Burger Fuel. Only in NZ though :(

ITT: People who don’t know what fast food is. If you are seated, wait staff takes your order, and you wait 15+ minutes for your food to be prepared, it’s not fast food, even if you’re ordering a hamburger and fries.

Probably A&W. I’m shocked to see so many people saying Wendy’s. Their meat is tasteless, imo.

Freddy’s or Culver’s. Shake shack gets a distant third place if nothing else is nearby.

Outside of my area, it’s white castle. Miss u baby 😿

We have a local fast food chain called Good Times.

I’d put their burger up against all other national fast food chains. I’m willing to bet, though there’s a litany of other local fast food chains all over the place that could compete. Part of the joy of traveling in the US, as far as I’m concerned.

We just started getting In-N-Out locations here a few years ago, and it’s lovely for a cheap burger. But let’s not pretend it’s anywhere close to the best around. Plus their fries are so bad it’s shameful.

Good Times’ Wild Fries are divine. And strangely for a fast food chain they have decent green chile for said fries.

Killer Burger. That peanut butter bacon burger is insane.

Five Guys is overrated. They’re a fine homemade style burger, not nothing I would call the best.

I like Whataburger and in n out equally, sometimes i feel like one, sometimes the other.

It kinda depends, and my opinion has to be tempered with the knowledge that not all chains are everywhere. That means the only white castle I’ve had was frozen, I’ve never had in n out, etc.

What chains are present within reasonable driving distance, or that I’ve had elsewhere are: sonic, Jack in the box, McDonald’s, burger king, Wendy’s, Hardee’s/Carl Jr’s. You can add steak n shake, cookout, and five guys, if you consider those as fast food (I do, but some don’t). I’ve also had what-a-burger when visiting family, though not often.

There’s more than one kind of burger, which makes it difficult.

As an example, Hardee’s does these burgers that are huge, and supposedly black angus beef. Amazing burgers for a fast food joint. Arguably as good or better than burgers at sit down restaurants, including steak houses (depending on which one). But they’re a specialty burger, and that’s not always comparable to standard burgers.

And there’s a difference between something like a big mac, that’s piled with stuff, and a regular cheeseburger.

So, for my money, my actual favorite fast food burger of any kind is Burger King’s regular cheeseburger. It’s just the small patty, a slice of cheese, a few pickles, nurses mustard and ketchup. Simple, enough so that your really taste the beef, but the toppings serve to enhance that flavor rather than cover it up (which is what happens with whoppers and big macs). Plus, the size is more reasonable. I don’t feel bloated by one, even with a drink.

However, the Frisco burger from hardees is bomb. Sourdough bread rather than a bun. Not the best sourdough tbh, but it’s still a decent enough attempt. The bacon and tomato work well with it. Not a fan of mayo, so I would order it without. Haven’t had one in ages though, because they’re freaking huge. 800+ calories, and it’s like you swallowed a handful of those sponges in gelcaps that kids take into the bathtub with them. It’s too much food.

Those would be my top picks for a fairly standard burger though. One smaller and kinda generic, the other a belly buster that’s sorta specialty, but not a vast departure.

That being said, there’s a style of burger I’ve had when visiting family that’s called “Carolina burger”. It’s the toppings that make it a style, not the burger itself. Chili sauce, onion, slaw, mustard, with pickles optional. The chilli sauce is not standard hamburger/hotdog chili. It’s its own thing, with hundreds of recipes, at least. Every family does their chili sauce different. Definitely the best regional burger I’ve had.

The best Carolina burgers are not fast food available anywhere except at a whataburger, and they don’t call it that. I looked it up, and they call it a hamburger and the bigger version is a what-a-hamburger. Which, it’s important to note that this is not the same chain as is in Texas. This is just a couple of joints in one town in North Carolina. I’ve only ever been to them with my cousin a few times, but holy shit is it good. They also make this strangely good drink concoction called a witch doctor, which is basically every drink they have, plus pickles and pickle juice. But they’re technically a drive-in and sit down joint, not a proper fast food joint, but they are just as fast as any of that big chains. It’s worth the trip just for the burger though.

Not that fast food burgers would be my pick for a burger 90% of the time, though.

In N Out

Shake Shack’s Shroom Burger is by far the best non-meat burger I’ve had. I’m not even a big fan of mushrooms but Shake Shack manages to turn that portobello mushroom into deliciousness.

Dick’s in Washington state

Arby’s, ironically enough. Not having burgers used to be their whole identity.

Five Guys

There’s a local burger place where I live that’s basically an In-N-Out without the branding. Excellent cheeseburgers. The owner even uses locally sourced beef so the burgers are pretty fresh.

American fast food chains are getting worse each day here, so not that.

Instead, there is a local chain named Burger Bangor in my country and holy fuuuck–it’s so fucking good. The meat and buns actually tastes good, to the point where I ask myself: if they can do it, why can’t the more mainstream chain like Burger King, McD, etc do it?

Taco bells bean burrito put inside a soft potato taco