# Which Fast Food Burger Joint has The Cheapest Burgers? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [November 26, 2022, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fast-food-burger-joint-has-the-cheapest-burgers/975575 "2022-11-26T08:08:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![fedman1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e495f1/32.png) [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2022, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fast-food-burger-joint-has-the-cheapest-burgers/975575/101 "2022-12-17T07:21:58Z")
5 guys? red Robin? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2022, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fast-food-burger-joint-has-the-cheapest-burgers/975575/102 "2022-12-17T13:16:42Z")
“Sent out to be heated up”? Like, they take them to some other facility to heat them, and then bring them back to the restaurant? I’m confused. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@salinqmind1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind1)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2022, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fast-food-burger-joint-has-the-cheapest-burgers/975575/103 "2022-12-17T14:17:43Z")
Frozen raw hamburger patties are sent out in trucks to the BK restaurants from wherever it is frozen hamburger patties are made. . The patties are put on a conveyor belt and cooked there (NOT just heated up, I mis-spoke) in a new kind of oven. No ‘flame broiling’ (if there ever was such a thing) is involved, and the taste and texture are different now. That’s all I know, I don’t work there. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2022, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fast-food-burger-joint-has-the-cheapest-burgers/975575/104 "2022-12-17T18:28:25Z")
> [@fedman1](#): > > 5 guys? red Robin? I don’t consider them to be fast food. Red Robin definitely isn’t; they’re a sit down place with waiters. But even Five Guys isn’t really fast food in my mind. I would say they fall into the category known as “fast casual” in the restaurant industry, a notch above standard fast food. ---
**Author:** ![Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mundane_super_hero/32/6304_2.png) [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mundane_Super_Hero)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2022, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fast-food-burger-joint-has-the-cheapest-burgers/975575/105 "2022-12-17T19:26:30Z")
A $9.99 burger can be had at “25 Burgers” / “30 Burgers” (the ‘6 Alarm’ is Great!) but it’s still a pricey lunch for ‘fast food’. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2022, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fast-food-burger-joint-has-the-cheapest-burgers/975575/106 "2022-12-17T19:33:07Z")
As mentioned, 5 Guys is a fast casual place, not fast food. It also isn’t cheap. But it is. I mean to say that you will pay an arm and a leg for a cheap ass burger. What you are paying for at 5 Guys is extreme customization options. And their fries suck just as bad as In-N-Out, but in a totally different way. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2022, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fast-food-burger-joint-has-the-cheapest-burgers/975575/107 "2022-12-17T19:37:55Z")
I haven’t been to Five Guys in _years_, but they were weirdly generous in how many fries you got. They’d put the little packet of fries in a bag and then pour a whole lot more in after that. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2022, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fast-food-burger-joint-has-the-cheapest-burgers/975575/108 "2022-12-17T19:41:33Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > And their fries suck just as bad as In-N-Out, but in a totally different way. I think you know my opinion on this, but I agree with you that In N Out fries absolutely suck, no matter what secret words you try to use to order them. Even slathered animal style, they somehow fail to impress. OTOH, the only problem I have with 5 Guys fries is they give you too damned much of them. #1 fry in the business by my book (or, let’s just say top tier), but everybody has different expectations of fries, I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2022, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fast-food-burger-joint-has-the-cheapest-burgers/975575/109 "2022-12-17T20:05:40Z")
Which is the way they do it at The Hat, but with infinitely better fries. Too bad the Hat doesn’t even make “Regional” in the rankings. **puly** - Yep. Everybody has different things they look for in a french fry. To me, 5 Guys fries are nothing but a full bag of greasy starch sticks. As opposed to In-N-Out fries, which are undercooked starch sticks no matter how well-done they cook them. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2022, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fast-food-burger-joint-has-the-cheapest-burgers/975575/110 "2022-12-17T21:27:35Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Too bad the Hat doesn’t even make “Regional” in the rankings. 👍 👍 ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2022, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fast-food-burger-joint-has-the-cheapest-burgers/975575/111 "2022-12-17T21:56:01Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > Almost makes me want to buy one to see how much I’d dislike it 😀. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/AS-07dh9-NA/maxresdefault.jpg "Star Trek Generation: Data drinks alcohol") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AS-07dh9-NA) ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fast-food-burger-joint-has-the-cheapest-burgers/975575/112 "2022-12-18T01:18:10Z")
BK has been cooking frozen patties on a conveyor belt that travels through a “grill” at least as far back as the the 1980s. I think they’ve always used a conveyor belt grill, but I can’t be certain. If you’ve noticed a change in the taste and texture, it’s for some other reason. ---
**Author:** ![Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mundane_super_hero/32/6304_2.png) [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mundane_Super_Hero)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fast-food-burger-joint-has-the-cheapest-burgers/975575/113 "2022-12-18T01:53:43Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > And their fries suck just as bad as In-N-Out, but in a totally different way. I really do like the “25 guys” / “30 guys” burger and what comes with it. There is one about 10 towns away from me… but it would mean driving on a highway with red-cap Aholes. I need to find out what it takes to set up a Grub-Hub account so that I may have that delivered. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fast-food-burger-joint-has-the-cheapest-burgers/975575/114 "2022-12-18T01:55:21Z")
They just opened a 5 Guys in my town, all of 200 yards from In-N-Out. Something tells me a fresh side-by-side comparison test is in order someday soon. ---
**Author:** ![Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mundane_super_hero/32/6304_2.png) [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mundane_Super_Hero)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fast-food-burger-joint-has-the-cheapest-burgers/975575/115 "2022-12-18T01:59:59Z")
Sometimes… I’d love a 1/4 lb of seafood salad to put on white bread. Sometimes I’d like a 1/2 pie of pumpkin pie… because nobody likes it but me. Sometimes I’d like that delivered because I don’t want to be driving that day. Maybe I am retired… ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fast-food-burger-joint-has-the-cheapest-burgers/975575/116 "2022-12-18T02:20:53Z")
> [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](#): > > Sometimes I’d like a 1/2 pie of pumpkin pie… because nobody likes it but me. Sounds like pies come in the convenient two-serving package. I see no reason to complain. Order forth! ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fast-food-burger-joint-has-the-cheapest-burgers/975575/117 "2022-12-18T19:51:24Z")
I liked the Sonic double cheese burger. The classic was well made and reasonably priced. It came on a larger bun. Sonic changed their burgers. They’re basically the same now as other chains. They even have a quarter pounder. Door dash lists the Sonic cheeseburger for $5.72 and the double $7.92. The quarter pound cheeseburger is $3.65. Pretty cheap. It does seem like Wendys, Sonic , and Dairy Queen all offer a burger similar to McDonald’s. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fast-food-burger-joint-has-the-cheapest-burgers/975575/118 "2022-12-18T20:14:03Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > They just opened a 5 Guys in my town, all of 200 yards from In-N-Out. Something tells me a fresh side-by-side comparison test is in order someday soon. 5 Guys refuses to have 1000 island dressings for their burgers, and besides that, they are not as good. However, the fries are no contest. In & Out does not make the kind of fries I like. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fast-food-burger-joint-has-the-cheapest-burgers/975575/119 "2022-12-18T20:26:02Z")
No argument there. Just elsewhere. 😛 Lots of people agree with you and **puly**. > **[The official fast food French fry power rankings](https://www.latimes.com/food/la-fo-french-fry-rankings-20190212-story.html)** > > Look, it’s been a long two years for everyone. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2022, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fast-food-burger-joint-has-the-cheapest-burgers/975575/120 "2022-12-19T00:41:11Z")
I have no confidence in a sample that judges so highly McDonald’s salted cardboard matchsticks. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fast-food-burger-joint-has-the-cheapest-burgers/975575.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-fast-food-burger-joint-has-the-cheapest-burgers/975575.md?page=7)