*The golden Fasties Awards honor top fast food joints and menu items.*

Whether or not you’re a fan of fast food, this section of the restaurant industry continues to be a cultural force. When a buzzy new item debuts nationwide, people all over the country weigh in if it’s good, fast food influencers release video reviews, and in some cases, one item can change the whole industry.

To highlight some of the biggest moments in fast food in the past year and beyond, Thrillist has created The Fasties, a humorous awards show that honors sandwiches, fries, tacos, and more. The show was hosted by YouTube stars Tim DeLaGhetto and David So was taped last week in front of a live audience.

The Fasties debuted in full Wednesday on YouTube and you should check it out.

*Fast food reviewer Daym Drops joined hosts David So and Tim DeLaGhetto on stage at The Fasties.*

I was invited to the taping of the awards in New York and was able to experience the playful festivities live. The proceedings were loose and naturally, there were a ton of fast food options to try there. I opted for a Popeyes Chicken Sandwich and Arby’s Curly Fries for my pre-show meal.

Other attendees included popular YouTube fast food reviewer Daym Drops, competitive eater Miki Sudo, and William Seaquist, a Staten Island resident who won a lifetime supply of White Castle sliders in 2012.

While The Fasties may not technically be the first-ever fast food awards, it is the first full awards show production with a live audience and an actual budget behind it. And hey, it’s fast food, not the Oscars, so it’s OK to have a little fun here.

Here are three highlights from the awards and the full list of awards winners below.

*The Popeyes Chicken Sandwich was one of the stars of the show.*

Popeyes Chicken Sandwich Reigns Supreme

No menu item was more talked about in 2019 than the Popeyes Chicken Sandwich. The sandwich caused a so-called “chicken sandwich war” between fast food chains including Chik-fil-A, Wendy’s, and a few other chains. At The Fasties, the chicken sandwich won Best New Menu Item of the Year and Best Fried Chicken Sandwich. Popeyes itself won Chain of the Year and Most Valuable Pickle (MVP).

*Culver’s Director of Menu Development Quinn Adkins accepts awards for the chain at The Fasties.*

Culver’s Gets Its Due

While In-And-Out and Shake Shack seem to suck up all the oxygen in the “cool” fast food burger conversation, Wisconsin-based Culver’s has 740 locations around the U.S. and has damn good burgers and frozen custard. Culver’s won Best Burger, Best Sauce, Best Coffee, and Regional Chain of the Year. It’s nice to see an underdog beat out the big or more talked-about chains.

“We were very excited to be nominated in so many categories and couldn’t wait to be here to enjoy all of the iconic brands,” Quinn Adkins, Culver’s Director of Menu Development, told me at the show. “This is truly the best of the best in our industry and this is an honor. I would put our burgers up against anyone in the industry.”

*Chick-Fil-A workers are honored with a Fastie award.*

Handing Out Awards to Deserving Fast Food Workers

With some chains not showing up for The Fasties, Thrillist decided to bestow the golden awards to a few unsuspecting fast food locations in person. They visited a Chick-fil-A and a Popeyes in New Jersey, where regular workers accepted the awards. This was one of my favorite moments because awards shows don’t normally honor the working-class people that actually make fast food. So, in a way, visiting and talking with a few real fast food workers was a nice touch during this awards show.

—

See the full list of winners from The Fasties below:

Best Fried Chicken Sandwich

Popeyes - Chicken Sandwich (winner)
Chick-fil-A - Chicken Sandwich
McDonald’s - Buttermilk Crispy Chicken Sandwich
Carl’s Jr. - Big Fillet Chicken Sandwich
KFC - Crispy Colonel Sandwich

Best Burger

Culver’s - ButterBurger Cheese (winner)
In-N-Out Burger - Double Double
McDonald’s - Quarter Pounder With Cheese
Whataburger - Double Meat Whataburger
Wendy’s - Dave’s Double

Best Plant-Based Burgers

White Castle - Impossible Slider (winner)
Carl’s Jr. - Beyond BBQ Star
Carl’s Jr. - Beyond Famous Star With Cheese
A&W - Beyond Burger
Burger King - Impossible Whopper

Best Fries

Arby’s - Curly Fries (winner)
McDonald’s - Fries
Chick-fil-A - Waffle Potato Fries
Taco Bell - Nacho Fries
Checkers/Rally’s - Famous Seasoned Fries

Best Taco

Del Taco - The Del Taco (winner)
Taco Bell - Crunchy Taco
El Pollo Loco - Chicken Taco Al Carbon
Jack in the Box - Taco
Taco John’s - Crispy Taco

Best Dessert

Yoshinoya - Cheesecake (winner)
Taco Bell - Cinnamon Sticks
Wendy’s - Frosty
Culver’s - Vanilla Custard
Jollibee - Peach Mango Pie

Best Chicken Tenders

Raising Cane’s - Chicken Fingers (winner)
Popeyes - Tenders
Culver’s - Original Chicken Tenders
Chick-fil-A - Chick-n-Strips
Long John Silver’s - Chicken Tenders

Best Breakfast Sandwich

Chick-fil-A - Chicken Biscuit (winner)
Taco Bell - Breakfast Crunchwrap with Bacon
McDonald’s - Bacon, Egg, and Cheese McGriddle
Subway - Bacon, Egg, and Cheese
Wendy’s - Breakfast Baconator

Best Coffee

Culver’s (winner)
Chick-fil-A
McDonald’s
Sonic
Jack in the Box

Best Sauce

Culver’s - Wisconsin Cheddar Cheese Sauce (winner)
Chick-fil-A - Chick-fil-A Sauce
Raising Cane’s - Cane’s Sauce
McDonald’s - Honey Mustard
Whataburger - Spicy Ketchup

Best New Menu Item of the Year

Popeyes - Chicken Sandwich (winner)
Burger King - Impossible Whopper
KFC - Kentucky Fried Wings
Taco Bell - Black Bean Crunchwrap Supreme
Chick-fil-A - Mac & Cheese

Regional Chain of the Year

Culver’s (winner)
In-N-Out
Del Taco
Whataburger
Bojangles’

Chain of the Year

Popeyes (winner)
Burger King
Chick-fil-A
Wendy’s
White Castle

Menu Item of the Decade

Taco Bell - Doritos Locos Taco (winner)
KFC - Double Down
White Castle - Impossible Slider
McDonald’s - Szechuan Sauce
Popeyes - Chicken Sandwich

Lifetime Achievement Award

Ketchup (winner)

Most Valuable Pickle (MVP)

Popeyes Chicken Sandwich Pickle (winner)

Three Tasty Highlights from 'The Fasties' Fast Food Awards