While fast food is rarely considered healthy, a new ranking reveals which chain tops the list for excessive calories and fat content.

World Atlas recently compared meals at chain restaurants across the United States for its list of top 10 unhealthiest restaurant chains.

For the ranking, it analyzed fast-food chains that offer single meals totaling a 2,000-calorie diet.

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration recommends approximately 2,000 calories per day for the average adult.

World Atlas also analyzed nutrition data, menu gimmicks and marketing tactics.

The top offender? Wendy’s.

World Atlas said the chain’s square burgers and Frosty’s are a “caloric minefield.”

“Breakfast croissant combos, Biggie Bag bargains and late-night hours foster oversized, frequent visits, landing Wendy’s firmly atop America’s most waist-widening, heart-straining chains,” it said.

World Atlas noted Wendy’s Triple Baconator meal with large fries and medium Frosty totals 2,160 calories, 54 grams of saturated fat and 3,400 mg of sodium, while its seasonal Pretzel Bacon Pub Triple top 1,500 calories.

The other unhealthiest fast food chains on the list, from worst to best, include:

  1. Sonic: “A Sonic Cheeseburger combo with medium tots and 32-oz Cherry Limeade tops 1,600 calories and 3,000 mg sodium, while a 44-oz Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Master Shake alone delivers 1,720 calories and 48 teaspoons of sugar.”
  2. Taco Bell: “A Beefy 5-Layer Burrito plus Baja Blast reaches 970 calories and 1,770 mg sodium. The Double Steak Grilled Cheese Burrito packs 910 calories alone.”
  3. Dairy Queen: “A medium Oreo Blizzard contains 1,080 calories and 44 g fat; the six-piece Chicken Strip Basket with gravy and fries adds 1,300 calories, 2,400 mg sodium and 21 g saturated fat.”
  4. KFC: “A three-piece Extra Crispy combo with biscuit and mashed-potato gravy hits 1,300 calories, 2,900 mg sodium and 22 g saturated fat, before a soda or 540-calorie Famous Bowl.”
  5. Quiznos: “A 12-inch Classic Italian runs about 1,300 calories and 2,850 mg sodium before chips, cookies or soda. Limited-time monsters like the Chipotle Steak & Guac top 1,700 calories.”
  6. McDonald’s: “McDonald’s 40,000-plus restaurants normalize high-calorie fast food worldwide. A Big Mac meal with large fries and soda tops 1,300 calories and half a day’s saturated fat; a Double Quarter Pounder combo can hit 2,000.”
  7. Smashburger: “One large BBQ Bacon Cheddar burger supplies 1,050 calories and 28 g saturated fat; an Oreo shake adds 930 calories.”
  8. Little Caesars: “A $5 Hot-N-Ready pepperoni pizza packs about 2,140 calories and 4,260 mg sodium, plus a day’s saturated fat, yet it’s marketed as an everyday meal.”
  9. Chick-fil-A: Its “original chicken sandwich” with medium waffle fries has 750 mg sodium, or about one-third of a day’s limit, and 800 calories. “The chain dialed back its “No Antibiotics Ever” pledge in 2024, though its 2026 cage-free-egg goal remains.”

More information about the study is available on World Atlas’ website.

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