ Rocks the best food and ice cream in the world…Me and my husband eat there at least once a week he loves their coney dogs and I love their chicken basket………….:)

    Reply
  23. Chris

    Sonic has good drinks and the sonic blasts are comparable to the DQ blizzards. I haven’t gotten sick from the sonic food only off a specialty drink that I may of drank too fast. Overall sonic is still good. So people stop complaining about it being so bad. I love DQ also blizzards are great. The food is over priced for the combos.
    Wendys in my opinion blows Arbys out the window with some of their food. I dont really eat Arbys that often since I dont really care for it and it doesnt look that appealing. Frostys: not even Mcdonalds can beat their desert menu. Chicken wings are just ok its not BWW or anything to ride home about. All of the chicken sandwiches are great. Not much of a hamburger person or dont really care for their burgers that much so I can really talk about that. Their fries are great especially if you dip them in a frosty.
    Battling for the top spot should be Sonic and Wendys. One of them is the champion that I chose from the beginning and the other isnt. Good luck to both.

    Reply
  24. Karen

    Arby’s is okay, but waaaaaaayyy too expensive. My vote goes to Wendy’s. Delicious stuff that’s more affordable.

    Reply
  25. Joshua

    I love DQ and I love Arby’s. If DQ and Arby’s were to be in the finals, I’d choose Arby’s over DQ in a heart beat. Sadly, Arby’s isn’t looking good and so I’m gonna have to vote for DQ against Wendy’s since DQ’s icecream is so freakin’ GOOD! Mocha Moolatte,Banana Split blizzard,M@M blizzard and Chocolate Cherry Love are thee best icecreams out there by far!

    Reply
  27. AirbiorneBob

    Are you kidding me!!?? Sonic is by far the only choice, over 186,000 drink combinations, Super Sonic Burgers and a Junior Candy Sundae for $1! GO SONIC!!!

    Reply
  28. sonicfreak

    SONIC ROCKS, The new ice cream will set you free and help you forget about DQ. GO SONIC

    Reply
  29. Neilio

    Sonic is by far the BEST! I read all the comments and people are going back and forth, but just look around. There is a reason that Sonic is expanding and the stores get new looks all the time. Do you see that with DQ? They are lucky if their 25 year old location gets a fresh look that is if it is not already scheduled to be shut down for good in the town.

    Reply
  30. missa

    wendys is the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Reply
  31. Bryanisapimp2007

    Wendy’s is definatly one of the best fast food chains. I feel like you actually get a choice instead of it being just burgers and fries. They also offer some healthy items and not just junk food. 🙂 And the speed of service is excellent compared to Mcdonald’s.

    Reply
  32. Shaun

    Arby’s is wayyyyyy outtttta control, may I have (5) more beef n chedda’s please?!?!?!

    Reply
  33. Eick

    “BTW: Why bother moderating if you’re going to allow the “f” word to be seen by everybody???!”

    @Dee – Because I don’t give a shit about people cursing. This isn’t a G rated site.

    Reply
  34. katie

    it’s a no brainer that DQ’s gonna win ,theres no sonic in canada and there DQ in both canada and USA .thats twice the votes

    Reply
  35. Sheli

    DQ is the best and I love Windy’s too

    Here is what I think the best meal would be is McD’s chicken sandwich and Bugar King’s Fries and Windy’s chillie and a DQ’s blizzard that would be a meal made in heaven

    Reply
  36. bryan

    How can Arbys seriously be losing to Wendys. Our local Wendys are having tomato shortages and the quality of sandwiches has been slipping. I have never had a bad experience from Arbys ever and they have the friendliest and most courteous staff of any fastfood joint I’ve been in.

    Reply
  37. Andrew

    This message goes to scott…(29) yeah mayo on hamburgers when you get a classic burger or one other PREMIUM burgers you get mayo on it. If you don’t like mayo then ask f
    or no mayo. Secondly the chili seasoning packets is for the chili. If you want a ‘hot’ dipping sauce you can ask for the boneless wing sauces or mix and yeah the wing sauces are hot. I know cause I work there and have had plenty of people say some of the wing flavors (sweet and spicy Asian and buffalo, no replaced by chipoltle) are hot. So sorry buddy if you don’t know how to place an order but that’s not the restaurants fault. It’s yours.

    Reply
  38. Gregg

    Seriously, voting between Sonic and DQ was choosing the lesser of two evils for me, but DQ only has dessert/ice-cream over Sonic- THAT’S IT. I’ve been to both recently, and I was highly disappointed with DQ. The price was already a bit steeper than other places, but when I got my food, it looked like it was a kid’s meal (no bigger than mcd’s hamburger; <mcd's small fry). On top of that, the fries were bland. I had to pick Sonic. Sonic is better overall.

    Reply
  39. Gregg

    Arby’s v. Wendy’s is tough. I like both ok. Not sure who to choose. However, I will say that Arby’s isn’t that expensive depending on what you get. That 4 for $5 was the best!

    Reply
  40. sheepy

    I won’t eat at Arby’s at all, not even a soda. Sonic has good tots and drinks. DQ has great ice cream but bad food. Wendy’s is the best!

    Reply
  41. Lis

    I’ve never had Sonic or DQ. Neither one exists near me, so I voted based on advertising and brand recognition… For Sonic. I actually look forward to being able to go to a Sonic. Limeade is one of my favorite things ever. DQ just doesn’t seem special.

    Reply
  43. thomas

    Arby’s should have been out in round 1, if they win this one then the polling must be rigged. Go Wendy’s!

    Reply
  44. WendysFreak

    Wendy’s wins this whole thing all day long. How Sonic got this far is a mystery to me. I adore their drinks. Love em. They have the best drinks in the world. But their food is atrocious. Absolutely horrid. I never eat there. Wendy’s v DQ for the final. And DQ has good ice cream. And ok food. But they got nothin on Wendy’s.

    Reply
  45. Rachel B

    Dairy Queen is disgusting!! The ice cream is good, but if there is car in front of you in line.. I hope you brought your sleeping bag. They have to hit that 20 minute quota to get the food out. Dairy Queen is dirty and not well maintained, not to mention the teenagers having sex in the walkins! Extra mayo anyone?
    SONIC RULES!!!!!!

    Reply
  46. Nick L

    DQ over Sonic and Ultimately Wendy’s wins over Arby’s but Quizno’s would give Wendy’s a run for there money.

    Reply
  47. DJ

    i don’t even know how DQ made it this far! they have great ice cream but the food is horrible!!!!

    Reply
  48. Bobby B

    So DQ has the leading votes cause of its Blizzards? This is a fast food bracker

    Reply
  49. Jessica J.

    I really don’t like Dairy Queen at all. Their shakes and ice cream is halfway decent, but their food is no good, except for the chicken tenders & toast. Their burgers are the worst burgers out there.
    Sonic is the best because of their delicious texas toast used for grilled cheese and chicken sandwiches. I think there is even a burger on it. I also LOVE their tater tots & cheese and the new limeade cream slush is to die for.

    Reply

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