Carl's Jr. Fries Review: Does the Natural-Cut Make You Smile?

Founded in 1941, Carl’s Jr. has withstood the test of time for almost a hundred years, becoming one of the favorites of the West Coast as it climbed the rank as a fast food restaurant. Using its staple charbroiled burgers to gain footing in the competitive world of fast food, it now has over 1,100 stores in the nation. But will its testament to time, quality, and success manifest itself in its natural cut fries? This is our Carl's Jr fries review.

Carl's Jr. in San Carlos, CA.

Texture (6/10)

The texture, being one of the most important attributes to fries, was a bit disappointing. The fries were dry and a bit mushy, which tainted the overall balance of the tastes. They were not crispy at all, nor did it have much crunch. This is even after the fact that many sticks had the potato skin on them (as they are naturally cut), which is easier to crisp and in general support a better texture. It definitely feels like a missed opportunity here, whether to fry it longer or the fryer needing a higher temperature.

The fries are bright yellow and even feels under cooked.

Flavor (4/10)

These fries are quite bland, although there was an effort to put at least a bit of salt on the fries. In addition to the blandness, the fries were also dry, drab, and not too pleasing on the palate. On the more positive side, they did come out nice and hot.

Shape (6/10)

The fries were cut nicely, in long strips and were pretty evenly sized. This level of consistency isn't easy to achieve, especially with natural cut fries so kudos to Carl's. The sticks all fit together in their cartons and were easy to pick for everybody around the table. Due to the lack of crisp and mushyness, they did flop about a bit, but were sturdy for the most part.

Consistent, straight, and solid shape.

Presentation (6/10)

The fries were placed nicely into the cartons, or fry sleeves, and when placed on the table, looked nice, hot, and inviting. The cartons had a wide top and the mostly vertical insertion of the sticks allowed easy grabbing and accessibility. Other than the practicality of a approachable carton, there was nothing more or memorable that went above and beyond. This is a standard fries presentation.

The cartons are quite narrow and tall which was interesting.

Experience (4/10)

The price of the Carl’s Jr. Natural-Cut Fries are about $5.19, which is definitely on the expensive side. This is exacerbated by the fact that you don't get much, perhaps around 25 sticks. The pictures above are a bit deceiving with tall cartons. They just don't fit much. For harmony and balance, the burgers were quite good, but the fries didn't do much to the overall meal.

Texture	6
Flavor	4
Shape	6
Presentation	6
Experience	4
Overall	5.2 / 10

Conclusion

It is quite clear that Carl’s Jr. has put in the effort in creating great fries, but it seems that the once prestigious quality of its burgers has failed to manifest in its fries. It was dry, bland on taste, and average with its shape, undoubtedly being an afterthought to its burger companion in presentation and experience. After all of those imbalances and lack of inspiration, it is tough to rank Carl’s Jr. as one of the greats in fries.