I live in California now, but I moved here from the Southeast, and I fell in love with In-N-Out’s burgers the first time I tried one.
At risk of bringing things full circle and starting a Chick-Fil-A hijack in this thread, Chick-Fil-A is the one I actually don’t get the hype about. And I think that’s actually because I grew up where they were always ubiquitous. They were always just another fast food place to me. And there was one in the food court on campus when I was in college, so I ate there a lot, so there may be an element of overexposure to their food as well.
I’ve never been to and was only vaguely aware of this chain. I see there are two in Seattle, so I may give it a try. For once or twice a year, the price isn’t an issue and I’d love to find a good burger option.
In-N-Out lover here. I likewise think any comparison vs. a McDonalds burger is complete madness. While I’m a native Californian, I didn’t grow up with In-N-Out; I was in college before I had one for the first time.
Shake Shack, Five Guys, and Steak and Shake are all unambiguously better than McDonalds too, but IMO In-N-Out is a step above those. I also agree with ASL_v2.0 that their consistency is a significant virtue. It’s the same high quality every single time.
And yeah, the fries are the weakest part, but well done and extra salt makes them acceptable. MCDs does do the best fries even today.
Oh, man – I was just there last month and finally got around to trying their crispy chicken sandwich. That was a banger of a sandwich. Might be better than a Popeye’s chicken sandwich on a good day. It’s neck-and-neck, and I’d give it to Shake Shack. But, once again, double the price.
As for the fries: I’ve tried the “well done” trick a few times, and they end up even drier (of course) and more like those Andy Capp fries you get in a bag at the gas station. Also tried them “animal style.” There’s just no saving those damned things.
I guess one strike against Harvey’s (mentioned upthread) is that they use shredded lettuce. Doesn’t bother me, though, because I’m of the opinion that lettuce in any form has no business being on a burger, though whole-leaf lettuce (I prefer romaine) is essential for almost any other sandwich. Thing is, when you introduce lettuce, you need mayo. And that doesn’t belong on a burger, either.
But who’s truly entitled to say what people should or should not have on their burgers? I am.
Other than their breakfasts (bacon and egg McMuffin is pretty good, and I love their coffee) the only thing at McDonald’s that I wouldn’t describe as greasy crap is maybe their crispy chicken sandwich. But, just as you say, it so often isn’t done right that I’d rather not take the chance. McDonald’s does make a major effort to achieve consistency, and in some respects they succeed, but all the consistency in the world with the raw ingredients can all be destroyed by one uncaring minimum-wage burger-flipper.
What puly said. Except I’m a Californian born and bred and prefer In-N-Out over just about any other burger, fast-food or otherwise. The fries suck, but I can hit someplace else for them. Well-done, Animal Style makes them barely acceptable.
Shake Shack - Not Bad.
Steak and Shake - It’s been awhile, but I recall liking it well enough.
5 Guys - Blows expensive chunks. I’d rather have a Quarter Pounder.
In N Out back in the 1980s in LA was awesome. Nowadays, not as much. The locations in tourist traps with lines out the door are an abomination compared to the real thing.
Whataburger? Whataburger?!?! I first encountered them in St. Louis in the late 1990s. Something so nasty and ersatz only a Midwesterner could like it.
My sentiments exactly, and I live in California. I’ve had their fries (when dragged to the place by friends) several ways, all bad. The burger is fine, but not worth a wait.
Give me Five Guys any day, and they’ve never ever burned my fries.
None of them are. Whether we’re talking burgers, chicken sandwiches, or even fries, not a single fast food establishment is so good as to go to war over. I prefer Whataburger to In-N-Out, I think Chick-Fil-A makes a good chicken sandwich, I still love Chicken McNuggets, and I think Five Guys are barely better than Wendy’s, but if someone else hates what I love and loves what I hate, it’s cool.
I am not overly particular about burgers but if I have a choice, it will be In-N-Out every time. The major draw for me is the freshness and modest portion size, and the ability to add my own salt to the fries, so I am not feeling bloated afterward. I like a good burger, but a 1,000 calorie behemoth is un-necessary and to be avoided, and altho you can get a small-ish hamburger at other places, ya know, you end up with something more than you need.
I love 5 Guys. Probably my favorite. It’s the only place I know with the option to add chopped green pepper. My go-to order there is a cheeseburger with tomato, pickles, green pepper, mayo, and A-1 sauce. That combo simply doesn’t exist anywhere else.
I don’t think that was Whataburger. Whataburger is a Texas chain. Looks like the just expanded to Missouri (and not in St Louis) for the first time in 2021.
Ya know, Chick Fil A’s nuggets are pretty much objectively better, but every once in awhile, I just get that preformed McDonald’s chicken nugget itch, and nothing can scratch it like Ronald can. I mean, wait. You know what I mean.
And that’s something I don’t like about 5 Guys. Their “regular” burger is actually 2 patties, and it’s huge. Unless I’m really hungry I have trouble finishing it. If you only want 1 patty you have to order a “little” cheeseburger, and even that I can barely finish.
I hear this a lot, and there must be something to it because McD’s undoubtedly did a huge amount of market research for such a mainstream part of their menu. But personally I just don’t agree. Their imitation “hash browns” that they serve with breakfast are OK, but to me their fries resemble tasteless cardboard. It’s an impression that wasn’t helped by Morgan Spurlock’s experiment of putting McD’s fries in a Mason jar to see how long they took to deteriorate. Turned out, they didn’t. They just sat there, looking exactly the same for weeks, as if they were plastic imitations of actual food.
I think Burger King and Wendy’s have better fries, but not by much. The best fries I regularly get from a fast food outlet is from the Swiss Chalet chicken place. They’re nicely browned and deeply flavourful, crispy on the outside and soft inside, and as a bonus the chicken dinners come with a tangy warm barbecue dipping sauce that’s as good for dipping the fries as it is for the chicken.
That may well be true. Not an area of experimentation that I’m personally familiar with! Still, I maintain that McD’s fries, to me, anyway, taste artificial and cardboard-like. They’re certainly edible, but it’s equally certain that there are much better fries out there.
I’ll say they do that style of skinless, thin fast food fry the best. I feel there are better fries out there, as well, more potato-y, a little thicker, and skin-on is where it’s at for me, but McDonald’s does their style of crowd-pleasing fries extremely well.
