Wendy's chili, White Castle slider ranked among America's fast-food favorites

Wendy's chili, the object of many a wintertime drive-thru run, is getting some love nationwide.

Readers of USA TODAY have chosen the Dublin-based hamburger giant 's chili as one of their favorite fast-food side dishes. It finished sixth in a newly released vote in the newspaper's ongoing 10Best Readers' Choice Awards . Chili was the only item on the Wendy's menu selected by fast-food fans.

Columbus-based White Castle 's 1921 slider, a seared patty served with more than steamed onions, finished No. 10 in voting for the favorite fast-food burger.

USA TODAY readers' favorite fast-food restaurant overall was Del Taco, which has one central Ohio location in Whitehall, 4720 E. Main St. The favorite burger was from the Habit Burger Grill, a chain mostly on the East and West coasts. The favorite fries were from Del Taco.

Across the Atlantic: Wendy's taking its square hamburgers to new countries as part of European expansion

Other top finishers: QDOBA Mexican Eats, best fast-casual restaurant; North Carolina-based Biscuitville, best fast-food breakfast; Philippines-based Jollibee, best fast-food fried chicken; the Habit Burger Grill's tempura green beans, best fast-food side; California's El Pollo Loco, best quick, healthy food; and Philadelphia-based PrimoHoagies, best sandwich or sub shop.

Cincinnati-based Skyline Chili was voted as the top regional fast-food restaurant.

Skyline was serving up chili for 20 years in 1969 when Dave Thomas opened his first Wendy's on East Broad Street in downtown Columbus. Chili was on the menu from the beginning, settled upon as a way to use up extra ground beef at a restaurant that made a virtue out of never freezing its beef.

Wendy's was the fifth biggest U.S. fast-food chain based on 2023 sales, and it was Americans' third-favorite based on a survey from the YouGov market research firm.

rvitale@dispatch.com

Instagram: @dispatchdining

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Wendy's chili, White Castle slider ranked among America's fast-food favorites