Even though they’re on the menu of pretty much every fast food chain on earth, there wasn’t that much variation in the actual fries. Don’t get me wrong, I do like regular old French fries and I always will, but I had a craving for something a bit different, a bit more exciting, so I went out of my way to try the Chick-fil-A Waffle Potato Fries and boy was it a surprise.
History of Waffle Fries
Chick-fil-A first opened on November 24. 1967 in Atlanta and the restaurant’s main item was the chicken sandwich.
18 years passed since the restaurant opened, and only then were the waffle fries invented by the Johnson family from Washington State, and now they have become by far the best selling item on the restaurant’s menu. It’s interesting that a restaurant that began around a chicken sandwich ended up with that sandwich taking a back seat to some potato fries.
How They’re Made
We all know that Chick-fil-A is famous for their rigorous quality control, and every single location will make it their primary focus to bring only the best food to their customers on a daily basis. This is true for every item on the menu, but it goes especially for the potatoes that are used to make their most popular item – waffle fries. They get their potatoes from farms near the location of their original restaurant in Washington, specifically from Columbia River farms known for their mineral rich soil.
The unique shape of waffle fries also has to be made in a specific way. They are made by slicing downward on the end of a potato with a crinkle cutter before rotating the potato 90 degrees and slicing again. The fries are then cooked in canola oil until the outside is crispy and the inside is tender.
What’s Up with the Waffle Fry Shape?
The shape of the waffle fries was not made by accident nor is it just for aesthetic purposes. The waffle shape allows the cut potato piece to have a way larger surface area than regularly-shaped French fries. This allows for more of the potato to come in contact with the canola oil, and the resultant waffle fries will have larger areas of crispiness than regular French fries. The shape and the surface also allow for more sauce to stick to the fry, so if you dip your fries, this shape is definitely the one for you.
Waffle Potato Fries Review
Taste and Texture
Compared to regular fries, Waffle Potato Fries are just way superior in every way. We all enjoy when the inside of the fries is soft but let’s be real, the crispiness is what we really want, and waffle fries are way more crispy over a larger area, so biting into one produces a satisfying crunch.
When you get to the inside of the fries, you also get the softness of the potato that is expected of great French fries. It is also perfectly seasoned, just enough to bring out the flavor of the potato.
Are they Healthy?
One serving or 113g of waffle fries has the following nutritional value: 360 calories, 18g of fat, 43g of carbohydrates, 5g of protein, and 370mg of sodium.
From this, we can see that they aren’t very nutritious, but they’ll definitely fill you up. The calories and sodium aren’t really that great for you but no different than regular fries.
Even though they are not that healthy, we can agree that we don’t eat waffle fries because of the health benefits, we eat them because they are tasty!
Are they Worth it?
The cost of Chick-fil-A Waffle Potato Fries depends on the location of the restaurant but typically the small fries cost $1.89, medium fries cost $2.15, and the large ones cost $2.45.
They are definitely more expensive than regular fries at other fast-food chains, but they are also a lot tastier, and the portions are also appropriate.
Taking all of that into account, I would say that they are definitely worth it, and the many returning customers agree as well.
Final Verdict
Recently Chick-fil-A has also added Waffle Potato Chips to the restaurant menu, and they are amazing. Now you can choose between crispy and soft waffle fries and amazingly crunchy waffle chips as your side dish.
Chick-Fil-A Waffle Fries Nutrition
| Serving Size | Large | |
| Calories | 460 | |
| Calories From Fat | 216 | |
| Amount Per Serving | % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat | 24g | 37% |
| Saturated Fat | 3.5g | 18% |
| Trans Fat | 0.0g | |
| Cholesterol | 0mg | 0% |
| Sodium | 370mg | 15% |
| Total Carbohydrates | 56g | 19% |
| Dietary Fiber | 7g | 28% |
| Sugars | 0g | |
| Protein | 6g | 12% |
| Vitamin A | 0% | |
| Vitamin C | 8% | |
| Calcium | 2% | |
| Iron | 8% | |
Have you tried the waffle fries or chips? Which one do you prefer? Tell us in the comments!
