The Untold Truth Of National French Fry Day

If you count yourself a lover of all things fried and golden, you can't miss National French Fry Day. The unofficial holiday celebrating fries of every shape, size, and style falls on July 13 each year (it's on a Tuesday in 2021), and anyone looking to celebrate just needs to simply indulge in your favorite fries (via National Day Calendar). While no one knows how the holiday came about, you can't deny that this perfect side dish deserves a day dedicated to this mouthwatering treat (via Medium).

A national holiday for fries just wouldn't feel right without some sweet deals, and chains always come together to offer deep deals on this side (via CNN). Restaurants including Burger King, Taco John's, Checkers, and many more have free fries up for grabs this year, and as the holiday draws closer, more restaurants might very well jump aboard with their own promotions (via Retail Me Not). With a celebration this tempting, you can expect fries galore and if you play your cards just right, you might even walk away with french fries for life.

You may assume McDonald's wants to give diners free fries to celebrate National French Fry Day, but don't jump to conclusions too quickly. According to USA Today, McDonald's plans to change July 13 to World Famous Fan Day and give away free fries to members of the MyMcDonald'sRewards app, in addition hosting a contest that awards 66 lucky winners the chance to receive french fries for life. This massive grand prize amounts to a $19,685 deal that can get anyone motivated to join the restaurant's app, even if the contest allegedly doesn't celebrate french fries.

Only time can tell if World Famous Fan Day catches on, but considering the restaurant plans to reward loyalty with fries and has stiff competition from so many other chains dishing out free fries, McDonald's may have a tough time getting their competing holiday to stick. If you get the chance, celebrate National French Fry Day the best way possible at McDonald's, even if they claim to recognize a separate holiday.

While restaurants across America plan to go all out on July 13 and dish out tons of fries, whole communities rarely come together to honor the fry. According to Potato Pro, Florenceville-Bristol, New Brunswick, Canada, takes the celebration to the next level and comes together as a town to party it up with french fries. The town claims itself as the "French Fry Capital of the World" and the home of McCain Foods. Crispy, the town's potato mascot, helps kick off the celebrations as members of the local 4-H club distribute recipes for fries to revelers. If you find yourself in Florenceville-Bristol for the festivities, you can visit the Potato World Museum, help plant potatoes, enjoy some french fry art, and even engage in a french fry-cutting contest.

If you do decide to go head-to-head with other pro fry cutters, you have your work cut out for you. The 2012 champion managed to produce over 15 kilograms of fries in just three minutes. If you want to take your love for this crispy side to new heights, you couldn't ask for a better celebration and crowd that truly appreciates the art of french fries.

In honor of the holiday, a San Francisco marketing agency conducted a survey to discover how diners liked to enjoy their National French Fry Day fries (via National Today). The survey found that 35% of participants ranked McDonald's fries as the very best, with Chick-fil-A's fries trailing at second place with 13%. Carl's Jr.'s fries made the smallest impact on consumers, coming in last place, with 2%. While diners couldn't decide on a favorite restaurant's fries, dipping selections helped unite many of the participants. Ketchup ranked as the number one condiment, with 55% of people preferring it to ranch dressing at 15%, barbecue sauce at 7%, and mayonnaise at 4%.

Style of fries also divided diners, with regular and curly fries taking 21% and 20% of the vote, respectively. Meanwhile, wedges received the least amount of love, scoring 7% of the vote. Some 21% of participants even united together to declare their love for dipping fries in milkshakes. If those numbers can't inspire you to try some new fries, sauces, and more, nothing can.

While you might imagine that the holiday only celebrates traditional fries, chefs from around the country have whipped up their own one-of-a-kind creations to celebrate National French Fry Day. According to CNN, an Oregon restaurant concocted pastrami fries, featuring waffle cut fries topped with pastrami and cheese sauce (via Kenny and Zuke's Delicatessen). Meanwhile, an Anaheim restaurant came up with a Tornado Potato, a spiral cut potato that took a bath in a deep fryer (via The Daily Meal).

If those culinary masterpieces can't get your mouth watering, an order of okonomiyaki-style french fries could do the trick. In Atlanta, a restaurant has perfected french fries styled after a traditional Japanese okonomiyaki (via CNN). The fries come topped with a special sauce, nori strips, bonito flakes, sesame seeds, and beni shoga. These french fries truly help bridge culinary worlds, and thanks to the holiday, diners everywhere can eat some seriously inspired food.

For years, it looked like KFC only planned to dish out fried potato wedges instead of serving up classic fries. All that changed in 2020 when the chicken chain broke the news that they planned to revive their Secret Recipe Fries as a permanent menu item in honor of National French Fry Day (via Restaurant Business). These fries hadn't seen the light of day in over 50 years, but thanks to the festivities, anyone craving some fried spuds can get their hands on this vintage treat that made waves for all the right reasons.

While some diners claim that these special fries could use even more seasoning, no one can argue that the side provides a great crunch and pairs perfectly with KFC's fried chicken (via Thrillist). With July 13 just around the corner, make sure to mark your calendars and don't miss the amazing celebration of fries across the country. With so many deals, you know you won't end the day without indulging in some serious french fries that can make you rethink this humble side.