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Del Taco was named the top U.S. fast-food chain, nabbing the title from Chick-fil-A in the process.
The California-based Mexican fast-food chain received the No. 1 spot on this year’s edition of USA Today’s "Best Fast Food Restaurant" list, which was decided by a reader vote.
The outlet highlighted the diverse food options, including its breakfast and plant-based menus, available at Del Taco as part of its ranking.
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The chain was not on last year’s "Best Fast Food Restaurants" list.
Last year's holder of the top spot, Chick-fil-A, was ranked No. 3 this year.
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USA Today creates its "Best Fast Food Restaurant" ranking through a process that involves editors deciding on a narrowed-down group of nominees to put to a reader vote, it said.
The 10 fast-food chains on the outlet’s reader-based ranking this year include:
1. Del Taco
In this photo illustration, a soft drink cup is displayed with the Del Taco logo at a Del Taco restaurant on Dec. 6, 2021, in Fairfield, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images / Getty Images)
2. KFC
Food at a KFC restaurant on April 4, 2018, in Orangeburg, South Carolina. (Moses Robinson/Getty Images for KFC / Getty Images)
3. Chick-fil-A
A Chick-fil-A logo and sign over a restaurant in New York City. (Lindsey Nicholson/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images / Getty Images)
4. In-N-Out Burger
An In-N-Out Burger restaurant located in Azusa, California, on April 1, 2024. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images / Getty Images)
5. Hardee’s
An exterior view of a Hardee's restaurant. (Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images / Getty Images)
6. Captain D’s
A Captain D's seafood restaurant in Hudson, North Carolina, on Nov. 2, 2019. (iStock / iStock)
7. Taco Bell
A Taco Bell sign pictured above a restaurant. (Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images / Getty Images)
8. Popeyes
A Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen restaurant. (iStock / iStock)
9. Zaxby’s
The exterior of a Zaxby's fast food restaurant in Gastonia, North Carolina. (Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images / Getty Images)
10. Arby’s
The exterior of an Arby's restaurant. (Aimee Dilger/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images / Getty Images)
USA Today released the 2024 "Best Fast Food Restaurants" list as part of its wider yearly 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards.
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Some of the biggest fast-food brands like McDonald’s, Burger King and Wendy’s that ranked among the top 10 chains last year were not in this year’s ranking.
