From a lump of beef that gets smooshed right on the griddle to the so-called "last great hamburger
stand," these burger joints all have one thing in common: they don't let their cow get too cold.
When a little old lady took the marketing world by storm in the
early 1980s and incredulously wondered where the beef was,
there was probably no way for Wendy's to know that they'd hit advertising gold. In what has
since become a classic Wendy's commercial, the answer must have been obvious. That's because
the answer to the well-known question seems clear: it's in the fridge, not the freezer.
At least, that's the case with every Wendy's restaurant, which has been offering fresh,
never-frozen burgers to customers since day one.
"People used to ask, 'Where's the beef?' And Wendy's always had the answer."
Wendy's is possibly the most well-known example of a fast food chain that never
uses frozen beef patties. The restaurant's choice to offer fresh beef was driven by Dave
Thomas' unwavering commitment to quality when he opened the first Wendy's in 1969,
and the chain still guarantees fresh beef patties at every U.S. and Canadian location
more than half a century later. That's all the more impressive
given the challenges of ensuring every restaurant has fresh beef at all times.
With just under 6,000 Wendy's locations in the U.S. as of November 2022, keeping fresh beef
stocked in North America alone is a serious undertaking. Consequently, between 12,000
and 14,000 deliveries of fresh beef are made to Wendy's locations every week. Most impressive of
all, a majority of those deliveries are locally sourced from North American cattle ranches.
The massive undertaking required to provide fresh beef to restaurant locations means that
avoiding frozen burgers is simply not feasible for most companies. In-N-Out Burger seems determined
to buck that trend, as its commitment to never serve previously-frozen products has
kept its always-fresh burgers reserved for residents of the southwest and western U.S.
In fact, as of 2020, In-N-Out Burger had restaurants in only seven states throughout
the Southwest and along the West Coast. But the fast food chain's decision to focus on
the quality of its food over a higher quantity of locations is a simple matter of logistics.
After all, the chances that In-N-Out Burger will expand too far beyond its
current radius are slim for a very clear reason. In-N-Out Burger's Vice
President of planning and development Carl Van Fleet told Business Insider:
"New restaurant locations are limited by the distance
we can travel from our patty-making facilities."
Frankly, In-N-Out seems content with its current, relatively small market reach within the U.S. So
if you live on the East Coast and are hoping you can grab a double-double sometime soon,
you either need to keep waiting or start on your next road trip.
"We'll be near the In-N-Out Burger."
"Shut the f— up, Donny."
Habits are actions that are generally done without thinking… like heading to the nearest Habit Burger
Grill for lunch. We're sure the chain's founders were thinking about that distinction when naming
their restaurant, because they were clearly concerned with providing an impeccable product.
As evidence of that, take a look at the fast food chain's pledge to only serve fresh beef patties.
The Habit hasn't found its operations to be overly restricted by that dedication to fresh
beef patties, at least when it comes to corporate growth. As of 2022, The Habit Burger Grill has
locations up and down both U.S. coasts, along with 11 internationally-located restaurants as well.
Clearly, that dedication to fresh beef patties isn't harming the chain's expansion efforts.
Since the fast food burger joint's slogan urges customers to "Make it a Habit," it's
nice to know that The Habit Burger Grill is following its own lead. After all,
it's made a habit of using fresh, never frozen beef patties at its locations each and every day.
"That tomato on your burger. I grew it on my farm, just for The Habit, and its name is Jeremy Jr."
"I love Jeremy Jr."
"That's my boy!"
Five Guys Burgers and Fries is a pretty straightforward establishment. There's
no uncertainty about what it wants to do or what
it serves since the whole concept is right there in the restaurant's name.
Of course, while there's more than just burgers and fries at the fast food chain, a trip to Five
Guys without ordering a burger seems like a real waste of time. After all, who could resist one
of the fast food chain's burgers, especially knowing it's made with fresh beef patties?
If you doubt the truth of Five Guys' claims regarding its fresh beef products,
consider taking a quick stroll through a Five Guys spot and looking for the freezer. Actually,
we'll save you the trip: As Insider says, there are no freezers at any Five Guys locations.
Nothing more blatantly illustrates the restaurant's devotion to using
fresh beef at all times like its complete absence of freezers. We must say we find
it a bit odd that a chain also known for selling milkshakes would find freezers so
abhorrent to its brand. But then again, who are we to argue with those tasty end results?
If you've never had the pleasure of visiting a Culver's before, then you may at first find
yourself turned off by the fast food chain's famous butterburger. But there's no reason to
doubt: According to Culver's, the "butter" simply refers to the burger's use of a buttered bun as a
base. The burger itself contains nothing but beef — and fresh, never-frozen beef at that.
The Wisconsin-based fast food establishment doesn't just guarantee always-fresh beef patties.
It also uses a unique combination of three different beef cuts — sirloin, chuck, and plate
— in its ground beef mixture. Sounds delicious? There's a reason why they're so popular.
If you're determined to sample a Culver's butterburger soon, we hope you don't live
in the northeast. While there are Culver's locations in dozens of states throughout the
U.S., none are open along the East Coast north of North Carolina. In other words,
you may have to travel far to try this delightful midwestern
concoction — but at least you know your burger will always be fresh upon arrival.
"Here you go, Craig-y."
"Fresh beef, never frozen. Seared on a grill. Topped with real Wisconsin cheese."
Not only does this fast food restaurant utilize a smashing technique when grilling its burgers but,
according to its website, it also uses fresh Certified Angus Beef. Sounds pretty amazing,
right? If you can't smell the beef cooking right now, you're not even trying.
It's also no surprise, then, that the Denver-based fast food chain never
uses frozen beef patties. But did you know it doesn't use fresh beef patties,
either? Smashburger's entire premise (smashing ground beef down onto a grill)
requires less of a patty, and more of what they describe as a "hand-packed ball of meat."
In other words, Smashburger stands wholly alone among fast food chains: Sure, they
don't use frozen patties because it technically doesn't use patties at all. Call us a stickler
for semantics if you must — just don't call Smashburger a purveyor of frozen beef products.
Residents of Texas have a deep and abiding love for the fast food chain known as Whataburger. If
Whataburger's only positive was market saturation, we doubt it would have become so beloved. That
love is also surely earned due to the fact it only serves made-to-order burgers made from fresh meat.
Knowing that Whataburger uses fresh beef and only prepares those burgers to
order makes the chain's popularity easier to comprehend. Its hefty,
five-inch bun doesn't hurt the cause, either — though we can't imagine taking
a road trip to one of the 13 states with a Whataburger just for the bread.
We may have our doubts regarding the origin of the fast food chain's name,
but maybe we're just warped by cynicism. After all, even if Whataburger's claim — that its first
customers were so blown away they'd declare "what a burger" upon tasting it — is less
than authentic, there's nothing wrong with a little corporate gamesmanship.
"Tell me something you love about where you live."
"Whataburger!"
Did Shake Shack squander a golden opportunity for a memorable ad campaign
by not reworking the B-52s song "Love Shack" into a jingle? Maybe. Then again,
wanting to see it embrace a dated pop song for commercial purposes may only appeal to some of us.
Shake Shack itself likely doesn't see a need for gimmicky advertisements. After all,
according to CNBC, Shake Shack's mission revolves around serving high-quality,
always-fresh ingredients — which is why it never uses frozen beef patties.
According to Shake Shack, the fast food chain's distinctive ground beef blend is made with 100%
Angus beef, ground fresh at each location. Yet, Shake Shack hasn't always used fresh beef burgers,
in part because the restaurant's first location was a hot dog stand in New York
City. It took three years for the original Shake Shack stand to begin selling burgers.
Shake Shack's addition of burgers in 2004 opened the floodgates for its expansion.
By August 2021, there were 339 Shake Shack locations throughout the world,
with 200 within the U.S. Since the nation's appetite for a freshly ground, juicy burger
never seems to be satisfied, we imagine Shake Shack's numbers will only continue growing.
Since its beginnings, Mooyah has been on a mission to offer guests an experience
that's equally enjoyable for their taste buds and funny bones. Obviously,
providing never-frozen beef patties goes a long way toward accomplishing that goal. But the idea
of a memorably entertaining visit matters to the restaurant, as well, with a tongue-in-cheek
business approach apparent to anyone perusing the company's history on its website.
Considering the company's FAQ page mentions the Mooyah name was (jokingly) derived from the way
a Wisconsin cow says "moo," it's not entirely surprising that they take their beef very,
very seriously — it's right in the name! Customers can expect to be served up some
100% Certified Angus Beef when they stop at this chain, and that's something we can all get behind.
Let's be real here, folks: Nobody's ordering a cheeseburger from a fast food chain and expecting
to drop a few pants sizes in the process. In that sense, we sort of appreciate the decision
by Fatburger to seemingly cut out any pretext, and simply tell it like it is with its name.
"I believe that with my help, all local restaurants can get
healthier… Paunch Burger, Big n' Wide, Fat Sack, Colonel Plum's Slop Trough…"
There's something refreshing about the so-called Last Great Hamburger
Stand's honesty when it serves a Fatburger to its customers.
Would Fatburger have survived more than 60 years if the fast food chain used frozen beef
patties? It's certainly possible, yet without its dedication to offering a farm- to-table type of
burger, it's easy to envision Fatburger getting lost in the shuffle. After all, as of 2016,
there were more than 20 different fast food burger brands operating in the U.S. alone.
As it stands, Fatburger has been able to maintain steady growth amongst all that competition,
with its 100th U.S. restaurant opening its doors in September 2021. Not too shabby!
Epic Burger, which has only seven locations in and around Chicago as of 2022,
is the smallest chain we're featuring, but it's clear they have some grand ambitions.
Epic Burger lives up to the moniker, in part by never using frozen beef patties.
Now, Epic Burger doesn't just ensure its burgers are always fresh. The restaurant
chain claims to offer consumers a burger that's devoid of all preservatives and additives,
while remaining affordable, too. What's more, Epic Burger serves beef that's certified halal,
meaning it meets dietary regulations set for Muslims.
That's something we can absolutely get behind, and we can't help but praise a company that chooses
to offer an inclusive product. Even better, the fact that Epic Burger won't freeze its namesake
product more than merits its place among the best fresh — never frozen — burger joints.