Carl’s Jr. Vs. Jack In The Box: Which Chain Offers The Best Bang For Your Buck? – Chowhound

Carl’s Jr. is the land of cheap big burgers, while Jack in the Box is mostly loved for its sides and the variety of its late-night option, though it also has some big burgers of its own (and, of course, those polarizing tacos). But which one of these chains reigns supreme in giving you the best bang for your buck, as far as quality and price goes?

I aimed to find out, comparing items from two articles featuring a ranking system of popular items from each restaurant, and then pairing them with the best possible opponent. We compared the price of the items, which varies from state to state but is still pretty straightforward, and considered the quality, taste, and how much food you were actually getting. A winner was crowned — and you’re about to find out if it was Jack in the Box, with its infamous yet undeniable tacos, or Carl’s Jr. and its monster burgers.

Here’s how the competition went down.

Carl’s Jr. Chicken Stars and Jack in the Box chicken nuggets are extremely similar — maybe the most similar of the fast food chain nuggets, actually. They’re both small and simple as can be. The Jack in the Box chicken nuggets have a very thin layer of breading that is seasoned sparingly, but in a pleasing way. The lack of breading actually works to its advantage, as there’s a good chicken-to-bread ratio. Overall, they’re a good little chicken snack, despite not being the most exciting nuggets around.

Carl’s Jr. Chicken Stars, on the other hand, were cute to look at but genuinely boring to eat. They tasted like they came from a grocery store freezer and had a distinct, non-chicken nugget taste that I hadn’t had since I was a little kid. Frankly, they tasted like they were from the past. The clear winner in this category is the Jack in the Box chicken nuggets.

Both Carl’s Jr. and Jack in the Box have recently ventured into the world of chicken pieces beyond just nuggets. An order of Classic Popcorn Chicken from Jack in the Box comes in a moderately small container and will cost you close to $7, while an order of three chicken tenders from Carl’s Jr. costs around $6.19. Both come with buttermilk ranch.

As far as taste goes, Jack in the Box’s popcorn chicken tastes like your run-of-the-mill popcorn chicken. You get an okay amount but some of the chicken pieces don’t always have a lot of actual chicken in them (although, when they do, it’s tender and good). The breading is honestly a little bland. They’re fine but nothing to write home about.

The chicken tenders from Carl’s Jr. may only come with three tenders, but they are substantial. Biting into one of these makes you feel like you ordered them from a brewery or upscale sports bar. This match-up isn’t even close: Carl’s Jr. tenders run circles around Jack in the Box’s popcorn chicken.

These two burgers are each their respective chain’s star sandwich. Both Jack in the Box’s Sourdough Jack and the Double Western Bacon Cheeseburger from Carl’s Jr. are singular sandwiches containing bacon that stand out as unique. There’s nothing quite like either of them at any other fast food chain.

The Double Western Bacon Cheeseburger isn’t cheap at nearly $10, but there’s a lot inside of this burger — two BBQ-doused beef patties, two bacon strips, two slices of cheese, and onion rings. It’s a mighty burger with a mighty taste, and as different as the ingredients are, they complement each other perfectly.

The Sourdough Jack is much cheaper at around $6.50, and it also has a lot going on inside. There’s only one beef patty, sure, but there’s also bacon, cheese, tomato, mayo, and ketchup. This is an extremely tight race, but the winner is still Jack in the Box, because of the price. I can see paying $7 for a big sandwich but $10 is too much (even if there are onion rings inside).

It’s Jack in the Box’s Stuffed Jalapeños versus Carl’s Jr.’s Fried Zucchini in the battle of the vegetable-ish sides. There may be a ton of fried breading all over them, but dang it, there’s a veggie in there somewhere. The Fried Zucchini is one of the best fast food sides around, and not something you typically see as an offering at a fast food chain. They’re also shockingly good and sort of taste like they’re from a nice pub. You get a pretty good amount of them for $4.59, too.

The three-piece Stuffed Jalapeños from Jack in the Box are cheaper than the zucchini, but you only get three of them and they’re just sort of okay. Chances are that when you bite into it, the whole jalapeño will come out and shock your mouth a little like it did mine, and then you’ll just be left with some cheese in some breading. They taste good, but for $3.99, I want more of them. Carl’s Jr. takes the win here with the Fried Zucchini.

In the ultimate battle of the fries, Carl’s Jr.’s waffle fries go head-to-head with Jack in the Box’s curly fries. They’re both good, but which one is the king of the fries? It’s a close race.

Jack in the Box’s curly fries haven’t changed much in the past few decades, but you can always count on them to be tasty (albeit slightly more muted in the seasoning department, compared to other fast food fries). They’re a bit floppy, but crispy enough to make their floppiness pleasant and not annoying. At $3.59 for a small size, they’re a nice addition to an order of tacos.

The waffle fries offered at Carl’s Jr. are also very good and, quite frankly, rival another certain popular chain’s beloved waffle fries. They’re good with or without sauce and they are massive. They only come in one size and run you around $4.49, which is reasonable — you get a good amount of them in there. While this match-up was close, Carl’s Jr. is the winner due to taste and quantity of fries in an order.

Here we have two big burgers with fresh, crunchy veggies. Both are the most “regular burger” menu item at their chain, and they’re both pretty tasty. They also both taste like they could be from literally any restaurant. But, hey, that’s not necessarily a bad thing — they’re regular burgers, after all, and sometimes that’s all you need.

Jack in the Box’s Jumbo Jack is a pretty solid burger for an extremely reasonable price of $5.19. You’ve got all the ordinary burger ingredients: a big beef patty topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, mayo, and ketchup. The veggies are crisp and fresh, and biting into one gives you a satisfying crunch.

Carl’s Jr. Single Famous Star is another simpleton, but it’s a no-nonsense cheeseburger that weirdly tastes like a Big Mac, because of its added Special Sauce. It’s also got cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, and mayonnaise, and it’s another solid burger choice if you’re at Carl’s Jr. Unfortunately, it’s also nearly $7, which is way too expensive for something so … regular. Jack in the Box easily takes the top spot here with the Jumbo Jack, because you can’t beat that $5 price.

These items are just little guys! Order one of them and you’ll probably be wanting for more when you’re done eating. Carl’s Jr. California Double Cheeseburger seems big by name alone, but it’s not — it’s actually the tiniest burger on the Carl’s Jr. menu. It’s also less than $4, which is sort of unheard of at Carl’s Jr. This fact alone gives it a running start in the price department of this match-up. And while it’s not bad, it’s also just trying (and failing) to be an In-N-Out Double Double … which makes for a generally underwhelming eating experience.

Jack in the Box’s Tiny Tacos have “tiny” right there in the name, and they’re also just a box of little guys. For around $4, you get 13 tiny tacos and a side of creamy avocado lime sauce to go with it, which is maybe the best dipping sauce at a fast food restaurant. They’re packed with flavor — and that infamous Jack in the Box taco meat — and make for a good little meal.

The Tiny Tacos are the easy winner here: They’re the same price, they taste better, and they’re more fun.

Carl’s Jr.’s Redhook Beer-battered Fish Sandwich and Jack’s Spicy Chicken have something very unfortunate in common: They’re really just nothing special. They’re both fine, though the fish sandwich beats the spicy chicken in the taste department. The fish patty is crispy and light, but it’s doused in so much tartar sauce that it makes the eating experience very squishy. It’s only $4, but extremely small.

Jack’s Spicy Chicken is a little over $6, which feels very wrong because, as far as spicy chicken sandwiches go, you could go probably anywhere else for a better version. It’s honestly not even that spicy, until the very end when you get the aftertaste. Again, it’s not bad — it’s just not great. This is a shame, given it certainly looks good, piled with fresh lettuce, tomato, and mayo, and it’s a decent size for the price.

So of the two most underwhelming sandwiches around, which is slightly better? Carl’s Jr. takes this contest, for what it’s worth, because at least it’s only $4.

Nothing on the Carl’s Jr. menu quite compares to the famous Jack in the Box Regular Taco, so I’m putting it up against my favorite item on the Carl’s Jr. menu: the Single Guacamole Bacon Burger. This is simply the only way anything stands a fair chance against it.

When you order a Regular Taco at Jack in the Box, you’re actually ordering two tacos, and it will cost you anywhere from $1 to $1.50, which is definitely a steal. There’s nothing quite like these greasy tacos filled with a lump of meat concoction made up of mashed beef, dark chicken, and textured vegetable protein. They’re known for being both wonderful and disgusting at the same time.

The Single Guacamole Bacon Burger from Carl’s Jr. looks like a complete mess but is actually such an amazing burger. It’s one of the big burgers at Carl’s Jr. and costs a little over $8, but, boy, are you getting one beast of a burger. It’s got guacamole, bacon, pepper jack cheese, tomato, onions, and a Santa Fe sauce that gives it a spicy kick. Unfortunately, you can’t beat the price point of those tacos, and Carl’s Jr.’s monster burgers shouldn’t be so pricey, if you ask me. Jack in the Box wins here.

Of all the burgers at both restaurants, these two are the ones that have the most going on in the most uncomfortable way, and this is why they are going up against each other for the most extra sandwich award. Personally, I found both to just be way too much in their own specific ways.

The Single El Diablo Burger from Carl’s Jr. is completely bonkers in both looks and taste. It’s made up of a beef patty, two strips of bacon, pepper jack cheese, jalapenos, habanero ranch sauce, and full jalapeño poppers. At a little over $9, it’s an investment. Frankly, the jalapeño poppers overwhelm the whole sandwich, and the whole thing tastes like you’re eating seven appetizers at once. Biting into it, I thought, “Hm, this shouldn’t be real.” It wasn’t bad. It was just way too much.

Meanwhile, Jack in the Box’s Buttery Smashed Jack is a knockoff of the butterburger from Culver’s and it also has a lot going on, but at least it tastes like an overall good burger. It’s got melted garlic herb butter, cheese, lettuce, tomato, ketchup and mayo on a very sweet brioche bun. The bun made it a little too sweet for me personally, but it’s still a very decent burger. And at a slightly lower price of around $8, it’s the winner of this category.

With an overall score of six to four, Jack in the Box wins the title for best bang for your buck, overall. It was a close race, but, let’s face it, with all those huge burgers on their menu, Carl’s Jr. started off at a disadvantage with how expensive they can be (and that’s just with the single patties). And while those burgers are extremely huge (and many of them very delicious), it’s still difficult to justify the high price points — especially when you can get similar burgers (and tons of other options) at Jack in the Box. 

That said, I mean no disrespect to the waffle fries from Carl’s Jr. They are still worth it, in every way. You’ll just be paying a little more for them than I prefer.