It's getting harder and harder to find lunch for under $5, something that's as true in Columbus, Ohio as it is in New York. What's a guy or gal to do? The answer may lie in the ubiquitous cheap eats featured on fast-food chains' value menus.

Wendy's started the craze in 1989 when it launched its Super Value Menu. Since then, Burger King, McDonald's and Taco Bell have all grouped together items that sell for around $1.

The chains make little profit off value-menu items, particularly the sandwiches, but the deals bring in customers who are likely to also buy sodas or french fries, said Darren Tristano, executive vice president of Technomic, a restaurant researcher and consultancy.

"They're almost considered a necessary evil," Tristano said of the cheap eats boards.

But that's the restaurant chains' problem, not yours. So forget about highbrow restaurant reviews — the average person isn't getting his lunch from Jean-Georges Vongerichten.

We've rated the four biggest fast-food chains with dollar menus on a scale of 1-to-5 for variety, taste, health and afternoon sluggishness.

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BURGER KING'S BK VALUE MENU

VARIETY: 2

At only seven items, BK's standard value menu is mighty skimpy. The only thing saving this menu from a worse score are the onion rings, which you won't find at the other three chains.

TASTE: 5

Burger King goes all out with Whopper Jr. condiments -- lettuce, tomato, pickles, onion, ketchup and mayo -- and the veggies are all crisper and tastier than at competitors'. Best of all, the patty is substantial and actually tastes beefy and chargrilled. A strong performance by my two burgers overcomes an average side salad and fries that are pleasantly crispy but bland.

SLUGGISHNESS QUOTIENT: 5

Microscopic burger morsels must have crossed the blood-brain barrier after my lunch with the King. It hits me like a half-dose of Nyquil, and for two hours I think someone replaced my actual stomach with a concrete replica. I fend off a nap for fear of entering a dream world populated by guys in that creepy costume from the BK commercials.

HEALTH POTENTIAL: 2

Grab a four-piece chicken tender, side salad with light Italian dressing and Whopper Jr. for a 555-calorie meal that includes 31 grams of fat, two grams of trans fat and three grams of fiber.

OVERALL SCORE (Variety + taste + health - sluggishness): 4

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WENDY'S SUPER VALUE MENU

VARIETY: 5

The house that Dave built wins here hands down. Its 12-item value menu is the largest, and the items range from typical fast-food fare such as small fries and bacon cheeseburgers to the baked potatoes and chili that you won't find at its competitors.

TASTE: 4

Wendy's menu has long been tailored to adults, and the cheapest section of the board is no exception. The Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger includes a full complement of condiments: mayonnaise, lettuce and tomato, and the patty tastes like real beef. Unfortunately it appears the cost of these accouterments takes away from the actual volume of meat; both the Crispy Chicken Sandwich and Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger are awful bready.

SLUGGISHNESS QUOTIENT: 4

Though I try to go somewhat light by ordering salad and chili, Wendy's serves me up a snoozerific afternoon with a side of foggyheadedness, garnished with stomach ache. I'm blaming that lunch for two hours of diminished productivity at work.

HEALTH POTENTIAL: 3

A meal of small chili, side salad with reduced fat ranch dressing and a sour cream and chives baked potato would have 680 calories, 19 grams of fat, .5 grams of trans fat and 15 grams of fiber.

OVERALL SCORE: 8

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McDONALDS DOLLAR MENU

VARIETY: 3

With eight items on its standard dollar menu (as with all chains, the menus vary by region and franchise), Mickey D's includes a respectable volume of cheap eats. But the golden arches lose on diversity. Excluding the side salad, everything here falls squarely into the sandwich, fries or dessert category.

TASTE: 4

The dollar menu earns a lot of respect simply for including the crown jewel of McDonald's menu, those tasty fries. While the cheeseburger and McChicken are a little bit bland and come with bare-bones condiments, the meat is more substantial than Wendy's.

SLUGGISHNESS QUOTIENT: 4

Revved up after an evening workout, I swing by McDonald's for a couple cheeseburgers, McChicken and small fries. (I would get a side salad, but this location doesn't have it). After finishing the delicious meal, I'm walloped listless by that tell-tale stomach discomfort, and making it one block to the subway station feels like a chore.

HEALTH POTENTIAL: 4

If you bag a McChicken, Fruit n' Yogurt Parfait and side salad with low-fat balsamic vinaigrette, you'll wind up with 550 calories, 21 grams of fat, 1 gram of trans fat and 3 grams of dietary fiber.

OVERALL SCORE: 7

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TACO BELL BIG BELL VALUE MENU:

VARIETY: 3

The tacomeisters built their predictable 9-item menu around seven cheap burrito and taco permutations. However, they deserve some credit -- none of their competitors offer seven different burgers on their value menus. (Cheesy fiesta potatoes and a dessert empanada round it out.)

TASTE: 3

My spicy chicken soft taco tastes vaguely spicy but not very chickeny -- actually quite similar to the flavors, if not the texture, I encounter in the cheesy bean and rice burrito. As for my bowl of homefries with nacho cheese and the surprisingly un-fruity caramel apple empanada: unnecessary.

SLUGGISHNESS QUOTIENT: 2

Surprisingly, after my midafternoon snack, I'm completely lucid and not overwhelmingly full. Despite a hefty volume of food, this was the lightest meal of all.

HEALTH POTENTIAL: 2

Don't be fooled by those flour tortillas. Most of the burritos and tacos top 400 calories and 18 grams of fat. You can help your cause by asking them to leave off the cheese or sauce, but for a fair comparison we added up items as they regularly appear on the menu. A meal of the three lowest-calorie items, the Cheesy Fiesta Potatoes, Double Decker Taco and Spicy Chicken Soft Taco would include 810 calories, 39 grams of fat, 5 grams trans fat and 9 grams of fiber.

OVERALL SCORE: 6

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Jonathan Drew is an asap reporter.

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