11 Restaurant Chains That Have Fresh-Cut Fries On The Menu

If there is one food that unifies Americans, it is french fries. The dish might not have started out its life in the U.S. (fun fact, french fries are actually likely from Belgium), but today, there is no doubt it is an American classic now. And it is no surprise why they are everyone's favorite: Crispy and salty on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside, french fries go with everything, from burgers to pizza to hot dogs to chicken and steak. They are loved by the young, the old, the meat-eaters, the vegans, and everyone in between.

But while french fries are loved by almost everyone, not everyone agrees on how they are best-served. Some people prefer McDonald's fries, for example, which are cooked from frozen. But plenty of consumers would rather opt for fresh french fries, which have been sliced, washed, seasoned, and fried in-house all so you can enjoy them fresh. This is more labor-intensive for many restaurants and fast-food chains, but it often pays off in taste and people's enjoyment of them.

While, like McDonald's, plenty of fast-food chains opt to cook their fries from frozen, there are also quite a few options out there for diners who are in the pursuit of fresh-cut only. Keep reading to find out where to find the freshest french fries in the fast-food industry, from In-N-Out Burger to Five Guys and beyond.

Since it was founded, In-N-Out Burger has always prioritized the use of fresh ingredients in its menu items, including freshly made french fries. In fact, after the first location was opened in Baldwin Park, California in 1948, the fast-food joint's founder, Harry Snyder, used to visit meat and produce markets at the crack of dawn — before spending all day serving up food to customers. Decades later, this focus on fresh ingredients has remained at the fast-food chain, even though it has now expanded well beyond Baldwin Park.

Now, In-N-Out Burger has more than 400 locations across the U.S. Most are in California, but it also has restaurants in several other states, including Texas, Arizona, Nevada, and Utah. At each location, workers peel and dice potatoes in-house to make the chain's french fries, before cooking them in sunflower oil and serving them up with the chain's popular hamburgers, cheeseburgers, and Double Doubles. Yum.

Of course, you can also order In-N-Out's French fries on their own, but the chain's french fries do not have the best reputation taste-wise (they have been described as limp on more than one occasion). This is why many people ask for them "animal-style," which basically means that, similar to the Not So Secret Menu Animal-Style Burger, they come smothered in cheese, spread, and grilled onions. Don't want the spread or the onions on them? You can also order just cheese fries, which, as you may have guessed, is the chain's signature fresh french fries covered in melted American cheese.

Elevation Burger has always prided itself on being different from other fast-food chains. It has more than 40 locations across the U.S., Kuwait, and Qatar, and each serves burgers made from grass-fed beef, as well as cage-free chicken and fresh fries cooked in olive oil. Most fast-food chains do not opt for olive oil, but rather seed oils (or a mix of seed oils) to cook their french fries. in McDonald's, for example, cooks its frozen fries in canola oil, while Burger King uses a blend of corn, canola, and cottonseed oil for its french fries (also frozen, not fresh).

Olive oil, however, is considered to be a slightly healthier option when it comes to deep-fried foods. This is because it is more stable than many other vegetable oils, which can be damaged by high heat cooking methods.

Alongside its range of grass-fed organic beef burgers, plant-based options, and chicken tenders, Elevation Burger serves its fresh Olive Oil Fries in three different formats. The first is the standard, of course: Just Olive Oil Fries, a little salt, and nothing else. But customers can also order Elevation Fries, which are served with melted cheese, Elevation Sauce (its own signature recipe, of course), and grilled onions. If you like a little heat, you can also order the chain's fresh-cut fries in its Fiery Fries, which are served with a spicy relish and jalapeños.

Five Guys is one of the most popular fast-food chains in the U.S. The biggest reason for its popularity, of course, is its menu, which includes fries that are always made fresh. People also often enjoy the ability to fully customize not only their burger, but their entire order, and add any toppings they they want to their burgers.

Like many companies, Five Guys sources the potatoes for its U.S. restaurants from Idaho, which is the leading state supplier of the vegetable in the country. The potatoes are then sent to its locations across the U.S., where they are washed and sliced in-house, before they are cooked twice in peanut oil. After that, they are ready to be served to customers in Five Guys' famously generously sized portions.

You can order Five Guys fries as they are alongside its range of burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, and shakes, or you can opt for the chain's Cajun Style Fries. They are just like regular french fries, only they come covered in Cajun spices.

Similar to Elevation Burger, BurgerFi, which has more than 100 locations, prides itself on serving cage-free chicken options, antibiotic-free Angus beef burgers, plant-based burgers, and fresh-cut fries, which are cooked in canola oil. You can order the chain's fresh fries as they are, with beer-battered onion rings, or covered in toppings, like cheese sauce and Cajun spices. You can also opt for Urban Style Fries, which are covered with aged Parmesan, herbs, and garlic aioli.

However, if you want to sample BurgerFi's fresh-cut fries, you might have to move fast. The burger chain is currently facing bankruptcy after a difficult few years of sales, which could mean it has to close more of its restaurants. It has already shut down several locations, including several restaurants in its home state of Florida.

The chain, which launched in 2011, has been in hot water since the COVID-19 pandemic, largely due to the fact that many of its locations are situated next to office buildings (which were shut for much of 2020 and 2021 due to lockdowns and stay-at-home orders). BurgerFi — which used to own Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza & Wings locations but was forced to sell the chain in 2024 — has struggled to recover from the financial losses ever since.

Unlike BurgerFi, fast-casual chain Mooyah seems to be on the up. Originally founded in 2007 in Texas, the company started 2024 with around 80 locations across the U.S., but went on to open up multiple new restaurants throughout the year in California and Texas. Mooyah also specializes in Angus beef burgers, which it offers alongside vegan patties, hot dogs, ice cream shakes, and, of course, freshly cut fries.

Again, like many of its competitors, Mooyah sources its potatoes from the leading state of Idaho. The vegetables are then sent out to each of its locations to be washed, sliced, and double-fried in canola oil to make its signature fries. Per D Magazine, the whole in-house process of making Mooyah's fries takes around 24 hours. They are each cut to a quarter inch in width, but the length can vary from three to over five inches.

Mooyah's menu offers its Hand-Cut Idaho fries in three different sizes: Personal, Shareable, and Family. You can also opt for Loaded Fries or fries with Green Chile Queso. On top of this, the chain offers its own potato chips (which are also made in-house) and sweet potato fries, too.

Plant Power Fast Food is not like any other entry on this list, and that is because everything on the menu is 100% vegan. But there is one thing it has in common with many other fast-casual and fast-food chains: It serves fresh fries.

The chain was founded in San Diego, California in 2016, and has since gone on to open eight more locations in California, as well as one restaurant in Las Vegas, Nevada. In each, you can order its crispy fries, which are made with Kennebec potatoes (a variety of potato specifically grown for frying), in many different formats.

Of course, you can opt for the plain, skin-on Regular Fries, which are thin and crispy, and the ideal accompaniment to any of its other plant-based menu options, like the Holy Guacamole Burger, the 'Chicken' Caesar Wrap (with vegan chicken), or the Bacon Cheeseburger (with vegan bacon, of course). But you can also try the chain's Iconic Fries, which are its plain fries slathered with dairy-free cheese, grilled onions, and its own tangy and sweet secret sauce.

Other fry-based menu items include the Carne Asada fries, which come loaded with dairy-free cheese, guacamole, pico de gallo, dairy-free sour cream, and vegan carne asada (made with soy curls instead of meat). The chain also offers sweet potato fries, which are thin and crispy and served skin-on, just like its Regular Fries.

With more than 1,500 restaurants across several countries, including the U.S., the U.K., Singapore, Mexico, and Indonesia, Wingstop has come a long way since it was first founded in Texas in 1994. While its speciality is chicken wings (in 2002, less than a decade after its launch, it had already sold one billion wings), the chain also sells chicken sandwiches, tenders, and fresh fries.

In fact, Wingstop's fries — which are known for their distinct, slightly sweet flavor — are arguably just as popular as its signature chicken. This is largely due to the seasoning. The recipe has not been publicly revealed, but there is speculation online (Reddit, mainly) that the mix consists of salt and sugar, alongside ingredients like pepper, onion powder, oregano, and garlic powder.

Wingstop's fresh-cut fries are available in many different formats. You can enjoy them as they come, of course, or opt for the spicy Louisiana Voodoo Fries, which come with Cajun seasoning, cheese sauce, and house made ranch. Other popular options include the chain's Cheese Fries (which, again, come with a hint of spice, thanks to the jalapeños in the sauce) and the Buffalo Ranch Fries, which come slathered in hot sauce and ranch. Spice is totally a theme here.

Founded in New Orleans in the mid 1960s by businesswoman Ruth Fertel, Ruth's Chris Steak House had a tumultuous first few decades. First, it faced a hurricane, which brought flooding and power outages, and a few years after that, the first location burned to the ground in a fire. But Fertel was not deterred. She built the company into a national chain, which, still popular today, now has more than 130 locations across the country, and around 12 international restaurants.

Of course, most diners head to Ruth's Chris Steak House — which was acquired by the Darden Restaurant group in 2023 — for steak. But the sides, including the fresh-cut shoestring fries, are also pretty popular.

Ruth's Chris Steak House's shoestring fries are known for being light, crispy, and very thin (like a shoestring, of course). They're not on every menu, so before you head down to your local Ruth's Chris to try them, it is worth double checking first. The steakhouse also offers Julienne Fries — these are a very similar cut of potato, known for being crispy and thin (just not quite as thin as a shoestring).

Since it was founded in 2010, Hopdoddy has continued to grow in popularity. The fast-casual burger chain now has more than 30 restaurants in its native state of Texas, as well as locations in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Tennessee. And it is still growing. In fact, within the next five years, the chain is hoping to double its locations.

Hopdoddy is popular because it brings together two American favorites: Craft beer and burgers. But also because it prioritizes fresh, natural ingredients.

Aside from burgers, one of the menu items Hopdoddy prides itself on the most is its fresh, hand-cut fries. The chain's fries are made from Chipperbec Potatoes, which are a type of potato specifically grown to be processed into French fries. These potatoes are hand-cut in-store, before they are soaked in a solution that helps them to stay fluffy and crisp when they are deep-fried. Each batch of fries is fried twice, fresh to order.

You can order Hopdoddy's signature fries in many different formats. The menu features Traditional Hand-Cut Fries, of course, but you can also opt for Green Chile Queso Fries, Truffle Fries, Nacho Fries, and Hot Honey Sage Fries. If you prefer, you can also opt for sweet potato fries, too.

Since the 1950s, fast-food chain Dick's Drive In Restaurants (also often referred to as just "Dick's") has provided Seattle with plenty of late-night favorites, including fresh french fries. The chain has nine locations in the Seattle metropolitan area, each of which serves up fresh french fries until 2 a.m.. On top of this, it also has its own drive-in food truck, which is available for private hire.

The French fries at Dick's Drive In Restaurants are sliced ​​in-house and cooked fresh every day in sunflower oil. They are made from potatoes sourced locally in Washington — a leading producer of potatoes in the US behind Idaho. In fact, Washington produces around 23% of American potatoes, per the WSDA , most of which will eventually be processed into French fries , just like they are at Dick's.

The chain's menu is simple, and likely has not evolved much since it was first opened by founders Warren Ghormley, Dr BOA Thomas, and Richard Jack Spady in 1954 (Richard's nickname "Dick" is where the restaurant's name came from). As well as fresh-cut French fries, the classic yet limited menu features cheeseburgers and hamburgers made with fresh beef and thick, creamy hand-dipped shakes. Fun fact: Spady's dream to open a fast-food restaurant was inspired by the McDonald brothers , Richard and Maurice, who opened their first McDonald's location in California a decade before him, in the 1940s .

Despite what the name implies, this popular fast-food chain is not actually American, it is Canadian. It was founded in New York originally in the 1980s, but now most of its locations are either in Canada or overseas (although it does also have one newly opened restaurant in New York, and it is  planning to keep expanding in the US ). But that said, the name does follow through on one promise: This chain is all about french fries. And of course, they are always prepared fresh .

New York Fries' fries are hand-cut in-house (with the skins left on ), before they are deep-fried in sunflower oil and served to customers. You can order them as they are with a variety of dips or opt for the Canadian classic: poutine.

New York Fries has several poutine options , including Pulled Pork, Flamin' Bacon (which comes with chipotle aioli), and Classic Poutine, which is loaded with cheese curds and gravy. You can also opt for Veggie Fries with sour cream, green onions, and tomatoes, or Nacho Fries, which come topped with salsa. And that is just scratching the surface when it comes to poutine options at New York Fries. Each portion of french fries (or poutine) can be enjoyed on its own or with the chain's Premium Dogs (which, again, can be ordered plain or loaded with toppings).