Those Zagat people, Nina, Tim, and their army of contributors, are at it again! Instead of an eponymous city guidebook, they asked over 6,000 people to rate their favorite fast food establishments: The Survey ranked 103 chains from surveyors who order fast food at least 11 times a month! Wendy’s was the overall Mega-Chain winner, and the West Coast’s popular In-N-Out Burger took top honors for a food chain with fewer than 5,000 outlets. Trust me, when you grab a burger at one of its locations in 4 states (CA, NV, UT, or AZ), you’ll understand what the fuss is about! They earned top honors for Best Burger, too.

Maybe Starbucks is the real winner of the survey as it grabbed top honors in the Quick Refreshment Category as the most popular spot, and the company earned major bragging rights for Best Coffee even though they have been attacked by every barista and quick coffee shop within its sights.

McDonald’s, which is working hard to earn a coffee title, managed top numbers for Best French Fries, Best breakfast, Best Drive-Thru, and Best Value. The latter category is doubly important this year at all levels of food purchasing–everyone is looking for value.

Were there surprises? Not necessarily, but in the full-service category, I love the fact that the International House of Pancakes, IHOP, won Best Breakfast and Chuck E. Cheese still wins the Most Child-Friendly category.

The more things change; the more they stay the same!