Burger Wars
 

Let the controversy begin!

Beef Patty on a Bun . . And the Winner Is . . .

Bottom of the list . . .

McDonald’s and Hardee’s shared the bottom rankings for overall value. Jack in the Box was last in the food quality and cleanliness categories. Hardee’s was deemed to have the worst service, while Dairy Queen’s atmosphere was voted as the most lacking.

I'm not a burger connoisseur so I guess I'm not the best judge. I do now I am not a fan of the typical burger chains such as what a burger, McD, B King .. I tend to prefer the small private joints.

There is a place a few miles from us called Patty Shack in Grand Prairie. Great burgers, good price with hole in the wall atmosphere (which I like). We went to Five Guys once and the wife did not care for them. No idea why, seems tasty to me. There is a place down the street called Smash Burger. Great shakes and very good burgers (Patty's are better IMO).

Then there are the best burgers in town. I make them in my back yard. Saute some onions, mushrooms and bell pepper, get some provolone or other good melting cheese, take two thin patty's and put the stuff in the middle, smush the edges and grill. That right there is some good chit. I like my burgers the best but what do I know.

My biggest criticsm of "the chains" . . . including 5 Guys, is the use of the pre-formed pressed patties. They're just formed too tightly for much hope of juicy goodness.

Project Wimpy?
 

I like In n Out about twice a year, other than that it's all pseudo-phood.
Stuffed burgers are great. I like to put a nice slice of mozzarella smeared with pesto in the middle of two thin patties, then seal and grill. Or a big dollop of my homemade balsamic sweet onion compote and a slice of swiss or smear of chevre. The combinations are endless.

I have to wonder about survey results like these. In the marketplace--where people vote with their pocketbooks, the results are nearly exactly the opposite from this survey. Maybe people are embarrassed to admit they like MacD's , Burger King etc.
If they are seen as the least popular burger joints, why are they the most successful?

Maybe something in the methodology would explain it.

Here's a page with some info on their methodology. It clearly wasn't a "whose burger gets eaten more often?" study. That one would obviously been won by McD's.

Press Releases - Market Force

Havent seen a Hardees in many yrs, there was one on Mcarthur Blvd in Irving tx when we were the nuclear family--it had stools out front. We would pile into the plymouth belvedere with the push button transmission and head over there because my town was too small to have a burger joint.

Sounds like a press release for 5 Guys.

If you want to spend $6 for a burger, $2 for fries and $2 for a drink, 5 Guys is OK.

When I want something about the same for less, I go to Whataburger and get it for $7.

OK, serious question here - does anyone know if the chain of Whataburgers in TX are in any way related to the chain of Whataburgers here in NC? There's been a chain of Whataburger drive-in's here in this area of NC since the 50's.

But isn't that the whole point? The marketplace is the only ranking that matters. Everybody thought Packard was a great car, but they bought Caddys, and Buicks, Lincolns etc. ( Packard also lowered their quality, and sucked at marketing), but the point is that Packard failed in the marketplace while they had a great reputation.
Surveys like this one strike me as fodder for losers. They can console themselves that people really like them, and their products and their service. That's OK in a way, but I'd prefer to sell more product.

How come Red Robin did not make it to the survey? I do recall their burgers were pretty excellent for being a chain! They also had a good atmosphere and friendly customer service.

Whoever has called on this survey has NO IDEA about the world of burgers out there, and just wants to get attention without making any sort of real, passionate effort. C'mon you are writing for the Chicago Tribune, a reputable newspaper! Travel, eat, gather, survey! Move your hipster butt out of Starbucks and try to give a damn about what you are giving your readers!

Red Robin probably is in a different category, since it is a "sit down" server and menu based restaurant.

So, the Toyota Camry or Honda Accord is the "best" four door sedan because it sells the most?

So everyone who sells less burgers than McDonald's are somehow "losers"?

If somebody asked me what my favorite rye whiskey is I'd answer Van Winkle Family Reserve, hands down. Do I drink it all the time? No, it's silly expensive and hard to get. One xmas bottle, maybe.
Bulleit Rye is available, decent and doesn't break the bank. Bulleit sells lots more whiskey than Van Winkle, but you won't find a soul who thinks that for that reason they're the best.