I’m surprised no one mentioned Hardees. Looking at their map, I see there’s no West Coast locations. They are all over the East coast and the South.
We recently got two Five Guys in my city. Never tried them. This thread has me curious and I’m going this week.
Pssst. Read the OP again.
Yes, many times because I had friends that liked this place. Why anyone would come here and spend $15 on a mediocre burger that you have to assemble yourself (I guess they call this a feature), fries & drink is beyond me. I can’t think of anything they do that I would rank above “pedestrian” unless there is a category for charging too much money.
Not having ever tried 5 guys, my vote is for In-N-Out, although I agree with the those who say the poll isn’t really comparing apples to apples. First of all, In-N-Out barely qualifies as fast food, at least as far as the “fast” part goes (their name really is quite a misnomer). They cook everything to order with fresh ingredients. This makes for great quality, but speed is not their forte. I go to a wendy’s near work and my order is ready within seconds of my finishing paying the bill. You will never get that at the best I&O in the world.
So really, if you want to rate fast food, I&O, Dairy Queen, 5 guys, etc. shouldn’t be an option (& I believe sonic shouldn’t either but its been a while since I have been there). Fast food should be something that is done FAST. From the remaining options, they are all pretty close, but I would give the slight edge to Carl’s Jr.
I disagree. Anything that’s ready within 5-10 minutes of ordering is fast food. Fast food does not have to be pre-made, ready to go this second, food. If waiting for a hamburger patty to fry up on a griddle or fresh-cut fries to finish deep frying isn’t fast food to you, then I don’t know what is. Hell, I’d consider freshly fried chicken to be fast food, too.
That is correct. In and Out does have a walk-up window but few people use it. Access to their burgers is predominately via drive thru. Many I & O’s have multiple drive through windows. Walk up and sit on a bench outside or drive thru. Very few In and Out’s have any table inside. (I have seen only one)
This is pretty much the definition of fast food.
The one (In n Out) near us has as much seating as any fast food place.
The one I go to in Phoenix is full of tables on the inside. And the ones I’ve been to California have been of both types. I’ve seen some with no or limited seating like you describe, but my memory is that I’ve been to many more with normal fast-food seating.
The closest In-N-Out to us converted a few years ago from “drive-thru only” to “drive-thru with inside seating and patio.”
It doubled their business, which was insane to begin with.
mcdonalds
Five Guys:
Amen. Why couldn’t they have opened up back when I lived at Westheimer @ Old Westheimer?
That place is awesome! The strange thing is that on their own merits, the burgers are extremely good, but on your first time there, the fries are what you’ll really remember.
They’re an otherworldly experience, to put it mildly. They’re fried in duck fat, which sounds kind of gross, but somehow makes the fries super-awesome, even without ketchup or sauce of any kind.
They aren’t independent, they’re rebuilding the chain.
I think all the locations in Northern California (which are newer than the ones in their SoCal base) have interior seating.
Indeed. Every In n Out I’ve ever been to has had a very large indoor seating area.
There’s a huge difference between a burger fresh off the grill vs a burger cooked earlier, laying in a warming tray, and slapped together when you order it. It’s like comparing a fresh made deli sandwich to those premade sandwiches wrapped in plastic wrap sitting next to the cheese. They just aren’t comparable items.
No doubt. But both are “fast food,” at least by my (and apparently many others) definitions.
The argument is not who has the best fast food, its who has the best burger, and with the places listed in the poll, the deck is stacked. If Morton’s was on the list I would probably pick that as the best burger, but that doesn’t make for much of a comparison.
Fast Food Joints is in the title.
Perhaps I could have been clearer. I was looking for the best burger in a fast food chain. And there are number of FFJs that tell us they don’t make it till we order it. They might be stretching the truth there…
FTR, I still have to go to Five Guys. The closest one is a little bit of a drive, but I am looking forward to it.
Sorry, I was looking at the poll, not the thread title. I still say that comparing In & Out to McDonalds is not a fair comparison.
Indeed; one is good.