My gf and I love duck donuts- fresh made donuts and really great toppings. We sometimes go there for breakfast on the weekends. ETA- I live in Philly, her place is in NJ
Since it seems every other fast food burger joint on the planet has been done to death here, I’ll toss my preferred chain, Habit Burger, into the ring. There are all the major brands within a couple of miles, and some weird ones (e.g. MooYah, REALLY greasy) including In-N-Out, and Habit Burger beats 'em. I get an order of tempura green beans with the burger and convince myself I 'm eating healthy.
Looks like they are all coastal locations though.
That’s pretty much where I am. McDs & BK’s only virtue is they’re open late on the rural Interstate when I need body fuel. Other than that, for the rare occasions I want ground beef, I’ll get good ground beef well-served, not production-line nasty carefully honed over billions and billions to provide the absolute worst possible product someone will still eat at the absolute lowest possible price point.
When I get the urge and money is no object, I go to The Counter. They claim to have over a million potential combinations of burger available. Here’s their sauce selection (they’ll also do catsup and mustard):
- Garlic Aioli 160/490 cal*
- Chipotle Aioli 140/430 cal*
- Horseradish Aioli 150/460 cal*
- Hickory BBQ 30/90 cal*
- The Counter Relish 35/105 cal*
- Umami Sauce 150/460 cal*
- Sweet Sriracha 60/170 cal*
- Hot Wing Sauce 70/200 cal*
- Lucy Sauce 110/330 cal*
- Mayo 200/600 cal*
- Dijon Balsamic 130/380 cal*
- Lemon Vinaigrette 150/450 cal*
- Basil Pesto 110/230 ca*
- Bacon Aioli 70/220 cal*
- Buttermilk Ranch 150/450 cal*
- Creamy Avocado Ranch 80/230 cal*
- Honey Dijon 180/550 cal*
- Thousand Island 160/480 cal*
- Caesar 100/480 cal*
- Habanero Salsa 10/30 cal*
Full create your own menu: The Counter - Menu - Create Your Own Burger
Disadvantages? It is only in California (multiple locations in the Bay Area and LA), Virginia (Reston), NYC, and Florida (Miami Airport only). And checking out the Santa Monica order online selection, the create your own burger version of a bacon cheeseburger (12 choices for cheese) is just south of $20. If you went wild (for example, a bison burger, pretzel bun, mushroom and bacon add-ons, side of fries) you’re north of $30.
I get your point, but frankly, as a general assessment that’s a bit cynical. It does describe McDonald’s at its worst and one particularly bad BK location that I used to go to many years ago. After a couple of bad experiences there, including a beef patty that I could have sworn was on the edge of spoilage, I never went there again.
But as I related upthread, all the talk about burgers sent me scurrying out the other day for a BK Whopper, and it was fresh, nicely put together, and quite enjoyable. Nothing premium or gourmet about it, to be sure, but it was more than just “edible”. I certainly agree that they and everybody else strive for the lowest-cost ingredients, but the objective is not “the absolute worst possible product someone will still eat”, the objective is a low-cost product that will stand up against competitors. Different burger joints have different ideas about how to do that, and some are considerably more successful than others (and success is definitely not correlated with quality, in support of which statement I cite McDonald’s).
Speaking of quality, I daresay that the best burger in the world comes from a joint that has no sign and no name, and is simply known among family and friends as “Wolfpup’s back yard”. 
It has no pretensions to “gourmet” status, merely simple ingredients of the highest quality, expertly grilled by a Bernese Mountain Dog wearing a chef’s hat. The burgers there are free, but admission is selective. The only downside anyone might find is that this temperamental chef absolutely refuses to put mustard on a burger, and anyone who does so on their own is likely to get bitten.
I did add a little hyperbole sauce to that last burger post of mine. And maybe a wee bit too much.
You’re quite right that efficiency, low prices, and acceptable margins are the true key, and once that’s satisfied they’re happy if the food is also palatable and attractive. All else equal that really improves their repeat business.
But …
Like I’ve always said about air passengers who book the absolute cheapest fare: You don’t always get more when you pay more, but down at the very bottom, you’ll lose a lot more quality to save that last couple dollars.
McDs, etc., were never expensive. But the extreme efforts they’ve gone to to produce value menus, dollar menus, etc., in the face of decades of slow inflation and a couple/few years of higher inflation has painted them way, way, waay far into the corner of diminishing returns on cost-cutting. Where each additional penny they wring out of the product costs disproportionately more in quality foregone.
Another problem McDonald’s has had is menu inflation, with just too many options on the menu board.
They are not average fries, though. They’re fresh-cut, skins-on, fried in peanut oil. Like Og intended. I’m willing to go above McD’s/BK/Wendy’s prices for that.
I’d guess that God intended them to be fried in animal fat but I suppose those days are largely behind us.
Five Guys sits in a bad place for me where, if I just want something “good enough”, they’re priced well out of what I feel like paying. And, if I’m willing to to drop $20 on a burger, there’s far better options. Place near here sells a 1/2lb wild boar burger that’s fantastic and costs $21. Sure, I’ll get coleslaw rather than 3,500 calories of fries but the ‘sacrifice’ is more than worth it. Or some independent strip mall joints that make a good tasty messy burger for well under what Five Guys costs. Too expensive for how what it is and not good enough to compete with its like-priced alternatives.
I just don’t mess with the Five Guys burger. I get hot dogs or a burger at the aforementioned Sheetz, then cross the road to 5G. In both cases, I get my money’s worth!
But… but… but… PEANUTS!!!
I’ve only been to 5 Guys a handful of times, but that’s their signature gimmick. Bins of in-shell peanuts that you can scoop out and eat all you like. IIRC, there are signs saying you shouldn’t take them outside the store due to allergy concerns, which is a bit strange - they can hardly be responsible for your causing problems after you leave the place. We actually don’t go to the one nearish our house since our son IS allergic to peanuts - just not worth the risk. But there’s one near where my daughter lives, in Vermont, that is actually the only decent-ish burger in town.
The fries are greasy enough to kill you at 10 paces though - not recommended for carryout, as they get quite soggy in the 10 minute drive home.
Never been to Five Guys, but from what I’ve heard, I don’t get the point of the peanuts.
I like peanuts, but to me, they belong at a baseball game, or their shells decorate the floor of a dive bar. I’ve been to a few such bars, and a few such baseball games.
Why the heck would a burger joint have peanuts to snack on while you wait?
I’m gonna need to see the health inspector’s report before I look into booking a table.
:::shrug:::
It’s just their gimmick. Somebody somewhere thought it’d be a nifty thing to do, and they stuck with it.
I’ve heard about Wolfpup’s Back Yard in this and other threads, and I’d be willing to chance it. Those burgers sound great.
And I’d be willing to be bitten, if it comes to that. Aside to @wolfpup, my usual Harvey’s order is “mustard, relish, pickles, and tomatoes [note the plurals].” I wish we had more here in western Canada; for some reason, western Canadians just don’t “get” Harvey’s, and are bamboozled by “you mean I get to tell you what I want on my burger?” Either that, or Harvey’s chooses the worst possible places to set up shop. The food court at West Edmonton Mall, good; the hardest place to drive to in Lethbridge, bad.
I’m flying through Pearson soon. I’ve got time before my connecting flight. I hope there’s a Harvey’s.
a lot of places won’t send fountain cokes out for delivery as a lot of people won’t deliver them
… too much of a mess s also there’s an upcharge of .50 to two bucks at a lot of places . through the delivery places …
where l live unless its a glorified kids meal or just 2 standard cheeseburgers small everything etc via doordash and Uber Eats a meal starts 12.50$
that’s my bucket list place…all my relatives in OC and lower la county rave about the place…
the habits pretty good too for a semi fancy place
We have a ton of places that are a cross between Mexican and burger fast food places with big portions …
here’s one …
Now if you want a burger the size of a dinner plate you go here: and yes you can get chilli cheeseburger (aka chilli size) for breakfast lol
How dare you. 
Ha, seriously, I can understand why they wouldn’t appeal to many, but to me they have a unique flavor that I love. I only indulge a couple times a year these days-- fortunately there isn’t a White Castle very near me.
Why do I find those little burger bites so damn good? Not sure. The carmelized onions are part of it, but that’s hardly unique to a burger. Maybe it’s as simple as the way the burgers are grilled, with the bun, so the buns soak up the burger grease and become a delicious fat delivery system.
Maybe it’s the nostalgia factor, since my dad used to occasionally bring a big sack of sliders home for dinner when I was a kid. But, I had plenty of McDonalds burgers as a kid too, and I don’t crave those now.
I thought The Oily Grail was tallow.
That’s usually why most people have a taste for some things. For me it was A&W root beer (it was the only chain fast food joint in Anchorage when I was growing up). I never had a McDonald’s product until I was in my 20s and I thought it was pretty poor, but people who grew up with it like it.
The cars in line at a Starbucks at 3 PM on a Tuesday in order to throw down a Hamilton for 1000 calories worth of chocolate milk is unreal.