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.

Prices and availability are subject to change.

Hungry?

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

Popeyes has a number of pickup-only deals right now, including a meal for two that includes five pieces of fried chicken, two sides, and two biscuits for $10. There's also a $5 8-piece hushpuppy shrimp meal with a side and biscuit, and a 10-piece family meal for $25.

Related: Spicy Fast-Food Items to Order If You're Feeling Brave

Little Caesars does cheap pizza well, but the prices have increased again recently, the second time since the pandemic started. The cheapest option will run you $6 now instead of $5. We still recommend paying a dollar more to get Extra Most Bestest pies for more cheese and more pepperoni, making the chain noticeably better than the its cheaper counterparts. The upgrade is worth the extra change. 

Related: Best Cheap Pizza: Deals and Price Comparison

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 the 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 onion rings, a $5 snack box with cheeseburger, 8-piece nuggets, fries, and drink, or a $6 small Whopper meal.

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The best deal at Wendy's right now is a combo meal. The Four for $4 deal comes with a junior cheeseburger, 4-piece chicken nuggets, fries, and a drink. For a dollar more, you can upgrade your sandwich to a junior bacon cheeseburger, double stack, or crispy chicken BLT in a Biggie Bag instead.

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 when you order it online. 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. If you're ordering in store, opt for the $5 Classic Combo with a Beefy 5-Layer burrito, taco, and chips and nacho cheese sauce.

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 50% off your second Footlong by using the code BOGO50.

It finally happened: the two for $6 Everyday Value menu at Arby's turned into the two for $7 menu. Still, it's a pretty good deal, and the chain expanded what you can choose from with the higher price point. Mix and match with classic Beef 'n Cheddar, roast beef gyro, roast turkey gyro, Greek gyro, and 9-piece chicken nuggets. 

Pizza Hut's $10 Tastemaker deal is over (this time), but you can still get a great takeout special. You can get any amount of medium 1-topping pizzas for $8 each as long as you buy two for carryout. If you want more variety, grab a Big Dinner Box for $24 with two medium one-topping pizzas with five breadsticks and either pasta, wings, or boneless wings.  

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 lot of people for not much money. For $8 each, you can get large three-topping pizzas on any of the chain's crusts, 8-piece chicken wings, and Dips and Twists combos. It's available only for carryout, but it's a great deal anyway. If you want to save more money, you can get two or more medium 2-topping pizzas for only $6 each for carryout or $7 each for delivery. Plus, you can get bread, chicken, sandwiches, pasta, salads, and dessert for the same price.

Related: Domino's Slashes Menu Prices to Help Combat Inflation

Like Domino's and Pizza Hut, Papa Johns has a buy-two-or-more deal. Items are $7 each as long as you buy at least two, and there are a lot of options, such as a medium 1-topping pizza, Papadias, 10-piece Chicken Poppers, cheesesticks, garlic knots, and three desserts. That's a lot of variety to satisfy everyone.

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

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. There's also a brand new 2 for $5 menu that includes the regular Fritos chili cheese wrap, quarter pound double cheeseburger, and small jumbo popcorn chicken.

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 has a new 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 $1.69 on Tuesdays, and three grilled chicken tacos for $2.69 on Thursdays.

Church's has a new, inexpensive snack. The Texas two-piece feast is only $3 and it comes with a fried leg and thigh, honey butter biscuit, and the chain's signature jalapeno. There's also a coupons section of its website where it puts its best unadvertised deals, including a free drink with a chicken sandwich purchase and two for $2 apple pies. 

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. 

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.

Steak 'n Shake has four value meals priced at $4 on the regular menu. You can get a double Steakburger with cheese, butter single Steakburger, Steak Frank, or a garlic single Steakburger along with fries. And don't forget that the chain does happy hour from 2 to 4 p.m. every weekday with half-price shakes and drinks. 

Panera has a current special on a classic soup and sandwich combo. You can get a cup of creamy tomato soup with croutons, half a tuna salad sandwich, and a side of French baguette, apple, or chips for just $7. The same combination would be about $9 normally, so you're saving a lot if those are your favorites. You can also get a grilled cheese and tomato soup combo, or soup and salad combo for the same price.

Taco John's has added two new tacos to its value menu lineup. The grande beef taco is probably the best deal at $3, since it is indeed large and filled with ground beef, Potato Olés, lettuce, cheese, sour cream, pico de gallo, and mild sauce. For a dollar less, you can get the mini fried chicken taco, with a crispy chicken tender, crumbled queso fresco, jalapeno ranch, and pico de gallo. 

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.

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