Given that my editorial cartooning career would not exist without fast food restaurants, I thought instead of giving up something for Lent this year, I’d pay tribute to my heritage by conducting a nine-round fast food fish sandwich tournament.
The tournament was open only to fast-food restaurants. As you can see from the brackets below, there are two qualifying rounds — one for local restaurants (defined as the Omaha and Lincoln metro areas) and one for regional restaurants (defined as not national, but greater than just the Omaha and Lincoln metro areas; Hardee’s is considered to be national due to its Carl’s Jr. alternate identity). All major national fast food chains receive a bye in the first round.
Competitions will be held only on traditional Catholic fish days (Ash Wednesday and Friday) with the one exception of the Regional qualifying round, which will be held on Thursday, February 18, as part of the three-day opening ceremonies.
Sandwiches will be judged based on taste, value and lingering sensations. I will provide a detailed writeup of each round, justifying why one particular sandwich advanced over the other.
If you intend to place wagers on this tournament, please bet responsibly and in accordance with local laws.
Ichthus, baby.
The tournament: Introduction | Local Qualifier | Regional Qualifier | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 | Round 5 | Round 6 | The Conclusion