Celebrate one of America’s favorite foods at Burger King, McDonald’s and other chains with National French Fry Day on July 12, 2024! Forget favorite foods, fries are basically one of the four food groups here in the US of A. Whether you like the thick cut steak fries or the thin and crispy shoestring kind, there are few things better than that salty strip of carbs in your belly! Our EatDrinkDeals French Fry Day deals roundup includes links to restaurant websites where you can confirm the deal and find further information. We won’t post deals that cannot be verified from a source such as a restaurant’s website, social media account, or press release. We’ll keep adding deals over the weekend as we see them, so check back before July 12 and plot out your plans for the day.
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French Fry Day Restaurant Deals
Arby’s
Get any size Fries for just $1 from Arby’s all July long according to their social media pages. The offer is valid for Rewards members only – you can sign up here.
Beef ‘O’ Brady’s
Get $2 off a Basket of Fries from Beef ‘O’ Brady’s on July 12. Show this coupon to your server when you order.
Burger King
Burger King has large fries for $1.49, or a free order of any size fries with any purchase. These deals are good when you order through the BK app.
For more details on other deals available (there are TONS!), click here for our EatDrinkDeals Burger King App Coupons and Deals article.
Checkers and Rally’s
Checkers & Rally’s is well renowned for its tasty seasoned fries. While it officially arrives on July 12, they are celebrating National French Fry Day now through the big day. From July 1st through July 12th, 100 lucky people will win a Fully Loaded Fry Pass, which includes free Fully Loaded Fries for a year! For more details and to enter, visit frygiveaway.com.
Image courtesy of Checkers & Rally’s
In addition, you can use the Checkers & Rally’s app from July 12 – 14 to get a free Fully Loaded Fries with any purchase.
Frisch’s Big Boy
Get a free order of Fries with any purchase on July 12 at Frisch’s Big Boy. Mention the offer here in this message to your server.
Habit Burger Grill
Get a free order of fries with any $2 purchase with a Habit Burger Grill promo code valid in the app through July 12. Enter promo code FRYWEEK in the offers tab to unlock the deal. You can download the app here. The Habit posted the promo code on their social accounts.
McDonald’s
McDonald’s will offer a free Medium Fries on July 12, as they do every Free Fry Fryday, with a $1 purchase in the app. Get more fries, a soft drink, a McFlurry, or whatever, The choice is yours. But wait, there’s more! You can get another free order of fries on July 13, this time with no purchase necessary! You’ll just need to order in the McDonald’s app. To download the app on your iPhone click here, or download the Android app here. View your coupons from the app by clicking on Deals – View All.
For more details on the McDonald’s app and coupons, click here for our EatDrinkDeals McDonald’s App Coupons and Savings page.
Penn Station East Coast Subs
Get a free Fresh-Cut Fry from Penn Station East Coast Subs on July 12, National French Fry Day, with any Sub purchase. Mention this offer to your cashier when you order, or use promo code FRYDAY for online orders.
Smashburger
Get a free order of Smash Fries from Smashburger for National French Fry Day on July 12 with any other purchase. Mention this offer to your cashier when you order, or use promo code FRYDAY24 for online orders.
For more deals like their free Kids Meals on Wednesdays, click here for the EatDrinkDeals Smashburger article.
White Castle
White Castle has a BOGO Small Fries offer with a coupon valid on July 12! CLICK HERE for your White Castle free fries coupon. For online orders, use promo code FRYDAY.
For more goodies at the House of Sliders, like free soft drinks all summer, click here for the EatDrinkDeals White Castle Coupons and Deals page.
So, Why Are They Called French Fries?
Why are fried potato slices called french fries? According to Wikipedia, many Americans attribute the dish to France and offer as evidence a notation by U.S. President Thomas Jefferson: “Pommes de terre frites à cru, en petites tranches” (“Potatoes deep-fried while raw, in small slices”) in a manuscript in Thomas Jefferson’s hand (circa 1802). The recipe almost certainly comes from his French chef, Honoré Julien.
In addition, from 1813 on, recipes for what can be described as “French fries” occur in popular American cookbooks. By the late 1850s, a cookbook was published that used the term French fried potatoes.
“French fries” for deep-fried potato batons were also introduced when American soldiers arrived in Belgium during World War I. The Belgians had previously been catering to the British soldiers’ love of chips and continued to serve them to the Americans when they took over the western end of the front. The Americans took them to be French fried potatoes because they believed themselves to be in France, with French being the local language and the official language of the Belgian Army at that time. At that time, the term “French fries” was growing in popularity – the term was already used in the United States as early as 1899 – although it isn’t clear whether this referred to batons (chips) or slices of potato e.g. in an item in Good Housekeeping which specifically references “Kitchen Economy in France”: “The perfection of French fries is due chiefly to the fact that plenty of fat is used”.
In the United States, the J. R. Simplot Company is credited with successfully commercializing French fries in frozen form during the 1940s. Subsequently, in 1967, Ray Kroc of McDonald’s contracted the Simplot company to supply them with frozen fries, replacing fresh-cut potatoes as an ingredient.
