The call for a late night fast food run can come at anytime, and anyplace. You’ve likely been in the position of being hit by the hunger bug after-hours when stores have closed, and your refrigerator has the slimmest of pickings at it’s disposal.
The solutions are few, the despair sets in, and the chance of a late night fast food run (or delivery) is almost a certainty. Or maybe you’re out and about, the last thing you want to do is cook when you get home.
Whatever the reason for your late night hunger needs, we’ve crawled the interwebs for opinions on where the best place is to get late night fast food.
Here are the results of our detective skills and carefully curated market research on the matter.
Note: The hours of operation often differ from location to location and region to region so the hours listed are not, and should not be taken as gospel but used as more of a guide-line.
The Most Popular Late Night Fast Food Chains:
12. Denny’s
Denny’s, well-known for their breakfast (specifically the infamous Grand Slam), is also famed for operating around the clock. The diner-esque establishment has been an obligatory stopping off point for the after-hours bar crowd, and travelers for years.
In 2008, the brand launched a late night menu that introduced a value menu, and was served from 11pm to 5am.
Denny’s, however, took a hit during the pandemic from which it’s still recovering. After curfew restrictions followed by labor shortages affected the chain’s operational hours, not all Denny’s have returned back to the 24/7 model. In fact, the brand offered incentives to franchisee’s just to return to the natural order of things in 2022.
Fun Fact: On Christmas in 1988, locations were set to close for the first time and many found that they lacked the locks necessary to close their doors for the holiday.
11. Burger King
This chain’s claim to fame is that it’s the home of the Whopper. The popular Whopper has enjoyed success since 1957, and has had many different promotional iterations that keeps patrons coming back for more.
The Whopper, onion rings, fries, and chicken sandwich offerings land this one on the list as a top place to go when the mood strikes and the stores are closed.
Burger King has been making moves recently to embrace a late night breakfast presence. The chain launched an ad campaign in Latin America within the past few months that stresses breakfast as the “most important meal of the night”, pushing for a heavy claim of the after-hours market and an edge over the late night fast food competition.
10. KFC
Although KFC doesn’t specifically cater to the late night crew, the drive-thru is open until midnight in many locations.
The chain fulfills an important fast comfort food fix with an array of bucket’s of fried chicken, biscuits, pot pies, and mashed potatoes.
The family-friendly fare is an excellent choice for hitting all the bases when you’re too spent to cook.
9. Domino’s
As you stare into the void that is your fridge, hoping for an option to materialize from thin air – the thought of a proliferation of Domino’s in your area might pop into your head to bail you out of a bind.
For anyone needing a pizza fix, Domino’s is the choice due to it’s late night menu set-up exclusively for late night needs. Domino’s operates on an extended hours basis which see’s it’s hours of operation go past midnight.
Plus, you can order delivery, and get your food within 30 minutes or less under Domino’s delivery promise, or your money back.
Some late night favorites include the oven baked sandwiches, pizza, and specialty chicken.
8. Whataburger
With over 900 locations spread out over 14 states (but mostly concentrated in the south), this burger chain is operating as one of the few 24/7 joints still around.
They also have a late night breakfast menu running from 11pm to 11am, almost unheard of in the fast food realm.
Students at Auburn University in Texas were recently polled and chose Whataburger as their pick for “best late night fast food”.
Popular items that the night owls are feasting upon include; the patty melts, onion rings, chicken sandwiches, and milkshakes.
Too bad the chain is so localized to the south, as most of the country is missing out on this one.
7. Del Taco
The chain hosts Mexican style food with an American flair and is a favorite among the young crowd prowling around for both value, and a bite.
Del Taco, another rare 24/7 establishment gets top honors for fulfilling the late night crowd’s needs.
With the advent of gig services and delivery apps, Del Taco has seen a rise in late night orders, not only from the college campus crowd but from business professionals working odd hours.
In 2018, the changing times translated into a 25% increase in business between the hours of 8pm and 6am.
During the pandemic, Del Taco also saw a marked increase in late night business similarily but due to different circumstances. The CEO told investors, “Our late night and graveyard business have been really influenced by the delivery channel.”
Like Whataburger, Del Taco serves breakfast for 12 hours from 11pm to 11am.
Del Taco also has a robust value menu, which means it’s leading the pack on providing value during inflation while other chain’s are increasing prices on their menus.
The 20 under $2 menu is a hit for the after-hours crowd. It features; tacos, mini shakes, coffee, churros, nachos. The value options at Del Taco prove that the chain is a worthy contender for being at the top of the late night fast food chains to consider.
6. Waffle House
This southern US located chain is a 24/hr establishment, and that makes it an important adversary in the late night world. It also serves as a place of after-hours debauchery and tradition in the south with roots that harken back to 50’s.
In addition to providing grub whenever you need it, Waffle House also provides entertainment value, as you never know what kind of drunken spectacles you might bear witness to as you stuff your face.
Social media, and sites like Youtube, are flush with videos showcasing the antics of the late night crowd at Waffle House.
5. Jack in the Box
Jack in the Box touts a late night menu available between 9pm and 5am. This chain is in 21 states with over 2,000 locations and standard fare includes; burgers, chicken tenders, tacos, and egg rolls.
The Build Your Own Munchie Meal is part of the late night menu, coming in priced at $10, and includes your choice of 1 of 4 entrees, 2 sides, and a drink.
Jennifer Kennedy, Jack in the Box Inc. senior manager of innovation said on the late night menu, . “We want to be that exclamation point at the end of someone’s night.”
Jack in the Box is a formidable contender in the late night fast food game and recognizes the importance of creating a business model constructed around serving food when everyone else has shut their doors. And because of that, the chain is reigning supreme near the top.
4. McDonald’s
There’s no question that McDonald’s has long been the go-to establishment in terms of value. And the sheer ubiquity of it’s restaurants makes it the creme de la creme of conveinance.
True, the $1 menu has been scaled back from it’s previous more plentiful days, but the fact remains that McDonald’s is a popular favorite among anyone looking for a late night fast food pick-me-up .
New Zealand even targeted the after hours drunk element with ads that poked fun at the ordering methods of the contingent that slur their way through an order.
In 2019, the chain cut down on the number of items available during the late night menu for locations open 24 hours or after midnight but it hasn’t slowed down on traffic after-hours.
3. White Castle
Aside from being the first fast food chain in the United States, White Castle may have also been the first chain to serve late night grub.
Research shows that the chain has been serving the late night crowd since the early days of White Castle in the 1920’s.
“A lot of our early locations were in the industrial parts of town where it was important to be able to find something hot and tasty at the end of your day, even if the end of your day was 3 in the morning,” Jamie Richardson, White Castle’s vice president told QSR Magazine.
In 2022, White Castle added a Night Castle menu that consisted of a Night Castle Crave Clutch and Night Castle merchandise.
You’d be hard pressed to find another fast food chain that has put in the leg-work and focused on the night owls for over 100 years like White Castle.
White Castle sits nicely at the number 3 spot for late night fast food chains.
2. Wendy’s
Although Wendy’s has been making the news for being the most expensive fast food chain right now, it still comes in at the top of the after-hours market for meals and snack seekers.
The chain also gets marks for being in heavy proliferation around the country.
The 4 for $4 or the $5 biggie bag is a value based option that offsets the pricey majority of the menu.
Gig workers say that there’s clear-cut favorites among the late night crowd ordering through delivery apps like Doordash or UberEats, “After 10pm, the orders shift to Wendys and Taco Bell as the preference and the drive-thru’s become clogged with delivery drivers.”
1. Taco Bell
If ever there was a late night fast food option that provided the most value for your buck – that distinction would go to Taco Bell. The chain has competitor’s beat not only on budget-friendly options, but on the quantity of food you can walk away with for just a fraction of the price you would pay at a different chain, for one option or meal.
The advertising campaign Fourth Meal; a meal reserved for in-between dinner and breakfast, targeted the late night crowd and was built on the premise of the phrase “Making a Taco Bell Run.”
The phrase was common amongst the college crowd and used after-hours around campus. The Fourth Meal became a hit nationwide and Taco Bell saw an increase in after-hours business as a result.
To further drive the point home, a study conducted on the tail end of 2022 named Taco Bell as the “cheapest fast food chain” in the country. And for that reason alone, Taco Bell is a shoo-in for the number one spot for late night fast food fare.
Value combined with fast service, and popularity…makes Taco Bell a hit for the masses.
If you’d like to submit a chain for consideration and review, leave a comment!
