Someone had to go there. [And I hate that I can’t unthink this, either.]
For me, we used to go on regular occasion. It might have even been a weekly thing for us. This was 15 years plus ago. More than half my life ago.
We stopped going for a while, and went back one day. And it had changed.
**
To borrow from Idiocracy’s brother, Fuddruckers had found all of Anniston’s neglected Flair. And that wasn’t a good thing.
**
Apparently, specialization on making a good burger was no longer profitable. Other options [Chicken] started showing up. Our location used to have a Bar, no longer there. You can do the math on my age, and figure out how disappointed I was to see the Arcade Cabinets had gone. Yeah, they had other games, but the quailty of the games had suffered. [Neo Geo 4 in 1, and Total Carnage removed for a racing game and animal crane.]
The burger may very well have stayed the same. Everything else, and I mean everything else has changed, to the point where the Burger doesn’t matter.
Like the dog with the bone, Fuddruckers saw the reflection of every other player on the market. They tired to grab it, and lost what made them special in the process. The problem is, other places moved into the space Fuddruckers gave up.
Thanks. I was trying to think of the replacement Fuddruckers. Red Robin would have to be it. I know of only one anywhere ANYWHERE near me. I’m in their free birthday burger club, and every year I am on the fence about going out of my way just for the burger. Obviously, given how far I live from one [and moving didn’t help] it doesn’t come top of mind for me.
**Yes, Red Robin > Fuddruckers. ** Maybe if Fuddruckers was as it used to be [Can we go ahead and argue 2 decades ago?] it would be a tooth and nail fight. As it is now,Fuddruckers gave up space, Robin took it.
And here I was trying to force Johnny Rockets, Five Guys, and Cheeseburger Bobby’s* into the Fuddrucker shaped hole. Robin takes the cake here. Unlimited Fries helps too.
- If you don’t have Cheeseburger Bobby’s near you, don’t worry. Take Five Guys (Or Forster’s Grille for that matter.) and use their location and ““footprint”” in terms of space. Take Johnny Rockets, and use their pricing. You will approximate Cheeseburger Bobby’s. They have a topping line like Fudd used to have, but, even in it’s depressed state, Fuddruckers edges out Bobby’s.
No doubt Five Guys is better. Further, the menu has slid downhill with no real steaks to speak of. Still, it is just about the best place for Thursday morning breakfast in Dammam. Have a seat, get some coffee and pretend you’re home.
In-N-Out and Fatburger both beat them all, IMO. Five Guys was decent but I couldn’t get over the price for what was only a decent burger. It was something like $24 for me and my father in law to eat there, and all we got were burger, fries, coke. Nothing fancy or extra. There are 2 Red Robins near us-- one is good, one is not. Both are too salty, though, and too much bun for me.
I hate living on the East Coast.
Can I just say that for starters? So many things that I wish we had. IMHO, California is the bully of the US. We would be better off as a nation if we were not California-centric.
We have two Fatburgers in the entire state of GA. When I think of ““Fuddruckers”” I think more of dining, less of eating. That is, I consider the turn around time spent in the establishment. I consider Fatburger to be overall “faster” than Fuddruckers.
Suffice to say, I have no clue where an In-n-out is anywhere near me. I know of the secret menu, but I can’t order on or off of it. :mad:
I consider “Sit down” burgers to be different than “Fast-food”. Fatburger, and I would guess “” In n out “” are too fast to be sit down. [Yes, I know you can sit down at Fat, but it’s the best term I have.]
I don’t know that there are any In-N-Outs east of me. Maybe there are a couple by now, but it’s actually not a franchise, why is why it’s still so (relatively) local. The original family owns and operates every location, and they’re apparently not jet setters.
I might ought to give In-N-Out another shot, but the last time I tried it, when it first came to Arizona, I didn’t care for it at all. The fries were crap and the burger was nothing special. I’ll give it another try, and I’ll be sure to get animal style this time, but right now I put it next to Krispy Kreme: a regional icon whose popularity far, far exceeds its actual quality.
Five Guys is okay, I loved Johnny Rocket’s when it first came out but I have no particular desire to return, Fuddrucker’s even more so, never had a Fatburger, Cheeburger Cheeburger is insanely overpriced, and Red Robin is the king of a good burger and fries, even if it’s not fast food. When I want a solid fast food burger I hit up Whataburger.
First of all, the fries are shit if you do not eat them immediately. I mean before you even eat your burger. And don’t even bother ordering them if you’re driving home or back to work before you eat. You’ve wasted your money. I don’t know what it is about them, but they’re amazing as soon as they come out of the fryer, and terrible within just a few minutes. They’re cut fresh from whole potatoes, if you didn’t know. I would imagine that that has something to do with it.
Then, the burger . . . it’s about as good as it gets, IMO, but I like greasy, light buns, American cheese, and special sauce. If you don’t like those things, you’re not going to be a fan of In-N-Out.
Actually, I imagine it doesn’t. More likely a problem with their cooking method. If something goes to complete shit within 10 minutes, I’m not really convinced that it was made well in the first place. Same reason I dislike Krispy Kreme.
There is, or at least was, an In-and-Out at the Palisades Mall. Is not so good actually.
Time: Six to eight months ago. I don’t know if it survived the recent economic issues.
The Palisades Mall in Rockland County NY? If so, I’d be curious which restaurant you’re thinking of, but I really doubt that it was an In-N-Out Burger, as they’re only on the West Coast.
There definitely has not been an In-N-Out west of Arizona/Utah. If you’re talking about New York, E-Sabbath, you’re thinking of something else. Like I said, it’s not a franchise.
Do that as well. Like mine better off a grill.
It’s not Johnny Rockets, there’s always been a Johnny Rockets there. It opened on the other side of the court from the Nathan’s, and they had a pager they gave you for when the food was ready.
… Okay, what’s not an In-N-Out Burger that gives you a pager as part of their gimmick? I think the patty was square but I won’t swear to it.
Well, that’s your opinion. I don’t see any support for it beyond your apparent desire to hang out with your food for awhile before eating it. I haven’t been in a Starbucks in years so I don’t know if they still do this, but back in the '90s when they were a real coffee-lover’s shop instead of the joke about excessive capitalism that they’ve become, they used to dump their coffee down the drain if it wasn’t served within 20 seconds of being brewed. Does that indicate a problem with their method of preparation? No. They just wanted to serve it at its best. Maybe In-N-Out’s fries don’t last as long because they don’t use preservatives.
Most of the burgers I eat are consumed in cars, so this is analogy is fairly apt.
It’s not that they rot. It’s that they turn to utter crap if they get the slightest bit cold. McDonald’s fries are great for hours. In-N-Out’s are good for seconds.
That’s certainly one way to look at it. The way I see it is that McDonald’s fries aren’t all that good to begin with.
In-n-Out uses fresh potatoes, and I suspect they don’t double-fry. This results in a limp, pallid, flavorless french fry. Alton Brown has pointed out that potatoes stored in the freezer have some of their starch converted to sugar, which caramelizes in the fryer. Both this and double-frying contribute to the crispness and flavor that makes good french fries appetizing even when they’re cold.
And their burgers aren’t that great either; they’re a cut above other fast-food burgers, but they don’t compare to a gourmet burger like Fuddrucker’s used to make.