The Best Fast Food Deals to Grab Right Now

Life is hectic. Families are busy, so hitting the drive-thru in the morning before work or between practices for dinner is a convenient time saver. Fast-food restaurants can bust your budget if you're not careful, but you can plan ahead to take advantage of deals and promotions. Before you pile in the car or call the pizza place, check out these fast-food money savers.

Hungry?

Sample new and exciting foods from spicy cheese ramen to melon cakes with this Exotic Asian Snack Box.

Little Caesars does cheap pizza well. It's well known for Hot-N-Ready pizzas, which are now $5.55, up from $5 — thanks, inflation — though the chain does say it is adding more pepperoni. We still recommend paying a dollar more to get Extra Most Bestest pies instead for even more cheese and more pepperoni, making them noticeably better than the Hot-N-Ready pizzas. The upgrade is worth the extra change. 

Related: Best Hole-in-the-Wall Pizza Joints Across America

Many would argue that the french fries are the best thing at McDonald's, and you can get a medium side for free every Friday with a minimum $1 purchase through the app. If it's not Friday, you can still get a great deal: $1 large fries once each week through the app. If you're hitting up the drive-thru before lunch, grab any size hot or iced coffee for $1 as well. All those deals were just extended through the end of 2022.

Related: Why McDonald's Fries Used to Taste Better

Not one to be outdone by the competition, Burger King is offering its customers free fries all year long as well. All you have to do is become a member of their free Royal Perks rewards program, and you can score free fries once a week for the rest of 2022 with any purchase. And don't forget to check the offers page on the restaurant's website, which has rotating deals like $1 hash browns and a $6 Croissan'wich meal for two.

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The best deal at Wendy's right now is a family meal. For $15, the Feed the Fam meal includes two spicy chicken sandwiches, two junior bacon cheeseburgers, and four small orders of fries. Just two spicy chicken sandwiches alone is over $10 in most locations, making this a heck of a steal. 

Related: We Tasted All 9 Wendy's Breakfast Sandwiches and This Is the Best

Family meals at Panda Express are on sale. For $29, you get your choice of three large entrees and two large sides that will feed a small family. Who doesn't like orange chicken and fried rice?

Taco Bell finally released a make-your-own-combo box, and it's only $5. You can choose one specialty like a Crunchwrap supreme or cheesy Gordita crunch; a classic item like a taco or beefy 5-layer burrito; side like cheesy fiesta potatoes or cinnamon twists; and a drink. 

Related: Live Más: Spicy Secrets Behind Taco Bell's Success

The days of $5 Footlongs are long over, but you can still get a decent deal on them at Subway: If you order through the app or website, you can get 15% off your Footlong order. Just use the code 15OFF when ordering.

Arby's has updated its 2 for $6 Everyday Value menu to include three items. You can mix and match classic roast beef, a chicken cheddar ranch sandwich, or white cheddar mac and cheese. Boneless wings are also back, and you can get a 6-pack of them in buffalo or hot honey flavors with fries for $6.

Pizza will always be a crowd-pleasing meal, but variety is the spice of life. That's why Pizza Hut's Big Dinner Box is so popular. There are four combination possibilities in one box: three medium one-topping pizzas, or two medium one-topping pizzas with five breadsticks and either pasta, wings, or boneless wings. Depending on location and choice, the price will be around $24.

Related: Best Cheap Delivery Pizza

You can feed a crowd with this deal from KFC. The family meal includes eight pieces of fried chicken plus eight chicken tenders to satisfy people with different tastes. It comes with a large order of fries, large mashed potatoes and gravy, large coleslaw, and four biscuits for just $30.

Right now at Domino's, you can feed a whole crowd for not much money. For $8 each, you can get large three-topping pizzas on any of the chain's crusts, 10-piece chicken wings or boneless chicken, and Dips and Twists combos. It's available only for carryout, but it's a great deal anyway. Plus, you'll get $3 off your next carryout order through May 22 when you place an online carryout order as a way to lure people away from more labor-heavy delivery.

Related: Domino's Will 'Tip' You to Come Get Your Own Pizza

Like Domino's, Papa John's has a buy-two-or-more deal. Items are $6 each as long as you buy at least two, and include a lot of options, such as a medium one-topping pizza, Papadias, 10-piece Chicken Poppers, cheesesticks, garlic knots, and three desserts. That's a lot of variety that will satisfy everyone.

Related: The Most Over-the-Top Fast Food of the Past 10 Years

Popeye's has a number of pickup only deals right now, including the shrimp tackle box with 8 shrimp, side, and biscuit for $5. For a dollar more, switch shrimp out for three chicken tenders and add a drink. For $9, you can get 6-piece chicken tender meal for two. These deals are only available for pickup orders, so be sure to order online ahead of time.

Most people know about Sonic's happy hour, but you can actually get the same deals all the time. All you have to do is order online or in the app. You can also get half-price cheeseburgers every Tuesday after 5 p.m. when you order online or through the app.

Related: Secret Menu Items at Your Favorite Family Restaurants

Hardee's is making your lunch run easier and cheaper with $5 Meal Deals. Each one comes with a small fries and small drink plus a main. There are three to choose from:

• $5 Meal Deal Big Cheeseburger
• $5 Meal Deal Hot Ham and Cheese
• $5 Meal Deal 3-Piece Chicken Tenders

Related: The Best Fast Food Breakfast Deals

Del Taco just released a 20 Under $2 value menu. It includes the three $1 crispy chicken tacos, chicken del carbon taco, bean and cheese burritos, chicken rollers, three-layer queso nachos, doughnut bites, mini shakes, and strawberry drinks, among others. Don't forget the restaurant's long-running taco night deals: three value tacos for $1.50 on Tuesdays, and three grilled chicken tacos for $2.50 on Thursdays.

White Castle's latest limited time item is a throwback to the original menu. The 1921 Slider is just like how the chain made them back in the day, with a larger beef patty, cheese, caramelized onion, tomato, lettuce, and pickles. And through May, you can buy one and get one free when you order through the app and are a member of the chain's loyalty program. 

The latest limited time offering at Church's is a great deal and it's meant for a large appetite. The $6 Texas Sized-Meal comes with three pieces of dark meat fried chicken, two regular classic sides, a honey butter biscuit, and the chain's signature jalapeno to heat things up a little.

A classic cheeseburger combo is the best deal right now at DQ. For $7, you'll get a cheeseburger, regular-size fries, 21-ounce drink, and a small sundae. You can also grab the three-piece chicken strip meal deal for $7 or try the mix and match 2 for $5 deal with options like a small sundae or chili dog.

Related: Fast Food Restaurants Then and Now

There's not much better than free cake. For a limited time, if you order any of Long John Silver's 10-piece or larger family meals, you'll get a free lemon or triple chocolate fudge cake for dessert. The hardest part will be deciding which cake to get.

Related: Highest Calorie Counts at Fast Food Chains (And How to Lower Them)

There are a couple of biscuit sandwiches priced at $2 or less at Bojangles, the Southern biscuit and fried chicken chain. The best is the pimento cheese biscuit, full of creamy, rich pimento cheese spread. If you'd like something meaty, grab a sausage biscuit for just $2.

Hungry?

Sample new and exciting foods from spicy cheese ramen to melon cakes with 

this Exotic Asian Snack Box.

Krispy Kreme is trying to make your weekends even better by offering original glazed doughnuts for just $1 per dozen every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday through May 22. There is a catch, of course: You have to buy a dozen in order to get the special price on your second dozen. But who wouldn't get that second dozen for only a buck? 

Find more smart fast-food stories from Cheapism right here.

Hungry?

You may not be able to get any of these these wild fast-food menu without a trip, but you can get a Japanese inspired subscription snack box delivered straight to your door. From Pokemon ramen noodles to green apple Kit-Kats, this box lets you try all of Japan's favorite snacks.

Check out the Japan Crate from Cratejoy.