The hamburger is a favorite for many Americans. Whether it’s a fast food burger, a gourmet
burger, a homemade burger, or a Michelin-starred burger in a fancy restaurant, it has been
one of the go-to meals for generations. While there are several stories about the invention
of this famous food, one thing is undisputed: the burger is one of the best and hardiest
meals ever created, everyone agrees about that fact. So whether it’s all dressed,
doubled up, fully loaded or plain, let’s unwrap the Top 10 Best Burger Chains in the
US.
McDonald's
There is no other burger chain in the country, and maybe in the whole world, that could match
or surpass the power and influence McDonald’s has with the burger-consuming public. Whatever
the demographic is, McDonald’s still always comes out on top of every category or field.
Take the number of stores for instance - everybody on this list pales in comparison to the number
of establishments McDonald’s has in the country, which is at least 14,000. Add the
rest of the world and that number increases to over 37,000. Those numbers are proof of
the influence and global dominance of this most popular burger chain.
Founded on May 14, 1940 by brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald in San Bernardino, California,
McDonalds started out as a restaurant, but later transformed into a hamburger joint.
One of the most famous icons in the world, the Golden Arches logo, was introduced in
1953. That same year, Ray Kroc joined and eventually bought out the whole company.
There’s no doubt that one of the best-known burgers in the world is the Big Mac. McDonald’s
also has the popular Quarter Pounder with Cheese and those famous french fries that
always taste the same no matter what country you order them in.
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Burger King
Although McDonald’s is at the top of this list, Burger King comes in at a very close
second. In fact, Burger King operates in countries where there is not a single McDonald’s in
sight. Insta-Burger King was founded in 1953 and was re-named just Burger King in 1954.
David Edgerton was the founder and the first restaurant was located in Jacksonville, Florida.
Today, Burger King has over 12,000 stores in the United States and locations in 72 countries
all over the world.
Burger King has one of the best names of any kind of food in the world; they copyrighted
this name and rightfully so, because it describes perfectly what kind of burger they serve,
and what the customer should expect. The Whopper is Burger King’s king of burgers. It’s
the original and it is their best.
Of course, some customers level up, that’s why we now have the Double Whopper and the
very scary Triple Whopper. Other customer favorites are the Double Whopper Bacon Cheeseburger
and the Bacon and Cheese Crispy Chicken Sandwich. People always feel like royalty whenever they
eat at Burger King, not just because of the free crown that the children enjoy, but also
with their kingly burgers.
Wendy's
Dave Thomas was definitely the most outgoing and least camera-shy of all burger chain founders
in the United States. He appeared in more advertisements and commercials than we can
count over the years for his darling company, Wendy’s. He started this burger chain in
1969 as inspired by the Kewpee Hamburgers he was accustomed to in his hometown in Michigan.
That’s where he got the traditional square beef patties Wendy’s is globally known for
now. So why is the company not named Dave’s or Davey’s? Dave Thomas actually named his
first restaurant after his daughter Melinda, whose nickname was Wendy. The first Wendy’s
was in Columbus, Ohio, and today there are nearly 6,000 stores in the United States alone,
and more than 360 in Canada.
Wendy’s reach extends past North America - it is a global brand, as popular as any
brand name in existence today. Most of their international locations are in Indonesia,
Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and Venezuela. Three of Wendy’s best and most famous burgers
are the Baconator, Bacon Classic Triple and the Bacon Classic Single. They also have the
world-famous Frosty and their hearty chicken sandwiches. Wendy’s has some of the best
french fries in the world!
Sonic Drive-In
The catchy and fun tagline of Sonic Drive-In is “This is How You Sonic.” This joint
originally opened back in 1953 as a steak restaurant turned root beer stand in Shawnee,
Oklahoma. The brains behind Sonic is Troy Smith, and before he put up the restaurant
he was a milkman and a bread delivery guy. Troy’s main concern was to provide fast
service to hungry customers, hence the company’s name Sonic, and the slogan “Service with
the Speed of Sound.” Sonic started with that 4-acre drive-in root beer, hot dog, and
burger joint with now a total of over 3,600 locations all over the United States as of
today.
Of those locations, 969 of them are in the state of Texas. There are over 280 of them
are in Oklahoma, also where the headquarters is, in Oklahoma City. Sonic is spread across
45 states in the USA and has established itself as one of the most popular burger chains in
the country. One of their best burgers is the SuperSonic Bacon Double Cheeseburger--
and try the onion rings with that. But the really good stuff isn’t the burgers, it’s
the hot dogs. They have the Footlong Quarter Pound Coney, the classic chili cheese dog,
and the Chicago Dog.
Five Guys
Five Guys Burgers and Fries is the youngest burger chain in this top ten list. Founded
just 32 years ago by a couple named Jerry and Janie Murrell. The name Five Guys came
from Jerry and their four sons, Ben, Chad, Jim, and Matt. Five Guys is actually categorized
as a fast casual restaurant that serves mainly hamburgers, french fries, and hot dogs. The
first ever restaurant was opened in Arlington County, Virginia. When the family decided
to franchise in 2003, it started a growth so monumental that five locations in the Washington
D.C. area turned into 1,500 stores all over the world.
Today, there are several restaurants in the United Kingdom, some in the Middle East, Canada,
France, Germany, and Spain, among others. The best burger to try at Five Guys is the
Patty Melt, pair it with large fries and the Five Guys Shake. They also serve hot dogs,
like cheese dogs and bacon dogs, and sandwiches, like the veggie sandwich, grilled cheese,
and BLTs. For a slightly more expensive burger, the customer gets quality fresh ingredients
and it’s worth every penny. This is why this young burger chain is on this list.
In-N-Out Burger
This popular California burger joint just recently celebrated its 70th anniversary.
Having been founded in October 1948 in Baldwin Park, California, In-N-Out is one of the most
successful burger chains in the Southwest United States. In-N-Out was created by the
Snyder couple, Harry and Esther. They owned and established the first ever drive-thru
burger joint in the great state of California. It was a really small place, all 10 square
feet, and just right around the corner from their home. By the 1970s, the company passed
to the couple’s son, Rich Snyder, and grew to 93 locations through the 90s.
Ninety percent of the restaurant’s locations are in California, but there are also locations
in Texas, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, and Oregon. The most famous In-N-Out burger is the Double-Double,
filled with their special sauce, tomato, lettuce, onion, two slices of cheese and two burger
patties on toasted buns. Their monster burgers are the Triple Triple and of course, the Quad
Quad. Their menu also offers shakes and fries. It’s really one of the more popular burgers
in California, and it was just mentioned in an episode of CBS’s The Big Bang Theory’s
12th and final season.
Jack in the Box
The intercom system used in drive through fast food restaurants was actually started
by Jack in the Box. This was a concept the restaurant first used back in 1951. Founded
in 1951 by Robert Oscar Peterson, Jack in the Box started off in San Diego, California.
Operations are centered in the United States West Coast, but they also have stores in Phoenix,
Indianapolis, Dallas, Charlotte, Cincinnati, and Nashville.
As of today, Jack in the Box serves customers in 21 states in the US, totalling about 2,200
stores nationwide. Jack in the Box offers a menu of hamburgers, chicken, sandwiches,
salads, and tacos. One can also order fries, sides, shakes and desserts. Try the new pumpkin
spice shake and the spicy nacho chicken sandwich - just not necessarily at the same time. Their
most popular and most consistent burger is the Jumbo Jack, but if you’re an adventurous
foodie, try the Blue Cheese and Bacon Ribeye burger or the Spicy Sriracha burger. After
Stephen King’s It gained ground and had film adaptations, clowns in logos seemed like
a really bad idea, and Jack in the Box logos in the 70s had a clown in their logos, but
today it’s just a simple red box with the word Jack written in white inside it.
Whataburger
Just to be clear, this is not What-A-Burger, but Whataburger. What-A-Burger is a small
burger chain founded in Virginia, and operating in North and South Carolina. Whataburger started
in 1950 by business partners Harmon Dobson and Paul Burton. During that time, burgers
sold for just 25 cents a pop. Harmon and Paul’s vision was for customers to hold a burger
using both hands and say “What a burger!” Before the end of the millennium, Whataburger
was up to 500 stores and growing. Currently, they have more than 820 stores in the country.
Almost 700 of the Whataburger locations are in Texas, the rest are spread over 9 states.
Their best burger is the classic Original Whataburger. Other customer favorites are
the Honey BBQ Chicken Strip Sandwich and the Monterey and Patty Melt. Although the reach
of Whataburger is small compared to most of the burger chains in this list, their burgers
are really so good that they deserve to have a spot in the top ten. Being a privately owned
company, and doing as well as they are now, it’s no easy feat to maintain a business
as big as Whataburger is now and still have it privately owned and operated.
Hardee's
Carl’s Jr. owner and founder Carl Karcher acquired Hardee’s back in 1997. This acquisition
led to the two burger chains becoming sister companies, but we can all agree that the union
was not in the best interest of the two companies and their customers. In the wake of the separation,
Hardee’s focused more on their food, launching their campaign called Tastes Like America,
and bringing back the old logo. Hardee’s was founded in 1960 by Wilbur Hardee with
its first restaurant in Greenville, North Carolina. Today, Hardee’s has thousands
of stores all over North America, and in international locations like Russia, Australia, China, Japan,
India, and Turkey.
Hardee’s hamburgers are all charbroiled burgers, and the menu starts off with the
¼-pound cheeseburger. It also offers a delicious mushroom and Swiss thickburger. But Hardee’s
largest burger is the ⅔-pound Monster Thickburger. The menu also includes chicken, fries, tacos,
burritos, and various desserts. They even offer breakfast menus and kids menus daily.
Today, Hardee’s is headquartered in Franklin, Tennessee, and the current CEO is Andrew Puzder.
Veering away from those controversial and definitely not kid-friendly advertisements,
Hardee’s is surely on track to win back its customers.
Carl's Jr.
Who could ever forget the Paris Hilton advertisement, right? To get a celebrity at the peak of her
fame tells everyone that this burger chain is serious about their business. Although,
there is doubt that Paris Hilton ever took a bite out of the burger at that shoot. Carl’s
Jr.’s name origin story is a short but good one. In 1941, a husband and wife opened a
hot-dog cart in Los Angeles. With enough savings, the same couple moved to Anaheim and established
their first restaurant and named it after the husband, Carl’s Drive-In Barbecue. This
was 1945, and the couple were Carl and Margaret Karcher. Eleven years later, with much success
in their first restaurant, they opened two more and named them Carl’s Jr.
Today, there are almost 1,500 store locations not just in the United States and North America,
but also in South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia and New Zealand. Three years ago,
Carl’s Jr. was the first fast food chain to have an all-natural turkey burger on their
menu. More recently, Carl’s Jr. employed the voice acting services of Oscar-winning
actor Matthew McConaughey to spread the word in their latest campaign called The Call Of
Carl’s.
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