National French Fry Day

National French Fry Day is an unofficial food holiday that celebrates the French fry in every shape it comes in, thin, thick, curly, waffle, crinkle cut, or steak cut. The date used to sit on a fixed spot on the calendar, July 13, but in 2022 Checkers and Rally’s petitioned to change that. Their argument was based on the fact that “Fry Day” ought to fall on an actual Friday. National Day Calendar agreed and moved the holiday to the second Friday of July, so from that point on it lands on a Friday every year.

Where Fries Really Come From

Most culinary historians point to Belgium, not France, as the true birthplace of the fry, tracing the dish back to potatoes fried in the Meuse Valley in the late 1600s. One popular account claims Belgian villagers used to slice potatoes into fish shapes and fry them in winter, when frozen rivers made real fish hard to come by, and that American soldiers stationed there during World War I picked up the name after hearing the French-speaking Belgian army and assuming they’d landed in France.

Other explanations trace “French” back to “frenching,” the technique of cutting vegetables into thin strips, rather than to the country at all.

In the United States, the dish first showed up under the name “French fried potatoes.” By the 1930s, “potatoes” had dropped off, leaving the fry to stand on its own.

Just How Popular Are Fries

In America, fries are less a side dish and more a national habit. Americans put away an estimated 1.6 million pounds of French fries every year, making them one of the most popular sides in the country.

A survey of 1,000 Americans, run by a San Francisco marketing agency, found McDonald’s sitting comfortably at the top of the fry rankings with 35 percent of the vote, followed by Chick-fil-A at 13 percent, Five Guys at 12 percent, and Wendy’s and Arby’s tied at 11 percent apiece.

When it came to style, the classic regular cut won out at 21 percent, with curly fries close behind at 20 percent and steak cut fries taking third at 14 percent.

How Is National French Fry Day Celebrated

The holiday started in the United States, but it has since spread well past American borders. People around the world now use the day as an excuse to dig into fries of every kind, from curly and waffle to steak cut and sweet potato.

Big chains including McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, and Arby’s regularly hand out free fries with a purchase or knock the price down on larger sizes. Fast casual spots like Five Guys and Shake Shack tend to join in with their own promotions, and even grocery chains such as Kroger and Walmart have been known to discount frozen fries from brands like McCain and Ore-Ida.

For 2026, deals are already stacking up, with McDonald’s, Checkers, White Castle, Shake Shack, Smashburger, and around twenty other chains confirmed to offer freebies, alongside plenty of regional and local restaurants running their own specials and posting under the hashtag #NationalFrenchFryDay.