Burger King Heats Up Florida Fast Food War With New $5 Deal

Burger King always holds a special place in my heart. It was my first job as a teen. So when ever I see Burger King make moves, it makes me want to root for them. Well, the King just threw down the gauntlet with their new $5 Your Way Meal. This deal comes hot on the heels of McDonald's dropping a similar special, and it's clear the Florida fast-food wars are heating up.

So, what's on the menu with this $5 deal? You get to pick one of three sandwiches, plus you get chicken nuggets, fries, and a drink. Not bad, right? According to FOX35, this deal will stick around for a few months, giving you plenty of time to get your cheap eats fix.

But let’s get real. This move is more than just a bid to one-up Mickey D’s. Fast-food joints everywhere are feeling the pinch from rising costs and fewer folks hitting the drive-thru. Inflation's got everyone tightening their belts, and restaurants are no exception. In California, things are even wilder. The state's new $20 minimum wage for fast-food workers kicked in on April 1, and the ripple effect is real. Prices are going up, and people are starting to feel it.

For instance, take Burger King's Texas Double Whopper meal. Before the wage hike, it was $15.09. But come April 1, boom... It jumped to $16.89. That's a 12% jump, all thanks to the new wage law. And of course, things tend to trickle down, where we feel the sting here in Florida. The idea behind the law was to help workers keep up with California’s sky-high living costs, but not everyone’s on board. Critics say it might lead to fewer jobs as businesses look for ways to cut costs. I say it's going to bring the robot apocalypse. First they work at Burger King, then they'll take over the world.

So, while you can score a decent meal for just five bucks at Burger King for now, don’t be surprised if other menu prices keep climbing, and C3PO starts taking your orders. The fast-food game is changing, and everyone’s trying to keep up.

There's been some activity across the web about where you can get the best fast food chicken nuggets. The problem for those of us in Southwest Florida, is not all of those franchises are here. And the national lists don't include some that we do have. So we needed to create a chicken nuggets list that's specific to Fort Myers, Naples, Cape Coral, Lehigh Acres - really just all of Southwest Florida.

This list is just nuggets, not tenders. Or fingers. If we did tenders we'd have to include Zaxby's and even the ones at Racetrac, which are actually quite good. And then you get into the ones at Publix which isn't a fast food place. (Ya'll know my thoughts on the Chicken Tender Sub- love it). And then you have to allow Burger King's Chicken Fries, which are waaaaay better then their chicken nuggets. No, we have to stay focused. This is just a chicken nuggets list. Regular or spicy.

Let's face it, if you have to drive a long way to get your nuggets you may make another choice. or more importantly, if you're Door Dashing it, those nuggets won't be as good if they've made a long trip. Am I ranking Wendy's Spicy Nugs higher because the store is right in front of the Publix I shop at? Maybe. And maybe the reason I rarely go to Popeye's is because there's a Chick-Fil-A on the right side of the road on the way there. Do you drive past Chick-Fil-A to get to Popeye's? Sometimes the best fast food chicken nuggets are the ones that are closer.

One last thing before we get to the list. Why aren't fast food chicken nuggets available as dinosaurs? Honestly, Dino Chicken Nuggets really aren't that good, but I buy them anyway because they're fun. Give me Wendy's Dinosaur Spicy Nuggets and I'd make them number one on this list. Didn't Burger King once shape their nuggets as crowns?

We're putting Chick-Fil-A at number one. They are the perfect combination of taste, sauce, and proximity to the radio station. And service -  I'm also really liking the way the Estero store is handling the drive thru. As places like Wendy's are moving towards AI ordering boards, Chick-Fil-A has people standing outside with tablets taking your order. Chick-Fil-A nuggets are the best in Southwest Florida.

Wendy's nuggets come in second. More specifically, their Spicy Nugs. They are really everything you'd want in a chicken nugget. Maybe not quite as good as CFA, but solid. Another thing Wendy's is doing right are those fries. They've changed the fries to keep them crispy as they're being delivered. How often have you had a combo meal delivered from somewhere and the fries have turned to a soggy mess? Wendy's solved that, they stay crispy. Nice job. Front Office Rita has Wendy's at 1, but the rest of us say 2.

Usually at PDQ you think tenders, but their nuggets are really good, too. They're just smaller tenders. And they are fantastic. There are a ton of choices over by FGCU, but I'll pulling up PDQ every time. They make 'em spicy, too.

There's a lot of nostalgia in this choice, but you gotta place McDonald's McNuggets high on the list. Here's my problem, though. They come in 4 sizes - bell, bone, boot, and ball. Why aren't one of those dinosaurs? Seriously. Remember when Rick and Morty did that Szechuan dipping sauce episode? That stuff is fire. 

I know they have other options now, but this ranking is based on their regular nuggets. And those, are just kind of - blah. I do want to try their new Saucy Nuggets. I think they realized they needed to step up their nugget game. 

Let me start off by saying I'm a huge fan of the Popeye's Chicken Sandwich. I'd rank that as my favorite fast food chicken sandwich. But their nuggets. Their nuggets just don't hit. I want to like them. But I don't.

My big issue is that the Chicken Fries are really good. But the nuggets. Well, they aren't. Maybe the Fiery fries are better, I haven't tried those. This person on Twitter (X) seems to like them. Stay away from their regular nuggets, tho, unless you have lots of sauce. Drown those things in BBQ sauce and they'll work.

I can't rank them because I've never had them. And there's an Arby's on Corkscrew Road just down from my house. I guess I'll need to give Arby's a shot. Not the first place I think of when it comes to nuggets, but maybe I can get some Horsey Sauce and Arby's Sauce with that? Maybe?