Celebrate National French Fry Day With Fetch

Not trying to beef with Arbors, Columbus, or Independence from the British, but if there’s one thing that really deserves its own day, we nominate the humble French fry. And why not? Crunchy and salty on the outside with a fluffy center concealed within, they pair perfectly with just about any main meal or serve as a mouthwatering snack all by their lonesome. Good news, there is a National French Fry Day, and not celebrating it reaches levels of blasphemy equaled only by the consumption of a good old American hamburger without fries on the side. Shameful!

Speaking of things that go well with French fries, how about Fetch? Download our shopping rewards app and you can rack up reward points and earn free gift cards whether you’re snagging a single serving of fries this National French Fry Day or heading to the store to feed the whole family.

How to Get Free French Fries with Fetch All Year Round

Forget National French Fry Day (for just a second) – Fetch is all about keeping your free French fry game going all year round. Simply download our shopping app, snap photos of your receipts, and we’ll add the most reward points possible to your account so you can earn free gift cards from the likes of the following restaurants and enjoy free fries any day of the year:

• Burger King
• Smashburger
• Sonic
• Steak ‘n’ Shake
• TGI Friday’s
• Uber Eats

When is National French Fry Day?

“Is today National French Fry Day?,” you ask. Well, it used to be every July 13, but we’re now poised to celebrate on the second Friday in July. Why? Because fry day should be on a Friday, silly. For 2024, that means National French Fry Day falls on Friday July 12th, so the change actually means you’re getting it a whole 24 hours earlier.

When Was the First National French Fry Day?

We’ll tell you this: it didn’t come soon enough. Beyond that, the origins of National French Fry Day are shrouded in mystery. Did the Wampanoag bring fries for the Pilgrims on an arduous summer day? Was it when JFK uttered his famous “Je suis une French frier”? Was it a social marketing campaign from relatively recently? Maybe, maybe, and probably. As for the day itself, historical speculation connects it with one of France’s most important holidays. That would be Bastille Day, celebrating the July 14, 1789 storming of the Bastille and symbolic end of the monarchy. If you’re celebrating French freedom stateside, eating French fries only makes sense. I mean, didn’t Marie Antoinette say, “Let them eat French fries,” or something?

Why Are French Fries Called “French Fries”?

Sure don’t seem French, do they? Well, they’re not. French fries come from Belgium, where they’re still known as (get this) “Flemish fries.” Quite the complex backstory for so simple a snack, but there we are. Historians of the fry have traced their creation to a 1781 family manuscript, which reveals potatoes were cut into fish shapes to make up for the frozen river fish unavailable in several Belgian villages. French fries are better than frozen fish anyway. But why do we call them French fries? Couldn’t tell you for certain, but most attribute our Frenching of the fry to the World War I soldiers who first encountered them in Belgium. Since French was the language spoken, they believed they were in France. Hence, French fries. French fries sounds better than Belgian fries anyway. Another win for the troops!

Where to Get Free Fries on National French Fry Day

We’re on the edge of our seats waiting for fast food chains to announce their National French Fry Day plans. They’ve yet to fill us in, but we can make some educated guesses based on National French Fry Day 2023. Here’s a quick look at what select brands offered last year:

• Carl’s Jr. & Hardee’s: Order fries on the day and get free small fries every day until 31 December.
• Checkers & Rally’s: Get free Fry Lover’s XL in the rewards app.
• Fatburger: Enjoy a free order of fries with all purchases.
• Heinz: Drop $5.70 from Uber Eats orders that include fries.
• Krystal: Get free medium fries with online orders and a promo code.
• Smashburger: Free fries with a purchase and promo code.
• Wendy’s: Free fries with any purchase on the Wendy’s app.
• White Castle: Buy one get one free French fries.

McDonalds do you one better with Free Fries Friday. One of the best current fast food hacks, it celebrates Friday by serving up a free medium fries on any $1+ purchase made through the app. Don’t forget you can also redeem Fetch points for gift cards through the app at any number of places set to provide free fries.

We’re Thrilled to Help Make Every French Fry Day That Much Better

The best French fries are free French fries, and the Fetch grocery app is ready to hook you up on National French Fry Day and beyond. Whether helping you celebrate food combinations as iconic as burgers and fries or bringing you gift cards for a wide range of brands, Fetch always has your back. If you don’t already have the app, download Fetch today, and start earning rewards on all your purchases!