After wondering which fast-food french fry I would pick to eat if it were my last day alive, I decided that it would be best if I went out and created the ultimate fry tier list.

Given the fact that I’m still a broke college student and fast food prices are becoming outrageously expensive, I had to narrow down the list to four places instead of the ten that I wanted to do.

I compared four different types of french fries from four different fast-food restaurants. I tasted each fry to see which is the best based on these four categories: taste, price, visual appeal and longevity of freshness.

The four places I decided to go are Raising Canes, Carl’s Jr., McDonald’s and Jack in the Box. Given the opportunity, I would have included Wendy’s, The Habit, In-N-Out and other chain restaurants to increase competition.

Because the popularity of Chick-fil-A is so high, I feel as though it is necessary to include why it is not in my top four. Currently the Bakersfield location is closed for construction. Such a tragedy.

In first place we have Raising Cane’s crinkle fries, which quickly became an unexpected competitor. This was the first place I ordered from which worried me because I did not know how fresh the fries would be once I arrived home after ordering from the three other places. Surprisingly, these were the second-most-fresh batch of fries out of all four. The taste became a subtle yet satisfying sensation. It was not overpowering, but it was enough to be tasty. The price was the most affordable at $2.15 including taxes. Visually they were plain and simple. They weren’t all that special looking but they appeared clean and delicious. Although Raising Cane’s is relatively new to Bakersfield, I feel as though these fries held their own.

In second place we have McDonald’s regular fries. I genuinely thought McDonald’s would win first place, but the lack of freshness is what killed these fries. I went to this restaurant third, so the fries had a chance to survive the short 15-minute wait until I arrived home. Unfortunately, by the time I got home they were soggy and dry. They still tasted decent and they were still as visually appealing as they normally would be. Another downside of these fries was the price. A large fry is $3.99 plus taxes, but luckily the McDonald’s app had a $1 fry deal that I was able to use. Had the deal not been available the fries would have been less appealing.

I want to combine Jack in the Box’s curly fries with Carl’s Jr.’s Crisscut fries because I believe that they taste the exact same, making them tie for third. A medium curly fry at Jack in the Box was a bit cheaper at $3.24 with taxes than the one size available Carl’s Jr. at $4.21. Although their shapes made them both more visually appealing than Cane’s and McDonald’s the taste was far too salty for my liking. The Carl’s Jr. fries were quite soggy by the time I arrived home, which is important to note as well.

Overall, Raising Cane’s was not the place I had predicted to win, but I’m certainly pleased to see that it did.