Among national chains, I probably like Wendy’s the best. Not only are their hamburgers good, but their chicken sandwiches are probably the best too. I agree re: the fries, but the cool thing about Wendy’s is you can swap the fries out for a baked potato, side salad or cup of chili, all of which are good.
If we can count Whataburger - and they’re more than regional at this point - they devastate ALL of the national chains.
PS: For purposes of this thread, are we counting Fuddrucker’s as more of a sit-down restaurant, and therefore not eligible? Because otherwise it’s almost unfair.
In this region Krystal (like White Castle but more Southern) has always had a following but the one nearest us has closed and we have to drive a good distance to the next one. Besides, you have to get at least six Krystals to equal one good Hardee’s burger in size.
Hands down it has to be either White Castle or Krystals. Those delicious tiny little sliders are like a little slice of heaven in your mouth . Unfortunately I live too far south for White Castle and too far north for Krystals. The universe is conspiring against me
I grew up in the Washington DC area - if they’re still in business, Little Tavern is the hamburger joint you’ve been looking for lo these many years. Sliders by the basket.
Oh wow that would be amazing if I could get some sliders around here. The frozen ones you can get at the grocery store just aren’t the same. Looking up the locations of Little Tavern is proving to be problematic though. Is Little Tavern Shops the same thing? It appears as though the closes one might be in Laurel but is apparently closed for renovations. Appears I might have more research to do.
We have 'em here too. They’re cheap, and the food’s not bad, but the workers are apparently the people who aren’t bright enough to work at the other fast food places. Even if I only order one thing, there’s less than a 50-50 chance of receiving exactly what I ordered.
If I wanted the best fast-food burger I could get, of the choices available around here I’d probably go to Hardee’s. But they’re neither particularly fast nor particularly cheap.
I’d say definitely Hardees, although I like BK Whoppers and eat them more often. Wendy’s are usually good but I find the quality varies from place to place around here. Actually, when at Wendy’s I’ll usually get the spicy chicken.
Don’t know if Pal’s counts; as far as I know they’re only in East Tennessee. But give me one of their chiliburgers, a thick strawberry shake and their excellent fries (piping hot but not greasy, with seasoning salt) and I’ll forget about being a diabetic for one meal. (Probably a good thing I don’t live there anymore.)
The best I’ve had would be either Fatburger or In 'N Out burger. Close runners-up are Culver’s, Steak and Shake, and Fuddrucker’s. Places I hate include Hardee’s and Jack in the Box.
White Castle is good after a long night of drinking, but you really don’t want to be near me (unless you’re in a well-ventilated area) a few hours after I’ve eaten them. They’re not good burgers by any stretch of the imagination, but they have their time and place.
(edit: Perhaps I’ve just experienced bad Hardee’s. I remember having a Carl’s Junior Burger in LA and thinking it was pretty decent, though it couldn’t hold a candle to Fatburger or In 'N Out, but the last time I was at Hardee’s–perhaps a month ago in Dixon, IL, the burger tasted like a staler version of a Whopper. Had to go to Steak and Shake later to wash the taste out of my mouth and satisfy my craving for a burger.)
Rally’s also goes by “Checkers” in other areas. In Chicago, there used to be a ton of Checkers, and I miss them. Their curly fries were addictive and their burgers were solid. There’s still one left on 55th St.
With no intention of hijacking this thread, I’d like to offer that I have always tried to locate “the perfect hamburger” ever since I was maybe 6-9 years old and getting a truck stop burger, fries and shake after church on Sunday night. There was the perfect combination of good meat cooked just past medium toward well done, on a lightly toasted bun with lettuce, a thick slice of fresh tomato, and equally thick slice of Bermuda onion, a few dill pickles, a slathering of mustard (and maybe a dash of mayo) and maybe a little ketchup. It was a greasy spoon place but they always had all the crowd they could handle.
The first fast food place to rival that paragon was Wendy’s before Wayne Oldham bought the franchise (along with several other restaurants) and ran the quality to the dump.
But there are other non-chain places in Nashville that have that original burger fascination. I suspect every town of any size has those places, too, and if they do they get more business than the chains. Rotier’s and Brown’s Diner are two I can name in Nashville that (at least last time I was at either place) still beat the fast food burger all to pieces. As long as such places exist, fast food merely tries to grab some market share from the competitors in that same business.
I forgot to mention Sonic and Jack-in-the-Box in my earlier post, but Hardee’s still rules.
Regional (midwestern & southern US), but with a longevity legacy that predates McDonalds, Steak 'N Shake, would be my fav. Alas, within 60 miles in any direction of where I now live exists only McDonalds, Hardee’s and Arby’s, nothing else.
. Unfortunately I live too far south for White Castle and too far north for Krystals. The universe is conspiring against me 