• Lent, the Catholic observance during which many abstain from eating meat on Fridays, begins Wednesday.
• Fast-food chains only have so many non-meat options — and fish sandwiches are often the most popular choice for observers, so we compared several chains' fishwiches. 
• Unsurprisingly, most were gross, but a select few actually surprised us. 

From the Norse braving the icy northern seas to Columbus aimlessly bumbling into the Caribbean, the ocean has struck fear and trepidation in the heart of man.

A similar feeling of hesitation often accompanies something else from the sea: fast-food fish sandwiches.

McDonald's Filet-O-Fish — created for Catholics abstaining from meat on Fridays during Lent — started the trend in 1962. Since then, most fast-food chains have introduced a Lent-approved fish sandwich. 

But are they any good? "Fast-food fish" doesn't sound seaworthy on paper. We decided to taste test fish sandwiches from seven major chains to find out which fishwiches fill our sails, and which ones deserve a keelhauling. 

SEE ALSO: A food scientist explains how Doritos are engineered to be the perfect snack

ALSO READ: A Mediterranean fast-casual chain that people are obsessed with is planning to take over America — here's what it's like

Ah, the beautiful bounty of the sea: Arby's, Burger King, Dairy Queen, McDonald's, Popeyes, Wendy's, and White Castle, fresh from the nets.

This fishy fare is ranked worst to best, as follows:

7. Arby's Crispy Fish Sandwich

The pale, sesame-seed encrusted bun is soft and clammy — seafood pun unintended, but welcomed nonetheless. In a word, the gist of this sandwich is … gummy. The texture (or "mouth feel," a food writing term that brings an instant grimace) is chewy and dense in both bun and fish. The fillet is comically large and tragically sodden. The tartar sauce is undetectable. If there were any flavor to begin with, I’m unsure I could identify it amidst the dense breading and denser bread.

It lacks any taste or joy. The chain should stick to its tried-and-true turf, because its surf is stagnant.

6. Dairy Queen Alaskan Pacific Cod Sandwich

I've met an iteration of this sandwich once before, and calling the impression "not good" would be a gargantuan understatement. This fish sandwich seems to be an update on the distasteful predecessor, improving some qualms and doubling down on others. The bun still slides about on the cod fillet, slicked by a spill of tartar sauce the size to which even the Exxon Valdez would take offense. The lettuce swims about in it like oil-soaked kelp, doomed to spend eternity in condiment purgatory.

However, to give credit where credit is warranted, the fish itself is an improvement. It’s not crispy, it's not great — but it's identifiable as something that once swam. 

• The egg sandwich is an integral part of any fast-food breakfast menu.
• Every chain has their own special takes on it, especially the "Big Three" chains: McDonald's, Burger King, and Wendy's. 
• We taste-tested each chain's egg breakfast sandwiches to find out which is the best — and in the end, we were surprised by what we found. 

Egg, cheese, and bacon or sausage: the classic breakfast sandwich. It's ubiquitous, yet the simple breakfast sandwich enjoys eternal popularity.

And with breakfast habits changing, breakfast sandwiches on-the-go have become all the more popular. 

But of all the national chains, who makes the best classic sandwich?

I tried the egg, cheese, and meat iterations from three major fast-food chains — Burger King, McDonald's, and Wendy's — to see which one comes out on top. At the end of the test, the winner surprised us all — and it gives a huge incentive for a huge chain to step up its breakfast game. 

SEE ALSO: We ranked everything on McDonald's All Day Breakfast menu from worst to best — here's the final verdict

ALSO READ: A Mediterranean fast-casual chain that people are obsessed with is planning to take over America — here's what it's like

The Big Three all serve some version of the sandwich; at first glance, the only difference seems to be the bread.

Let's dive into Burger King's Supreme breakfast sandwich. It's a breakfast limousine wreck of two eggs, two sausages, and two servings of bacon topped with cheese and served in a "toasted hoagie bun," which appears to be crushed in a car compactor before serving.

Source: Burger King

If this is a toasted hoagie bun, I don't know what a hoagie is. It's an elongated hamburger bun with all the sogginess and disappointment that buns are heir to — a bun to be wished away. The sickly yellow egg is gelatinous and tastes of complete nothingness. With fast-food sausage and bacon all in one sandwich, the entire thing comes off as incredibly salty. I didn't finish this one.

I was diagnosed with a gluten intolerance six years ago and have been gluten-free ever since.

In that time, it has become easier and easier to find gluten-free foods, especially in New York City where I live. 

That is, unless we're talking about fast food. 

Even though an estimated2.7 million Americans follow a gluten-free diet, fast-food restaurants in the US haven't done much to appeal to this growing population of people who avoid foods like bread and pasta made with wheat.

In an effort to survey the gluten-free landscape, I set out on a mission to see if I could survive only on fast-food for five days. My most important rule was to only eat at fast-food chains and consume at least three meals a day. 

Here's how I did it:

First, I mapped out exactly what I could eat.

I kicked off day one with breakfast at McDonald's.

This was my first time eating breakfast at McDonald's so it was a momentous moment. My first hurdle was finding something filling that I could actually eat.

What I ate: Yogurt Parfait (without granola) and two bags of apple slices. 

Verdict: The yogurt was extremely sweet. I gave up halfway through and decided to move on to the apple slices, assuming that these would be a safe bet. I was wrong. The apples were peeled and had lost all their crunch. Overall, not a good start to the day.

By lunch I was starving, so I headed to Shake Shack for a burger.

Shack Shack is one of two fast-food chains that offers a gluten-free bun and prides itself on serving 100 percent Angus beef meat, free of hormones and antibiotics.

What I ate: Shake Shack's gluten-free bun with a burger patty.

The verdict: I was so insistent that my meal be gluten-free that I confused the server when ordering. I ended up with a very bland sandwich that didn't contain Shake Shack's typical burger toppings, like tomato and lettuce. While the bread was tasty, it felt dry, and the limp meat inside was a bit disappointing. But at least I was full. 

• Fast-food salads are often looked down upon as menu afterthoughts best avoided, but many chains have seriously improved their salad offerings lately.
• We tried salads from several major national fast-food chains — Burger King, Chick-fil-A, McDonald's, and Wendy's. 
• McDonald's and Chick-fil-A's salads are shockingly good, while others miss the mark. 

The fast-food salad: an oxymoron? A pointless exercise in trying to be healthy? A grave mistake to be avoided? Fast-food salads have a bad reputation — the afterthoughts of the chain menus, half-heartedly made and forgotten amidst the glistening burgers and fries. 

But somehow, these grab-and-go containers of lettuce have improved vastly over the years.

While they started off as a weak olive branch in the 2000s, aimed at placating health nuts who complained about chains' glut of fats and dearth of healthy choices, many chains have seriously stepped up their salad game.

Gone are the days of iceberg lettuce and goopy ranch — think fruits, beans, mesclun, cabbage, and pomegranate vinaigrettes.

We decided to try salads from several major national fast-food chains — Burger King, Chick-fil-A, McDonald's, and Wendy's — to see how far they've come, and to find out who makes the best salads around:

SEE ALSO: We tried Olive Garden's most confusing take on Italian food yet — here's the verdict

DON'T MISS: We ranked everything on McDonald's All Day Breakfast menu from worst to best — here's the final verdict

Interestingly, all of the salads offered from these chains are centered around chicken. Some chains, like McDonald's and Burger King, allow you to choose which kind of chicken to add — be it grilled or fried — while others don't ask.

Burger King's Chicken Club Salad

Burger King used to be my favorite chain as a kid, but in my aged wisdom I have come to find that the quality is severely lacking on the whole. This sentiment extends to its salads.

The grilled chicken is bland, stringy, and boring. The quality isn't awful otherwise — there's romaine lettuce, the Ken’s Steakhouse ranch dressing is solid, and the tomatoes seem … decent. But it's lackluster. If "decent" is the best thing to be said, there may be an issue. 

There's nothing exciting about this salad. And sure, I realize salads aren't expected to be the Carnivale of meals, but a little pizzazz would be appreciated. The extremely salty bacon is a footnote at best, and the chicken is simply ... there. It's boring. The fact that I paid $7.49 for this feels a little insulting. 

• McDonald's, Taco Bell, and Burger King are winning the fast-food budget wars, according to a new report.
• With McDonald's new $1 $2 $3 value menu and Taco Bell's $1 menu, fast-food chains are working hard to win over bargain shoppers in 2018.
• Value is more important than ever, with "less free spending money lately" emerging as the top factor that customers cited for eating at a particular chain less often.

Fast-food customers are hungrier than ever for good deals as the middle class shrinks across the US. 

Customers say "good value" is the top reason they would visit a fast-food chain more often, according to a UBS Evidence Lab survey shared with investors on Thursday. 

According to UBS analyst Dennis Geiger, McDonald's remains the leader of the pack when it comes to winning over budget shoppers. Americans are associating the chain with "good value" at a higher rate than another other fast-food competitor. 

McDonald's "increased focus on everyday value through its McPick 2 platform and now $1 $2 $3 Dollar Menu has likely supported even better value positioning and outperformance relative to peers," Geiger wrote in the note. 

Geiger also named Taco Bell as a winner on value. 

Taco Bell doubled down on its $1 value menu, prior to McDonald's launching its new $1 $2 $3 menu in January. The chain plans to add 20 new $1 limited-time menu items in 2018. 

Wendy's and Burger King are similarly attracting more customers with new deals that help position the chains as more budget-friendly options. Burger King has a "balanced approach to value and premium innovation, including value platforms across multiple day parts and price points," according to Geiger.

In UBS' survey, 42% of consumers said they are eating at Wendy's "more often because of value." Most recently, Wendy's launched a deal this week that offers Double Stack burgers for just $1. 

The emphasis on value is symptomatic of the death of the middle class. 

Having "less free spending money lately" and chains being "too expensive" were the two top factors that customers cited for eating at a particular chain less often. And, the issue of fast-food being too expensive for customers isn't getting better. 

"Further, more consumers indicated these two factors as reasons for eating less often at QSRs in 2018 relative to 2016, potentially indicating an even more price sensitive consumer," Geiger wrote. 

SEE ALSO: Here are all the changes Amazon is making to Whole Foods

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• The FDA suggests eating roughly 2,000 calories a day to sustain energy.
• Americans tend to consume much more than that on average, and many think processed foods, sugars, and fats that are often present in fast-food is to blame. 
• We grabbed some pretty ordinary meals from major fast-food chains that add up to at least 2,000 calories — and it's pretty surprising how little it takes to reach it.

The Food and Drug Administration recommends an average daily intake of 2,000 calories. 

Yet according to data from The Food and Agriculture Organization of the Unitred Nations (FAOSTAT), Americans eat about 3,600 calories daily — a 24% increase from 1961. Healthier, more transparent practices are making their way into the fast-food industry, yet simple awareness isn't always effective.

The Upshot took pictures of 2,000 calories' worth of restaurant food in 2014.

We decided to do our own version and visit 13 fast-food chains to discover what ordering 2,000 calories looks like.

While many of these arrangements look like single meals, each would be all you are recommended to eat in an entire day.

Marina Nazario contributed reporting on a previous version of this article.

SEE ALSO: We compared salads from McDonald's, Burger King, Chick-fil-A, and Wendy's — and the results were shocking

Starbucks

Venti white-chocolate mocha, sausage and cheddar classic breakfast sandwich, dark cherry Greek yogurt, salted caramel cake pop, coffee cake. Total calories: 2,030.

McDonald's

Bacon clubhouse crispy-chicken sandwich, large fries, mozzarella sticks with marinara sauce, Oreo McFlurry. Total calories: 2,010.

Panera Bread

New England clam-chowder bread bowl, chips, chocolate-chip cookie, bottled lemonade. Total calories: 2,160.

• The American breakfast biscuit sandwich renaissance is here, with more and more chains embracing the typically Southern breakfast meal. 
• Even national chains like McDonald's, Wendy's, and Burger King are offering them across the country. 
• We tried them all and found that Wendy's makes the absolute best, despite its limited breakfast menu. 

American tastes are changing, and fast-food chains are trying to keep up with the trends.

The biscuit, a classic cornerstone of Southern American cuisine, has long been a regional option at restaurants like McDonald's, Wendy's, and others of the fast-food ilk.

But now the biscuit is being embraced across the US as an integral breakfast item, even being folded into the myriad breakfast sandwich options.

We tried biscuit sandwiches from major fast-food chains to see which makes the best biscuit breakfast for your on-the-go morning meal.

SEE ALSO: What the FDA-recommended daily intake of 2,000 calories looks like at every major fast-food chain

ALSO READ: We tried the regional burger chain many people say is the best in America to see if it lives up to the hype

Burger King's bacon, sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit: a greasy, soggy, bland horror. The bacon is crispy, but the gelatinous square of sadness masquerading as an egg squelches any advances on the meat front.

Burger King's sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit: just as greasy, just as sad, but with the underwhelming and salty sausage patty sans bacon. The biscuit is thick and heavy, made all the more so by the viscous cheese.

McDonald's bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit: a tad soggy, but nowhere near the boggy marsh of Burger King's. The bacon is satisfyingly crispy — a rarity in fast-food breakfasts. But where is the real egg that makes the McMuffin so irresistible? Why must McDonald's use floppy egg squares for everything but the McMuffin?

• Cheesy Tots are available at Burger King once again.
• Fans on social media requested their return.
• The popular side was first introduced in 2013, and has returned to the menu a couple of times in recent years. 
• After Burger King President Alex Macedo caught wind of recent requests to bring them back again, he put the cheesy snack back on the menu.
• Cheesy Tots are now available for a limited time, and cost $1.99 for an order that includes eight pieces of the crunchy, yet gooey potatoes. 

I have some big news. As the self-proclaimed world's biggest tater tot person, this is the kind of information I've been waiting for. Potatoes are most definitely my favorite food (all types—I don't discriminate). And Burger King is bringing back their Cheesy Tots, a side that combines my ultimate fave and cheese.

The reintroduction of the Cheesy Tots isn't just a miracle though, it's because of us, fans of all things potato and cheese. The requests on Twitter and Instagram for more Cheesy Tots in the world apparently got directly to Burger King President Alex Macedo, who decided to bring them back once again. So give yourselves a pat on the back 'cause this is all because of you. 

The Perfect Combination of Gooey and Crispy

There is not a day that goes by that I don't think about what something would be like with cheese in it. I'm a strong believer that everything can be improved with cheese and honestly, you know it's true. These cheesy tots are bite-sized gems with breading on the outside and potato and American cheese on the inside. Does this sound like a dream to anyone else? It's definitely not just mine. 

Bringing Back a Tradition

After being first introduced in 2013 and then brought back a couple of times since, these tots have proven to be an ideal side to keep around. I mean, what's not to like? But, even though they're back now, which should be cause for celebration, they're only staying for a limited time. That means that it could be a few weeks or a few months. We really have no idea how long this dream of Cheesy Tots will last, so you need to get to your nearest Burger King ASAP. 

Did I Mention the Price?

Not only are these bite-sized pillows of cheesy potato goodness available now at Burger King, but they're only $1.99 for a side of eight. That's an unreal deal if you ask me. You absolutely have no excuse not to give these a try. 

Burger King followed your requests and brought back these Cheesy Tots, so if you know what's good for you, you've gotta get your hands on some. 

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NOW WATCH: A place in NYC makes tater tot pizza

• The chicken sandwich has made a resurgence in the fast-food industry in the past few years, and now it's time for the spicy version.
• We tried spicy chicken sandwiches from three major chains: Burger King, Chick-fil-A, and Wendy's.
• While each had decent chicken, the quality of the sandwiches varied greatly.

The fast-food chicken sandwich is enjoying a golden age — and now the heat is rising.

Burger King recently launched a spicy version of its revamped chicken sandwich, hoping to compete with Chick-fil-A and Wendy's.

Spicy chicken sandwiches are unique beasts, as they need enough heat to make things interesting without burning your taste buds. And the chicken still has to be held to the same standard as its non-spicy brethren — it doesn't matter how spicy it tastes if it's bone-dry and stringy.

With this in mind, we compared the spicy sandwiches of the three major chains to see who makes the best one.

SEE ALSO: Taco Bell's newest menu item beat out Doritos Locos Tacos to become the most successful launch in the chain's history — here's the secret to its success

Let's start with Burger King's new sandwich. It certainly looks good, and it smells peppery and golden fried.

The chicken looks heavily breaded, and it's a rather discomforting orange hue. The sandwich necessities are lackluster at best — the tomato slice is mealy and pale, and the iceberg lettuce is wilted and sparse.

It's definitely not crispy, but there is a solid spiciness to it. The heat is surprisingly strong and sharp, with a lingering needling similar to the vinegary heat of buffalo sauce. The tomato and lettuce add a cooling balance but let the sandwich down in terms of quality.

Heat level: 6/10

• Retail bankruptcies hit an all-time high in the first quarter of the year, according to Moody's Investors Service. 
• Sears, J.Crew, and Neiman Marcus are among the companies that could be next to default, according to S&P Global Ratings.

Retail bankruptcies hit an all-time high in the first quarter of the year, soaring past last year's records, according to Moody's Investor's Service. 

The fallout is far from over, however, with many more defaults expected for the remainder of 2018.

"We believe defaults in 2018 could match or exceed last year's record level," S&P Global Ratings analyst Robert Shulz wrote in a report that identified 20 retailers at risk of defaulting. Since publishing the report last month, two of the companies identified — the jewelry retailer Claire's and grocery chainBi-Lo — have filed for bankruptcy.

The pace of retail liquidations could also pick up this year, Shulz wrote.

"Despite store closures amid the turmoil, the US remains significantly oversaturated with retail stores," he wrote. "Some retailers have made progress towards better aligning their physical footprint to the new reality of physical versus virtual sales, but there is still excess capacity."

Toys R Us recently began liquidating its US business. The company has shut down its Toys R Us and Babies R Us websites, and it's now holding going-out-of-business sales at its more than 700 US stores. 

Sears, J.Crew, and Neiman Marcus are among the companies that could be next to default, according to S&P Global Markets.

Here's the full list of the most at-risk retailers, according to S&P Global Ratings:

SEE ALSO: More than 3,800 stores will close in 2018 — here's the full list

99 Cents Only Stores LLC

99 Cents Only is a discount chain with a primary price point of around $1. It has more than 350 locations in California, Texas, Arizona, and Nevada. 

Bluestem Brands

Bluestem Brands owns 13 e-commerce sites including Appleseed's, Bedford Fair, Fingerhut, Draper's & Damon's, Blair, and Gettington.com.

Everest Holdings

Everest Holdings LLC operates debt-laden Eddie Bauer, which has more than 300 stores in the US and Canada. 

Since its debut on the McDonald's menu in 1967, the Big Mac has become an American pop culture phenomenon, and one of the most famous items on the fast food franchise's menu.

People who order the iconic burger know exactly what they're getting — two beef patties on a sesame seed bun, topped with pickles, lettuce, and of course, that special secret sauce. They also probably know that with 540 calories and 28 grams of fat, the Big Mac is not the thing to order if you're counting your calories.

If you're looking for something on the lighter side, you may think a salad is the best choice. But don't be fooled — some of your favorite fast food restaurant salads have even more calories than the Big Mac.

Adding things like bacon, cheese, and of course, creamy dressings can really make the calories add up. And although calories aren't an exact indicator of an item's "healthiness," but these calorie counts are certainly surprising.

So before you hit the drive-thru, make sure you know exactly what you're sinking your teeth into. If you're thinking about any of the salads on this list, you might be better off going with a burger.

Burger King's Chicken Club Salad - 610 calories

The word "club" in the Chicken Club Salad at Burger King is a clue that it isn't one of the lighter options on the menu. The thick-cut smoked bacon and buttery garlic croutons may sound delicious, but they come with lots of calories. The salad has a total of 610 calories and 41 grams of fat.

Panera Bread's Southwest Chile Lime Ranch Salad With Chicken - 650 calories

The smoked pulled chicken and adobo corn blend give Panera Bread's Southwest Chile Lime Ranch Salad With Chicken a perfect blend of southwestern flavors. But this salad has a whopping 650 calories. You can make it a little lighter by holding the Chile Lime Rojo Ranch dressing, which has 70 calories. You can also opt for the half salad portion, which has 320 calories.

Panera Bread's Fuji Apple Salad With Chicken - 570 calories

The Fuji Apple Salad with Chicken at Panera Bread may sound like a lighter alternative to a burger and fries, but at 570 calories, you should at least get a little grease on your hands. Most of this salad's calories are found in the Greek dressing, which is 230 calories alone. If you want all of the flavors without the guilt, the half portion contains 260 calories.

America has an obesity problem, but there are more 200,000 fast foods restaurants dotted throughout the country. Customers have been moving towards places with healthier menus and many traditional chains are adding items to address this. I tried eating these "healthy"fast foods for an entire week. I had every meal at McDonald's, Wendy's, Taco Bell, Burger King, Subway, Dunkin' Donuts or Chick-fil-A. Following is a full transcript of the video. 

Kevin Reilly: Fast food is cheap and convenient. But hidden in between the burgers and tacos are some "healthy" options: salads, grilled chicken, yogurts, oatmeal, power burritos. Doesn't sound too bad, right? I spent a week eating nothing but these "healthy" fast foods and I lost six-and-a-half pounds. But even though I lost about a pound a day, it didn't really go well.

I live in New York City, a place with every possible food you could want. Eating healthy here, it's a breeze. But across America, there are more than 200,000 fast food joints, and they're bringing in more than $200 billion a year in sales. And no matter where you go, you're never far from a place like McDonald's or Taco Bell. But in recent years, consumers want better, healthier choices, and the traditional fast food places have been losing customers to those fast casual healthy options.

The rules were pretty simple: Eat every major meal at a national fast-food chain and stick to the healthy options. McDonald's, Wendy's, Burger King, Taco Bell, Dunkin' Donuts, Subway, and Chick-fil-A; nothing but them for a week. Yeah, I lost almost seven pounds, but let's take a close look at the numbers.

On a normal day, I'm eating around 2,500 calories. An adult man should be having about 2,400 to 2,600 calories a day. But on this fast food plan, my calories plummeted. Most of these meals came in under 400 calories, and that was one of my first problems. I'd eat and just a couple hours later, I was starving. And I had days when I didn't eat more than 1,000 calories.

Now, some of these meals were really good. My favorite was this grilled chicken market salad from Chick-fil-A. It had blueberries, strawberries, apples; it was delicious and it was actually healthy. However, a lot of the other salads from Burger King, McDonald's, and Wendy's were loaded with salt, often more than 50% of what I needed for the entire day, from a salad. In fact, excess salt was a problem the entire week. I thought I had hit the jackpot with Taco Bell's al Fresco menu. They take off all the cheese and mayo-based sauces and replace it with lettuce and pico de gallo. One night I got tacos, another night I got a power cantina burrito, and these were meals with more protein than usual. So, I felt like I was getting enough food. They were good, too good. It was all salt. In fact, just one burrito had almost as much salt as I needed in just one day. The American Heart Association says we should limit our sodium to about 2,300 milligrams a day, but the ideal is closer to 1,500 milligrams a day, especially for a person like me with high blood pressure. But if you look at my sodium intake, it was high every day, yet I was barely getting the calories I needed. If I wanted to keep the sodium down, I was starving. If I wanted to feel full, salt through the roof. You see, that's an issue in the fast food industry. Wendy's even acknowledges on their website that there's going to be a trade-off between salt and flavor.

It was weird. I didn't feel healthy at all throughout the week, even though I was eating healthy foods and losing weight. And on the last day, I had this massive headache that was just infuriating. These places, they're supposed to be tasty, cheap, and convenient. But it wasn't cheap. Every healthy option was expensive, but left me hungry. For eight grilled nuggets and this tiny kale salad at Chick-fil-A, $12. For the power Mediterranean salad at Wendy's, it was almost $8, yet I could get a cheeseburger, nuggets, fries, and a soda for only $4. That brings me to another problem. Walk into McDonald's and you get hit with that sweet, sweet french fry smell, and I had to get a salad.

Would I recommend this to anyone? Nope, unless you're stuck on the road with no other options. Though there was a bright spot: breakfast at Subway. They have these egg-white-and-cheese sandwiches, which I got covered in spinach and peppers. And let me tell you, it was good. But after all this, I just want a cheeseburger.

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McDonald's. Arby's. Wendy's. Burger King. Jack in the Box. In-N-Out and more all use the color red heavily in their logos, why? The answer goes back thousands of years. Following is a transcript of the video.

Hmmmm... These companies have something in common. Can you spot it?

Well, besides all being fast food chains… They’re all red. And it's not a coincidence. Color is one of the many tactics companies use to connect with customers. And if swearing off fast food wasn’t hard enough, those colorful red logos might make it even harder to ignore.

The average human can see ten million colors, but red is special. Turns out, it’s one of the first colors our ancient ancestors thought important enough to name. Back before alphabets and writing, early human languages were surprising… uncolorful. There were words for “black” and “white’ and “red” but not much else. In fact, blue didn’t show up until thousands of years later in 200 A.D.

As a result, we have a deeper connection to red than any other color on the spectrum and we react to it in certain ways that actually play to fast food companies’ advantage. For starters, researchers have found that red can evoke a sense of urgency. On top of that, it also has an innate ability to whet our appetites. And when you pair those two together you’ve got the perfect recipe to attract hungry customers who want food, fast.

So that red logo isn’t just a welcoming sign it’s a sly seduction for your brain. Now, it’s unclear why red makes us feel this way. But perhaps it has something to do with where the word comes from. Many ancient languages, including Hebrew and from tribes of New Guinea, first named red from their word for “blood.”

For example, red in Hebrew looks like this אָדוֹם and is pronounced “ah-dohm,” while blood looks like דָם and pronounced “dahm.” But red’s bloody beginning has transformed over millennia. During medieval times, for example, red was worn by royals as a status symbol. And today, brides in many parts of India are married in red dress.

In fact, red is one of the few colors today that cultures all over the world view positively. And it’s no wonder companies dedicate so much thought to their logos. After all, we’re a visual species. Despite having five senses, 80% of the information our brains process on a daily basis comes from our eyes.

And according to marketing company WebPageFX, nearly 85% of consumers say the main reason they choose one product over the other is color. Another 80% said that colors are what give brands that memorable stamp of recognition.

Just think what McDonald’s would look like in blue, green, or pink! It’s just not the same, right?

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• A homeless black man named Emory Ellis was arrested after being falsely accused of using a fake $10 bill to pay for breakfast at Burger King.
• Ellis was imprisoned for three months until the Secret Service concluded the $10 bill was real, according to a new lawsuit.
• Ellis is suing Burger King for nearly $1 million, saying that he was discriminated against because of his appearance.

A homeless black man is suing Burger King for nearly $1 million after he was jailed for three months after trying to pay for his meal with a $10 bill that employees thought was fake.

In November 2015, Emory Ellis tried to buy breakfast at a Boston Burger King with a $10 bill, Law360 reported. Employees believed the bill to be fake, and Ellis was arrested and charged with forgery of a bank note.

The arrest triggered a probation violation, according to Ellis' lawsuit, and he was held in jail without bail for three months, the Associated Press reported. In February 2016, the Secret Service concluded that Ellis' $10 bill was actually real, leading prosecutors to drop the forgery charge.

In a suit filed earlier this week, Ellis sued Burger King and the franchisee who owns this particular location, saying he was discriminated against based on his appearance as a black homeless person.

"A person like me would've gotten an apology, but a person like Emory somehow finds his way in handcuffs for trying to pay for his breakfast with real money," Ellis' attorney Justin Drechsler, who is white, told the Associated Press.

"While we cannot comment on the specifics of any ongoing legal matters, we do not tolerate discrimination of any kind," Burger King said in a statement to Business Insider. "The Franchisee, who independently owns and operates this location, is responsible for handling all legal matters regarding this location and ensuring proper employee training is in place."

The AP reported that the franchisee, Two Guys Foods Inc., did not respond to a request for comment.

The suit comes at a time when chains' treatment of customers — especially black customers — is in the spotlight. Since footage of two black men being arrested at a Philadelphia Starbucks went viral in April, many other stories have emerged of similarly unfair treatment by other companies.

SEE ALSO: Viral footage shows a man insulting a Muslim woman at a coffee shop before being forced to leave for 'being very racist'

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• Fast food restaurants are always trying to outdo each other with ridiculous menu items.
• Sometimes that means a mashup of foods that shouldn't quite work together but somehow do.
• Pizza fries, cheeseburger burritos, and donut sandwiches are just a few examples.

We all get in food ruts sometimes. It's easy to get stuck thinking one food just goes with another, and that's all there is to it. But then a fast food mashup will come along and change that way of thinking.

A mashup is essentially combining two foods that don't normally go together, or at least not in the way you'd think, and making a new, weird, and usually delicious food. This is especially common with fast food restaurants who depend on creative menu items to beat their competition.

Sometimes these mashups come from the restaurant itself, like Taco Bell's Waffle Taco or Burger King's rejected McWhopper. And other times it comes from the ingenuity of internet users.

There are countless combinations to be had. Here are 9 of the most delicious fast food mashups ever created that we wish we had thought of first.

Burger King's Whopperito

The Whopperito was, you guessed it, a Whopper in burrito form. Burger King used typical Whopper toppings like lettuce, onion, and pickles, but added queso to give it more of a burrito taste. The Whopperito may have been short-lived, but some fans are still holding out hope for its return.

Carl’s Jr.'s Pepperoni Pizza Fries

With all the possibilities for loaded fries, someone was bound to come up with pizza fries. And thankfully, Carl's Jr was that someone. Topped with pepperoni, pizza sauce, and mozzarella cheese, they joined a long list of bizarrely delicious menu items from Carl's Jr.

Denny's Mozzarella Stick Grilled Cheese

The only thing that can make cheese better is adding more cheese to it. It was in that spirit that Denny’s created the Fried Cheese Melt, which is a grilled cheese with fried mozzarella sticks in it. The item was discontinued, but whip up a grilled cheese and mozzarella sticks, and it should be pretty easy to create your own.

• Burger King is launching Crispy Pretzel Chicken Fries, which covers chicken with a salty pretzel breading.
• The limited-time offering follows in the footsteps of other Chicken Fries at the chain, including the Cheetos Chicken Fries that launched in 2016. 
• Over-the-top new menu items can grab customers' attention and convince them to visit a chain that they may not have dined at in a long time. 

Burger King has a wild new menu item. 

On Thursday, the fast-food chain is launching Crispy Pretzel Chicken Fries for a limited time, Burger King told Business Insider. The new menu item, which has a suggested price of a little over $3, takes fry-shaped chicken and coats it with salty seasoned pretzel breading.

Crispy Pretzel Chicken Fries are a twist on Burger King's original chicken fries, which debuted as a limited-time item in August 2014. Chicken fries were later added to the menu permanently because of popular demand.

Since then, Burger King has rolled out a number of absurd variations, including Cheetos Chicken Fries two years ago. Over the last few years, the chain has used uncommon menu items — such as Mac n Cheetos in the summer of 2016 — to boost foot traffic at the chain. 

Jonathan Deutsch, a professor of culinary arts and food science at Drexel University, told The Motley Fool soon after the launch of Cheetos Chicken Fries that the limited-time menu item was part of a wider strategy. 

"By introducing a new, must-try item like this, they get people in the door," Deutsch said. "Even if the item is somewhat niche, it gets people, groups of friends and families to purchase additional products as well and reminds guests of that restaurant as a meal option." 

In 2018, many customers need that type of incentive to visit a chain. In an extremely competitive industry, fast-food chains need whatever edge they can get. And, for Burger King, Crispy Pretzel Chicken Fries could be the edge the chain needs. 

SEE ALSO: Fast food is on the verge of a crisis — and not every chain will survive

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• IHOP said on Monday that it had changed its name to IHOb to promote the debut of its new burgers.
• Burger King poked fun at the rebrand by changing its name to "Pancake King" on Twitter and Facebook.
• "If we have other people in the world of burgers commenting on our burgers, it can only help,"IHOP's president previously told Business Insider. 

IHOP's burger-centric rebranding as IHOb has inspired some mockery from fast-food chains.

Now, Burger King has taken a direct shot at the breakfast chain's revamp.

Last week, IHOP, the International House of Pancakes, announced it would change its name to IHOb, flipping the "P" to a "b." On Monday, IHOP announced that the "b" stood for burgers, sparking some backlash from other burger chains.

Later Monday, Burger King also rolled out a new name: Pancake King.

The burger chain, which serves pancakes for breakfast, changed its name on its social-media channels and updated photos to put more emphasis on pancakes instead of its famous Whoppers.

When one Twitter user asked whether Burger King had a grill that IHOb could borrow, "Pancake King" responded with a Taylor Swift-inspired allusion to its new identity.

"Sorry, old Burger King can't come to the phone right now..." the chain tweeted — a clear reference to Swift's song "Look What You Made Me Do."

Customers were quick to celebrate the rise of Pancake King.

"A team of people went to school for years and collectively paid hundreds of thousands of dollars — if not more so they could present us with this marketing masterpiece,"one person commented on Facebook.

Another person wrote: "Born too late to explore the world. Born too early to explore the universe. Born just in time to watch the personifications of fast food restaurants interact with each other on social media."

IHOP doesn't seem to mind the mockery much.

"If we have other people in the world of burgers commenting on our burgers, it can only help," IHOP's president, Darren Rebelez, told Business Insider on Monday.

Everything you need to know about IHOb:

• IHOP has revealed why it changed its name to IHOb, and it represents a massive new strategy for the chain
• IHOP's decision to change its name to IHOb has been brewing for more than a year
• 'The pancakes aren't going anywhere': IHOP's president tells customers not to panic over the chain's IHOb rebrand
• IHOP has revealed the reason behind its big name change, and some people are disappointed
• Wendy's and other burger chains are slamming IHOP for its 'IHOb' rebrand

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NOW WATCH: We tried the 'Five Guys' secret menu

• IHOP said on Monday that it had changed its name to IHOb to promote the debut of its new burgers.
• Chains including Wendy's, Burger King, and Whataburger have slammed the move.
• "If we have other people in the world of burgers commenting on our burgers, it can only help," IHOP's president told Business Insider.

IHOP's rebrand as IHOb — the International House of Burgers — has some rival chains slamming the pancake giant.

Last week, IHOP, the International House of Pancakes, announced it would change its name to IHOb, flipping the "P" to a "b." On Monday, IHOP announced that the "b" stood for burgers, sparking some backlash from other burger brands.

The announcement went viral, with customers freaking out over the rise of the burger over their beloved pancakes. And other fast-food chains were eager to get in on the action, roasting IHOP on social media.

IHOP's president, Darren Rebelez, told Business Insider on Monday that he was unconcerned by other chains' jabs. While he said he hadn't seen much of what the other burger brands had to say on Twitter, he considered the sass part of a successful campaign to relaunch burgers at IHOP.

"It's actually great," Rebelez said. "If we have other people in the world of burgers commenting on our burgers, it can only help."

Here's how other fast-food chains — and a few brands outside the restaurant industry — responded to the viral IHOb announcement.

Wendy's

Wendy's tweeted sarcastically on Monday, "Can't wait to try a burger from the place that decided pancakes were too hard."

IHOP — or IHOb — responded: "We don't want any beef with you, we just want to share our beef with the world."

Wendy's also tweeted what appeared to be a snide comment on IHOP's name change.

"Remember when you were like 7 and thought changing your name to Thunder BearSword would be super cool?"it said. "Like that, but our cheeseburgers are still better."

Burger King

Later Monday, Burger King also rolled out a new name: Pancake King.

The burger chain, which serves pancakes for breakfast, changed its name on its social-media channels and updated photos to put more emphasis on pancakes instead of its famous Whoppers.

When one Twitter user asked whether Burger King had a grill that IHOb could borrow, "Pancake King" responded with a Taylor Swift-inspired allusion to its new identity.

"Sorry, old Burger King can't come to the phone right now..." the chain tweeted — a clear reference to Swift's song "Look What You Made Me Do."

A&W Restaurants

"Inspired by the International House of Burgers announcement, we are also changing our name,"A&W Restaurants tweeted with an image of an upside-down logo. "(Please do not ask what it means — we don't know either.)"

• Burger King apologized for an ad that offered Russian women free Whoppers to get pregnant from World Cup players.
• The ad came under heavy criticism.
• Burger King apologized in Russia, calling the ad "too offensive."

MOSCOW (AP) — Burger King says it's sorry for offering a lifetime supply of Whoppers to Russian women who get pregnant from World Cup players.

Critics assailed the offer, announced on Russian social media, as sexist and demeaning.

The announcement was removed Tuesday from Burger King's social media accounts but is still circulating among Russian social network users. It promised a reward to women who get "the best football genes" and "ensure the success of the Russian team for generations to come."

The fast food company posted a Russian-language statement on local network VKontakte saying "we offer apologies for the announcement we made. It was too offensive." The company didn't respond to requests from The Associated Press for comment.

Ads in Russia often play on sexist stereotypes, notably ads around sports events like the World Cup. Women's rights activists have been increasingly speaking out against them.

___

More World Cup coverage at www.apnews.com/tag/WorldCup

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• Burger King's corporate culture attracts and values those that can take ownership, and rewards them accordingly, its global CMO Fernando Machado told Business Insider in a recent interview.
• "The type of people that we attract are people who have our owners' mindset," Machado said. He called them "doers."
  
• The company discourages its employees from viewing their jobs as careers, instead encouraging them to view themselves as business owners.

If Burger King's funny and self-deprecating ads are anything to go by — you better have your creative hat on if you want to work at the company.

But that's not all it takes, the burger chain's global chief marketing officer Fernando Machado told Business Insider in a recent interview. 

Burger King's corporate culture attracts and values those that can take ownership, and rewards them accordingly, he said. He attributed this doer-culture to 3G Capital, the global investment firm that owns RBI or Restaurant Brands International, Burger King's parent company.

"The type of people that we attract are people who have our owners' mindset," Machado said. "We are looking for people who want to come and be partners for the long-term."

In fact, the company discourages its employees from viewing their jobs as careers, instead encouraging them to view themselves as business owners.

"We don't want people to come here and have a career," he said. "You don't have a career, you are an owner of the business, and we remunerate accordingly."

The brand also structures its teams correspondingly, ensuring that they are really small, so that people are really accountable for the chunk of the business that they are responsible for.

"We tend to give much more responsibility to people at the early stages, even when the person doesn't have experience," he said. "All those things, when combined, create this ownership mindset which is present in people who are successful at Burger King."

Machado also described the kind of creatives that thrive at the brand, both in its internal team as well as its key agency partners.

"They really get the brand and share a very high creative ambition," he said. "They know that we execute good ideas and we are willing to pick up the fight to make it happen."

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