| 100% | RONALD | 6 | With 49-Across, clown who's a fast food mascot, with worldwide recognition second only to Santa Claus |
| 29% | SECRETMENU | 10 | Food only found by those who know, and a hint to this puzzle's theme |
| 29% | WHITEHOUSE | 10 | With 50 Across, to whom Tom Hanks gave a 39 Across in 2017 |
| 28% | BILLYCRYSTAL | 12 | Actor who has hosted the Oscars nine times, a number second only to Bob Hope |
| 28% | BASEBALL | 8 | With 49-Across, a hint to the circled letters |
| 28% | THANKSGIVING | 12 | With 49-Across, turkey, to a feaster |
| 27% | RONALDMCDONALD | 14 | Clown mascot of a fast-food chain (2 wds.) |
| 27% | SHOHEI | 6 | With 34-Across, Dodgers pitcher who, in 2024, became the only player to hit 50 homers and steal 50 bases in a season |
| 27% | BILLYBOB | 8 | With 48-Across, "Bad Santa" star who played a serial killer on FX's "Fargo": 2 wds. |
| 26% | DRIVE | 5 | With 6-Across, type of window at a fast food restaurant |
| 26% | TACO | 4 | With 42-Across, time to have a folded Mexican food |
| 26% | RUDOLPHTHE | 10 | With 57 Across, a more accurate way to describe the guy who works the mother of all night jobs? |
| 26% | MIRACLE | 7 | "___ on 34th Street," 1947 movie about a mall Santa who claims to be the real Santa Claus |
| 26% | CHRISTINA | 9 | With 50-Across, actress who's a crossword fan |
| 26% | ROGERSHORNSBY | 13 | MLB player nicknamed "The Rajah," who has a high batting average second only to Ty Cobbs: 2 wds |
| 26% | ROUGH | 5 | With 38- and 49-Across, unrefined, and a hint to what can precede this puzzle's border words |
| 25% | TWEEDLEDUM | 10 | With 61-Across, a fictional pair who are hard to tell apart |
| 25% | BOYD | 4 | Jimmy who had a No. 1 hit at the age of 13 with "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" |
| 25% | ARBYS | 5 | Fast food chain with a Smokehouse Brisket Meal |
| 25% | MRPEANUT | 8 | Snack food mascot with a monocle |
| 25% | GEAR | 4 | With 23-Across, one who might be excited to look under a hood |
| 25% | KING | 4 | Burger ___, fast food brand that has a rivalry with McDonald's |
| 25% | MEAT | 4 | With 7-Across, whom a vegan might not want to date |
| 25% | WEAREFAMILY | 11 | Sister Sledge classic whose second line is "I got all my sisters with me," and a hint to the starts of 17-, 24-, 39-, and 49-Across |
| 25% | TRADITIONAL | 11 | With 49- and 69-Across, a hint to the meanings of the bracketed clues |
| 25% | JOHN | 4 | ___ Goodman, actor who voiced Santa Claus in "It's a Spongebob Christmas!" |
| 25% | SPENDER | 7 | Big ___ (person who takes a date to a fast-food restaurant, jocularly) |
| 25% | ARBYS | 5 | Fast food chain with a cowboy hat in its logo |
| 24% | KFC | 3 | Fried chicken fast food chain with a colonel |
| 24% | BUBBLEBUBBLE | 12 | With 72 Across, reason to call a plumber? |