Hein - Fast food maniac : from Arbys to White Castle, one mans supersized obsession with Americas favorite food

M y name is Jon Hein. I am a fast food maniac. And I am here to praise fast food, not to condemn it.

There are over 220,000 fast food restaurants in America. Annual fast food revenue now exceeds $200 BILLION. One in four American adults eat fast food every single day.

Thats a lot of peopleand a lot of food.

When you define Americana, fast food is probably not the first thing that comes to mind. But just like baseball or apple pie, this speedy cuisine runs deep within the lifeblood of this great country. From A&W to White Castle, there is a ton of history behind countless great franchises that have literally helped shape this nation. One of these restaurants is just around the corner, or over at the mall, or at the next exit on the interstate. Its easy to find fast food.

When you enter any fast food place, you know exactly why youre thereand its not necessarily for nutrition. Obviously its for the food, but more important, the comfort of that food. These pages provide an understanding of where that comfort comes from. Some of it is history. Some of it is culture. And its available all across this great land of ours.

Fast food is not as simple as it appears to be. There are so many different types of restaurants, and just like gourmet burger places and Mexican grills, this number continues to grow by the day. We have the national giants and the regional greats. The up-and-comers and the oldies but goodies. Ive profiled many of my favorites right here.

The combination of my expertise and road tales is more powerful than two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, and onions on a sesame seed bun. I grew up in Pittsburgh with a backyard that bordered on a McDonalds and fell in love with fast food. My seventh-birthday party at Roy Rogers is one of my fondest memories, and cross-country trips exposed me to this type of cuisine on a national scale.

Attending college in the land of Dominos (Ann Arbor, Michigan) gave me some midwestern exposure, and touring the country in a comedy troupe after graduating led to gulping down a Dairy Queen Big Q at Mount Rushmore, hitting KFC for a bucket in Moscow, Idaho, and sampling a Pizza Hut buffet in Missouri. Moving to New York opened my eyes to a whole new set of regional restaurants to sample and drive-thrus to cruise. As the great Johnny Cash once sang, Ive been everywhere, man.

When I order meals at my regular stops, I dont even speak to the cashier since they already know my order. Ive been asked to join White Castles Cravers Hall of Fame. Ive judged hamburger contests for Wendys. Every Fourth of July, youll find me at Coney Island gasping in awe at Nathans annual Hot Dog Eating Contest.

With so many fast food places out there, it is critical to be thoroughly informed of what your options are in each section of the country. Within these pages, I definitively list which fast food establishments make the best of everything, from fries and shakes to straws and collectibles. Youll know the right time to go inside for your food versus when to wait in line at the drive-thru. And youll be armed with an exclusive dossier of secret menu items.

As host of Fast Food Mania, a TV show you can still catch on Destination America (one of the Discovery channels), I profiled quick-service restaurants from Maine to New Mexico. Talk about a dream job. I learned plenty on this well-traveled road, and what surprised me the most is what customers really wanted to talk about.

It wasnt about the food. It wasnt about the service. It was about life stories. I enjoyed learning which state Nathans gets its potatoes from (Maine) to make those legendary fries, but the gentleman who has made an annual pilgrimage to this Coney Island hot dog stand since 1934 fascinated me. Ive shared some of these tales along with my personal experiences to illustrate how a simple fast food franchise can create lifelong memories.

The book has been organized so you can use it as a guide. The 43 national chains Ive written about are listed alphabetically, followed by 26 of my regional favorites. Why 69? Everyone loves that number, plus it leaves you wanting more, which is how it should always be with fast food.

My Best Of lists cover 28 different fast food categories, culminating with my Top Five Overall chains. Ive created an exclusive dossier of Secret Menu Items listed alphabetically by restaurant, so you can be prepared and in-the-know when you decide to go off the board.

Think of this book as a Guide to Colleges, except Ill be profiling the best fast food restaurants in AmericaDominos and Primanti Bros., for example, instead of Michigan and Penn State. I couldnt include every fast food place thats out there, and I apologize if your personal favorite didnt make the cut. Ive written about the dining establishments I know firsthand from my extensive research and found to be the best.

Fast food has changed lives in more ways than one. Some restaurants are better than others (go check my Best Of lists), but I think theyre all pretty great. Even Burger King. See you at the drive-thru!

Jon Hein

November 2015

N ow, before you start asking why I included Dominos but left out Waffle House, allow me to break down my definition of fast food for the purposes of this book.

Fast food restaurants, also known as quick service restaurants (or QSRs in the industry), all have specific characteristics.

Merriam-Webster defines fast food as relating to, or specializing in food that can be prepared and served quickly.