(wendys.com) – Somewhere between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Warwick, New York

How I heard of this place: My first memory of Wendy’s might date me: commercials from the 1980s of a cute, old woman yelling out, “Where’s the beef?” This, however, was my first taste of a full Wendy’s meal.

Type of cuisine: Burgers. Fries. Frostys. “When Dave Thomas opened our first Wendy’s restaurant in 1969, he opened the door to a new gold standard in quality food. His words “We don’t cut corners on quality,” affected everything from our hamburgers to our customer service. When other restaurants were using frozen beef and mass-producing food, Dave developed an innovative method to prepare fresh, made-to-order hamburgers, allowing us to quickly serve high quality and variety to millions of customers daily. He coined the phrase, “Quality is our recipe.” Every day, we honor his legacy and continue to live through his values and fresh philosophy by using select, premium ingredients and serving food that’s made fresh with every order. That’s the way it’s always been and that’s the way it will stay.”

Ambiance: Being in a rush to make it to our Thanksgiving weekend destination in the beautiful village of Warwick, New York, there was no time to go indoors. I imagine that it resembles the likes of other fast food chains: plastic chairs and laminate tables, a walk up counter with registers and the kitchen beyond. The drive-thru, similar to others, gave us pictures to enjoy while placing our orders through the two-way speaker, as we drove around the manicured grassy mound hosting the displays.

What I ordered: I ordered the Bacon Deluxe Single (but ended up with a double), as did one of my dining companions: “Three strips of Applewood Smoked Bacon piled high atop a hot ‘n juicy beef patty, made to order every time. Add American cheese, cool and crisp veggies with a little condiment love and you’ve got a hamburger to satisfy your senses.” He also ordered the Double Stack: “Two junior hamburger patties topped off with American cheese, ketchup, mustard, pickle and onion. Made fresh when you order it. Big on taste and small on price!” My second dining companion chose the Triple Cheeseburger Deluxe (minus tomatoes): “Our delicious hot ’n juicy beef patty topped with all the essentials: American cheese, pickles, onions, tomatoes and lettuce.” We each also enjoyed a 5-piece Chicken Nuggets: “Eat with your fingers. Crispy outside, juicy inside, Wendy’s® Chicken Nuggets are all-white meat. You choose the sauce: barbecue, honey mustard, sweet and sour, ranch or honey.” And our meals were each accompanied by fries: “Let’s face it—everybody’s got fries. Wendy’s has got something special. Naturally-cut from whole Russet potatoes, cooked skin-on, and served hot and crispy with a sprinkle of sea salt for a taste as real as it gets. You’ve had fries. Now try some Real fries.” My meal came with a small soda, Sprite; Samyar enjoyed a large Coke and Chris substituted the soda with a vanilla Frosty, made with fresh Grade A milk and rich cream, thick enough that a straw and strong slurping muscles could hardly handle it.

What I loved: My favorite part was the fries, as it nearly always is with fast food. I enjoyed the somewhat less salty, soft, doughy natural cut strips of delicious potato. The chicken nuggets were also juicy, tender, with a crisp outside. The bacon, abundant, crisped to perfection. The Frosty a thick, vanilla cup of delicious.

Why I loved it: Quick. Easy. First time at Wendy’s, celebrated with two of my favorite people. I am also sort of excited about my next trip to Wendy’s (though not any time soon), when I can sample one of the baked potato options. Yum!

Cost: Low to average ($5.49-$7.99 per burger combination meal)