Chick-fil-A takes fast food first place at Morton East.

In a random survey of about 100 Morton East students, 41 students reported that Chick-fil-A was their favorite fast food restaurant compared to McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Subway, Burger King, and Taco Bell. Fast food has always been popular amongst high schoolers for as long as anyone can remember. According to Eat This, Not That’s “Most Popular Fast-Food Chain the Year You Were Born,”   in 2004, the most popular fast food restaurant was Burger King; now it’s Chick-fil-A in 2021.

Most people do not know that Chick-fil-A has been around since the 1940’s.  It was founded in 1946 by Truett Cathy under the name, The Dwarf Grill in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia.   In 1967, Cathy opened the first Chick-fil-A restaurant in Atlanta’s Greenbrier Shopping Center. Today Chick-fil-a earns roughly $5.3 million in revenue each year and still remains the largest quick-service chicken restaurant chain in the United States. Truett Cathy actually invented the first chicken sandwich as an alternative to the hamburger; he named the chicken filet between a bun “Chick-fil-A”.

“The quality of the food makes certain restaurants better than others, like the quality of Chick-fil-A.” junior Melody Vivas said.

And, quality means no insects.

“I had a bad experience at McDonald’s; the salad I ordered had a bug in it,” junior Melody said.

Chick-fil-A got positive comments on its overall food quality.

“I think what makes certain restaurants better than others is the how the food is prepared, like the cleanliness of the (prep) area and quality of the food prepared,” junior Aileen Corado-Olea said.

And, it’s not just the food that determines where Morton students go for their fast food fix.

“I think quality of food, sanitation, and (customer) service and employee attitude make some restaurants better than others,” junior Zaira Corona said.

Other students have had some repulsive restaurant experiences.

“I had a bad experience at Taco Bell.  I got food poisoning from a taco and never went back since,” junior Zaira Corona said.

But sometimes it’s not just nasty food driving students away.

“I’ve had some bad experiences at fast food restaurants, specifically McDonald’s; they forgot certain items I ordered, and the items I did get were prepared poorly, and I had to wait too long to receive my order,” Anahi Anacleto, a senior, said.

Many students, though, rarely get fast food, and find it best to skip out on the restaurants overall.

“I think fast food is okay to eat once in a while, but sometimes the quality changes,” junior Aileen Corado-Olea said.

Fast food rarely gets rave reviews on its health benefits, so why do students go?

“I think fast food is mainly convenient,” junior Melody Vivas said.