I ordered salads from Wendy's, Culver's, Chick-fil-A, and Zaxby's. My old go-to chain didn't come close to first place.

I started my taste test at Wendy's, my old go-to spot when I needed a salad fast. The chain's salad menu does have some nice variety, though, with Caesar, Cobb, apple-pecan, and taco options.

For this comparison, I went with the basic Cobb.

A traditional Cobb salad usually has greens, tomatoes, bacon, hard-boiled eggs, blue cheese, grilled chicken, and a vinaigrette dressing. Wendy's version wasn't too far off, but it swapped in cheddar cheese and ranch dressing.

I got two packets of dressing with the salad and a bag of crispy onions to sprinkle on top.

The ranch wasn't particularly flavorful, but the addition of the onions added a dash of flavor and crunch.

The Cobb salad cost me $9.13 at Wendy's, and despite being on the smaller side for this taste test, it was pretty filling.

My biggest complaints were that the grilled chicken and ranch were a bit on the bland side, and the bowls felt flimsy and shallow, making it difficult to blend the ingredients.

I remember Wendy's salads being bigger and a little more impressive, but maybe it's just been a while since I've had one.

Next, I drove over to the closest Zaxby's location. The chain is primarily known for its seasoned and breaded fried chicken.

A salad isn't the first thing that comes to mind when I think about Zaxby's — I'm personally a fan of its funnel cakes and other fried foods. So I wasn't surprised that the chain only sold two Zalad options: Cobb and house.

With mixed greens, hard-boiled egg, cheese, carrots, red cabbage, cucumbers, tomatoes, fried onions, and fried chicken, Zaxby's salad was certainly fully loaded. But despite all the accouterments, I thought the ratios were spot-on.

Similarly to Wendy's, Zaxby's uses cheddar jack instead of blue cheese, perhaps because the stinky variety isn't everyone's favorite.

For the dressing, I had a choice of ranch, honey mustard, or vinaigrette, and the salad came with a hearty piece of Texas toast on the side.

I also really appreciated that I was in and out with my salad in less than four minutes. I like fast food that's actually fast.

Zaxby's salad came in a more substantial container than the others, which also meant the portion size was a bit bigger. However, it was the priciest salad at $12.60.

I was already a fan of the chain's top-notch fried chicken, and enjoying it on top of a colorful salad ended up being a delightful experience.

Chick-fil-A is a popular place to be, but I've found that the chain operates efficiently (albeit slower) than other fast-food spots.

Nevertheless, if you breeze past the many chicken options, Chick-fil-A has three salads: Cobb, spicy Southwest, and market.

Chick-fil-A's Cobb salad is made with mixed greens, roasted corn kernels, bacon, hard-boiled egg, tomatoes, Monterey Jack and cheddar cheese, and chicken nuggets. It's served with an avocado-lime ranch dressing

Unlike the other chains, this salad allowed for a little more customization. I could've substituted the nuggets for chicken strips or fillets that were grilled, fried, cold, or warm.

Instead of fried onions, the salad also came with a topping of crispy bell peppers.

The real hero of this meal was the creamy dressing. It pulled the flavors together and was unique compared to the other offerings I tried.

Even though the packaging was on the smaller side, the salad was densely packed. It was also incredibly delicious and kept me full for hours.

I'd pay $10.40 for this Cobb again.

Culver's has a fantastic ButterBurger, but the Midwest-based chain actually makes a pretty great salad as well. Oddly enough, they're sectioned off with the seafood options on the menu.

Although there wasn't a Cobb on the menu, the seasonal strawberry-fields salad caught my eye — I'm a sucker for a limited-time offer.

With mixed greens, chicken, blue cheese, and vinaigrette, I thought it was close enough to a traditional Cobb to compare to the others.

There were also chicken-cashew, cranberry-bacon-blue, and garden-fresco salads.

The strawberry-fields salad came with raspberry vinaigrette, blue cheese, strawberries, tomatoes, grilled chicken, and pecans on a bed of mixed greens.

When I picked up my order, I was handed one fat-free Ken's vinaigrette and one Culver's brand option. It was a bit odd, but I like having options, so I didn't mind.

Culver's packs its strawberry-fields salad with enough fruit to make it feel like a dessert. That alone probably makes it a little harder to compare to the Cobbs, but at the end of the day, a fast-food salad is a fast-food salad.

This one is for people who don't want to feel like they're eating salad. There were enough toppings to saturate each bite, and at $9.77, it was a cheaper option.

My only complaint was that the grilled chicken was a bit bland and didn't really add anything for me.

Although none of the salads were bad, when it came down to crowning a winning chain, Zaxby's and Chick-fil-A were neck and neck for me.

They both offered quality ingredients, decent portion sizes, and top-notch taste.

If you're looking for faster service, Zaxby's might be the one for you. But Chick-fil-A's Cobb salad is a more budget-friendly option.

Considering Chick-fil-A's salad was cheaper and so dense that I actually had leftovers, I think it has to be my winner.

This story was originally published on August 25, 2024, and most recently updated on April 7, 2025.