One of these things is not like the others, one of these things just doesn’t belong.
Here’s another snapshot with the Under-3 and “miscellaneous” omitted:
View Poll Results: Which fast food chain serves your favorite burger?
Five Guys Burgers and Fries 29 17.06%
In-N-Out Burger 22 12.94%
Carl's Jr./Hardee's 15 8.82%
Burger King 9 5.29%
Wendy's 8 4.71%
Smashburger 8 4.71%
Whataburger 8 4.71%
Fuddruckers 7 4.12%
Red Robin 6 3.53%
Jack in the Box 5 2.94%
White Castle 5 2.94%
Culver's 4 2.35%
Fatburger 4 2.35%
Shake Shack 4 2.35%
Steak 'n Shake 4 2.35%
Sonic Drive In 3 1.76%
Voters: 170
Is it possible that this issue is more about Taste than Burgers?
Want to predict which one falls the most and which one rises the most by the 200th vote?
Not to me. Any time they give you a pager, I consider it quick service. That’s a small step up from fast food, in my opinion. Fast food places bring you your food while you’re still standing at the register.
The distinction is important, because it says a lot about how the food is being prepared. Five Guys cooks your burger to order, but real fast food just does toppings to order. The burger has already been cooked.
I love Five Guys, but you have to eat it immediately. If you set the bag on the car seat and try to drive home, the grease will run all over your leather seats and take days!! to get out.
QSR is fast food.
I voted for Shake Shack, but they don’t have very many locations, so I’m not surprised that they aren’t winning.
My second is Five Guys which does a good burger.
I’d argue that both Five Guys and Fuddruckers are fast food. For both of them, you order at a counter, and they call you up to get your food. In my opinion that difference between fast food and non fast food is the presence of waitstaff.
This is what I came in to say. I feel sympathy for anyone who hasn’t had the opportunity to partake of this chain’s wonderful creations.
Hmm, now I’m hungry, I think I’ll go for Cookout today for lunch 
The associated articles at the bottom of that page include …
where I was surprised not to find …
… which I suppose nowadays is less for burgers than sit-down meals. It’s been years since I ate at one, but they have to have suffered from the McDonald’s onslaught.
It might be fun to name such places that are no longer (for whatever reason) in contention for being named in this poll’s list.
Sorry, not to me. I’ve worked in food service a good bit, and there is definitely a distinction made between places like McDonalds and Five Guys.
To get on my list of “good burgers” they have to be willing to cook-to-order (my burger must be medium-rare). The only chain on that list that I’ve been to that does cook-to-order is Shake Shack so they get my vote.
Huh. I don’t remember a pager at the Five Guys I’ve been to. I wonder if it varies by region, or I’ve just forgotten about it. (I’ve only been there three or so times.) To me, it looked like any other fast food establishment. Order at the counter, step aside, get your burger.
I took my son and nephews this weekend, and you get a number on your receipt that they will call when they have completed your order.
Plus, even if they do, I don’t see how that’s any different (except technologically) than calling your order number out like in other fast food places.
Problem is, we’d also have to eliminate Smashburger (they use pagers). And Culver’s also is classified as “fast casual” typically. Then, I suppose, where does Steak & Shake fit in. It’s a proper sit-down restaurant with table service, but it does have a drive through and you can order up front, too, so it’s a mix of diner and fast food establishment.
I would also eliminate Smashburger. I just don’t count it as fast food if I’m sitting at my table, waiting for my food to be cooked.
You’d have to eliminate In N Out then, too. Everything is cooked to order there, so far as I remember. At least all the times I’ve been, it’s been at least a five minute wait. It’s order, sit down, wait for your number to be called. Maybe I’m unlucky in my timing, but it’s never been fast for me, and it’s never been “In N Out” in terms of speed of service.
With Five Guys you can order on-line and show up at the scheduled time and you are in and out in a matter of a minute or so. Or, you can order it there and sit at a table and eat peanuts while you wait. So by this logic it either is or isn’t fast food depending on how you order.
ISWYDT. 
I don’t really think it matters if any of these restaurants on the poll meet the thread title. Just think of it as “Which of these has the best burger” and don’t worry about semantics.
OTOH, I think we’re all agreed that DQ has a pretty crappy burger, right? 
That’s exactly what I did.
Agreed… I asked a friend, and he thought the definition was that at “Fast Food” places, they have the burgers already cooked, lined up under heat-lamps, and waiting for customers. That may once have been common, but not very many places do that any more. By that definition, I don’t know of any “Fast Food” places at all!
Been a long time since I tried one. I’ll go and nosh one, and get back to you.
Actually, no. Some DQs have absolutely fantastic straight-up, simple, old school fast-food style burgers. The one in Wilmette (north Chicago suburbs) is particularly good in this area. Whenever I’m up in that area, I try to remember to stop by that DQ for a burger.