McDonald's (NYSE: MCD) may be the big brand name in the fast-food industry, but don't discount Burger King (NYSE: BKC). The King reported its fiscal Q3 numbers on Thursday, and they were pretty regal indeed.

Revenues increased 10%, and earnings per share did even better, rising 20% to 30 cents (that beat earnings by three pennies, says Briefing.com). Now, when talking about retail stores and fast-food joints, the issue of same-store sales always comes up, since it's such an important element to consider (be sure to keep in mind that comps must always be put in an overall context, especially if you are only measuring a one-month timeframe). Global comps increased 5.8% for the quarter, a good showing for Burger King which wants to become a force to be reckoned with around the world. The domestic side of things isn't doing too badly either as comps in the United States and Canada moved up 5.4%. Restaurant margins, however, decreased due to the challenging commodity-cost environment we all live in nowadays. Otherwise, I see these earnings as very positive for Burger King, and I am bullish on the stock.

Arby's, a unit of Triarc Companies (NYSE: TRY), has just taken first prize in its attempt to one-up the "super-size" fast-food menu with its "Pick 5 for 5.95" value meal.

If you've read Eric Buscemi's Battle of the Brands post: McDonald's vs. Burger King, you know the Big Mac and Whopper do not fall in the category of "healthy" foods. Add in fries and a drink and you've already clogged your first artery. But Arby's takes it one step further: they give you your pick of five fast-food items on a special menu -- two more than the standard value meal at McDonald's (NYSE: MCD) or Burger King (NYSE: BKC).

I went to Arby's for lunch today to pick my "5 for 5.95" and I must say it's overwhelming.

I decided upon an Arby's Melt sandwich with medium curly fries, a medium drink (sounds like the standard fast-food value meal so far but I had two more choices) mozzarella sticks with marinara sauce and a small jamocha shake.

Needless to say, I couldn't finish everything. I sat at my table staring at my unfinished meal thinking of Thomas Aquinas and what he said about gluttony in his SUMMA THEOLOGIÆ, "Gluttony denotes, not any desire of eating and drinking, but an inordinate desire ... leaving the order of reason, wherein the good of moral virtue consists."

This was just too much food, I thought. It defies all reason. How bad is this for you?

This post is part of our Battle of the Brands feature. Let us know which brand you prefer, and watch out for more Battle of the Brands posts.

The Hamburglar vs. The Creepy King

Looking at the financial data for McDonald's Corporation (NYSE: MCD) and Burger King Holdings Inc (NYSE: BKC) tells us that McD's cooks BK on market cap ($53.7B to $2.9B), and that both stocks are up big since BK started trading last May (McD's is up 29%, BK is up 24%). But these brands aren't really found in the numbers. Let's look at the factors that make these fast-food giants the top two burger chains in the land.

The Menu

What's the first thing you think of when someone says McDonald's or Burger King? Probably their signature sandwiches -- the Big Mac and the Whopper -- because they are what make the brands. There are two factors to look at here -- taste and health.

As far as taste goes, my nonscientific survey says that both sandwiches are flawed (yes, I used writing this blog as an excuse to eat fast food twice in the same week). With the Big Mac, most of my problem was finding the two all-beef patties in a sea of buns and lettuce it was surrounded by. With the Whopper, my criticism is that the burger should come with cheese on it without you having to ask (or pay extra). The burger is supposed to be their top-of-the-line; they could at least throw a slice of cheese on it for you, with you making it "your way."