# Fast food (burgers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 26, 2008, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-burgers/442813 "2008-03-26T17:45:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Winston\_Smith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e95f7d/32.png) [@Winston\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winston_Smith)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-burgers/442813/1 "2008-03-26T17:45:49Z")
I was reading this morning about Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s burgers, and was kind of amused by the corporate goal of bigger, badder burgers (I was reading an article in Conde Naste Portfolio). We’re talking 3,000-calorie meals, here, if you include a milkshake and fries with you artery-clogging, bacon-laden, nap-inducing deliciousness. I don’t think we have any Carl’s Jr. joints in the Boston area, likewise with Hardee’s. Of course we’ve got BK, McD’s & Wendy’s but they are all really the lowest common denominator when it comes to burgers. Friendly’s has pretty decent burgers, but they aren’t really a burger place. Johnny Rocket’s has a damned good burger, if you ask me, but I think they’re kind of expensive - sort of halfway between fast food and real resteraunt. There’s one close to my office, so when I’m in the mood for a burger (once or twice a month) I’ll go there and shell out the $15 (gotta get fries and a strawberry shake with it). Where do you go for a burger, and who’s got the best? ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-burgers/442813/2 "2008-03-26T18:02:12Z")
[QUOTE=Winston Smith] I was reading this morning about Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s burgers, and was kind of amused by the corporate goal of bigger, badder burgers (I was reading an article in Conde Naste Portfolio). We’re talking 3,000-calorie meals, here, if you include a milkshake and fries with you artery-clogging, bacon-laden, nap-inducing deliciousness. I don’t think we have any Carl’s Jr. joints in the Boston area, likewise with Hardee’s. Of course we’ve got BK, McD’s & Wendy’s but they are all really the lowest common denominator when it comes to burgers. Friendly’s has pretty decent burgers, but they aren’t really a burger place. Johnny Rocket’s has a damned good burger, if you ask me, but I think they’re kind of expensive - sort of halfway between fast food and real resteraunt. There’s one close to my office, so when I’m in the mood for a burger (once or twice a month) I’ll go there and shell out the $15 (gotta get fries and a strawberry shake with it). Where do you go for a burger, and who’s got the best? [/QUOTE] Fast food, and depending on my mood either In-N-Out or Fatburger. For larger chains I remember Whattaburger being awesome, but I haven’t lived in an area with a Whataburger in about 7 years. For non fast food burgers in Los Angeles, the Apple Pan wins hands down. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-burgers/442813/3 "2008-03-26T18:11:12Z")
Fast food - I love Tommy’s. I try not to go too often though. The chili cheeseburgers and chili cheese fries are not exactly good for you. Sit down - I was very pleased with the burgers at Hard Rock Cafe. ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-burgers/442813/4 "2008-03-26T18:26:09Z")
Fast food - White Castle or McDonald’s Sit down - either Fuddrucker’s or a local place by my house called Brandt’s. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-burgers/442813/5 "2008-03-26T18:32:53Z")
Of the chains, Red Robin is very good. [This](http://www.redrobin.com/home/locate.aspx?id=485&dist=43.47) looks to be the closest to Boston at present. ---
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-burgers/442813/6 "2008-03-26T18:33:14Z")
Off to Cafe Society. ---
**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-burgers/442813/7 "2008-03-26T18:36:10Z")
[ul] [li]Fast food- Wendy’s[/li][li]Full-service[sup]_[/sup] restaurant- Fuddrucker’s[sup]\*\*[/sup], Red Robin or a local place called Eddie’s Diner serves some mighty damn good cheeseburgers.[/li][/ul] [sup]_[/sup]You can sit down in most fast food places, too. [sup]\*\*[/sup]Double-checked spelling for possible Freudian slips. ---
**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-burgers/442813/8 "2008-03-26T18:43:45Z")
When I used to eat Beef: FastFood: Wendy’s was my fav. (Jr. Bacon cheese burgers, and Big Bacon Classics- it was more for the bacon and the toppings, but still. I loved 'em). Sit down: Fuddruckers. Though it’s been a good 6-7 years now, so I’m sure things have changed. But that used to be my fav. back in 1999 or so. ---
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-burgers/442813/9 "2008-03-26T18:46:13Z")
For fast food, Backyard Burgers makes a fairly decent burger. And for semi-fast food (a local sit-down joint), I think [Winstead’s](http://www.winsteadskc.com/) makes the best burger in KC. ---
**Author:** ![Wee\_Bairn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90db22/32.png) [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-burgers/442813/10 "2008-03-26T18:47:44Z")
Of the very cheap ones, Rallys/Checkers and Hardees are my favs. More expensive, of course, Backyard Burgers is hard to beat. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-burgers/442813/11 "2008-03-26T18:48:55Z")
Sonic is pretty good for national chains. Regional chains: [Five Guys](http://www.fiveguys.com/store_locator.aspx) is better. Though I’m not a big fan of their fries. For local restaurants here in Knoxville, nobody beats [Gridiron Burgers](http://www.gridironburgers.com/). Nobody. If you happen to be in Chicago, you can’t do much better than [Portillos](http://www.portillos.com/portillos/). ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-burgers/442813/12 "2008-03-26T19:15:35Z")
[QUOTE=JohnT] Regional chains: [Five Guys](http://www.fiveguys.com/store_locator.aspx) is better. Though I’m not a big fan of their fries. [/QUOTE] Greatest burgers in the world. I love their fries, too. For fast food, the Burger King Whopper is probably the best, but BK fries are worst by several levels of magnitude, so Wendy’s gets the nod. ---
**Author:** ![Winston\_Smith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e95f7d/32.png) [@Winston\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winston_Smith)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-burgers/442813/13 "2008-03-26T20:30:48Z")
[QUOTE=dwc1970] [ul] [li]Fast food- Wendy’s[/li][li]Full-service[sup]_[/sup] restaurant- Fuddrucker’s[sup]\*\*[/sup], Red Robin or a local place called Eddie’s Diner serves some mighty damn good cheeseburgers.[/li][/ul] [sup]_[/sup]You can sit down in most fast food places, too. [sup]\*\*[/sup]Double-checked spelling for possible Freudian slips. [/QUOTE] Have you ever had a Johnny Rocket’s burger? If so, I’d like to know how you think they compare to Fuddruckers (I think Fudd’s is OK, but not great). ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-burgers/442813/14 "2008-03-26T23:00:57Z")
Culvers. I really don’t think there’s much room for debate on the topic. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-burgers/442813/15 "2008-03-26T23:05:13Z")
[Culver’s](http://www.culvers.com/) ---
**Author:** ![MadTheSwine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MadTheSwine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadTheSwine)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-burgers/442813/16 "2008-03-27T00:08:44Z")
What-A-Burger. I make a special trip to get one whenever possible.Sadly, I dunno if there are any within 300 miles of me. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-burgers/442813/17 "2008-03-27T00:28:03Z")
[QUOTE=Omniscient] Culvers. I really don’t think there’s much room for debate on the topic. [/QUOTE] I thought Culver’s butter burger was decent, but a colleague eating with me thought it was overly greasy. I love the California/West Coast chain **In n Out** burger, which almost has to be the freshest fast food ever. Simple menu, extremely fresh, very, very good. ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-burgers/442813/18 "2008-03-27T00:44:39Z")
I haven’t had a fast-food burger in years. For sit down, there’s a small chain owned by Ted Turner called Ted’s Montana Grill that does an excellent burger, especially bison burgers. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-burgers/442813/19 "2008-03-27T00:47:01Z")
Five Guys tastes like a nice diner burger, but they piss me off because they will only cook burgers well done, and they are ridiculously, stupidly greasy. Fuddruckers is far superior, if you ask me. As for Johnny Rocket’s, I’d honestly rather go to McDonald’s or Wendy’s. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-burgers/442813/20 "2008-03-27T00:48:30Z")
[QUOTE=Winston Smith] Where do you go for a burger, and who’s got the best? [/QUOTE] Home, I do. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-food-burgers/442813.md?page=2)