The origins of the beef pattydate back 8,000 to 10,000 yearsto the Fertile Crescent, the Indus Valley, and Northeast Africa.
However, the cheeseburger has become a quintessentially American delicacy. Whether you're shelling out ten-plus dollars at Five Guys or munching down on a cheap burger from McDonald's,researchers have uncoveredwhich burgers come with the highest-quality ingredients.
1. Shake Shack
Shake Shack churns out some of the most aesthetically pleasing burgers on the market, but the quality extends beyond the visuals. The Shack commits to using 100% Angus Beef grown without antibiotics or hormones. These are whole-muscle cuts, too, meaning you’re not eating parts of the cow you’d rather not.
The company also touts its commitment to humanely treatinganimals—at least, as humane as possible when converting a live cow to a delicious cheeseburger.
2. BurgerFi
BurgerFi's pitch centers on freshness and quality ingredients. From hand washing fresh vegetables to using “the highest quality of Angus Beef” without antibiotics or hormones, BurgerFi takes a healthy heaping of guilt out of your guilty pleasure.
BurgerFi remains primarily an East Coast chain but has expanded westward as far as Denver. The brand’s presence is most concentrated in Florida and Maryland, so look for the BurgerFi beacon when you are in those states.
3. Wendy's
Those opposed to researching fast-food chains may not realize that Wendy's stands apart from other household burger chains. The advantage lies in freshness, asWendy's never freezes its beef pattiesand prepares each meal from scratch.
Despite their brief tangle with surge pricing, Founder Dave Thomas' commitment to quality remains the bedrock of Wendy's mission today. Enjoy that Baconator with fries, knowing you could do far worse when choosing a drive-thru burger chain.
4. Mooyah
Withonly 80 locations throughout the United States as of 2023, Mooyah is a relative unknown across the burger-slinging landscape. However, the restaurant'spartnership with the Certified Angus Beef brandcould catalyze Mooyah's rapid expansion thanks to ingredients that are far from average.
Mooyah beef meets standards higher than USDA Prime, Choice, and Select, and the company claims that only three in ten black Angus cattle meet the Mooyah quality standard.
5. Culver's
You have to take one bite of a Culver's burger to realize it's entirely distinct from the mass-produced fare of more well-known competitors—but why does it taste so good?
In describing “The Art of the Culver's ButterBurger,”the brand details its use of fresh sirloin, chuck, and plate beef marbled for maximum flavor. Culver's beef is never frozen due to the technique of pressing the beef on the stovetop, which locks in the juices and flavor.
6. In-N-Out Burger
Whether or not you believe the relentless hype around In-N-Out Burger is warranted, you don't achieve that much hype without a rock-solid product (unless you're the organizer of Fyre Fest).
In-N-Out patties are 100% U.S.D.A-inspected ground chuck, and the chuck never sees the inside of a freezer before seeing the inside of your belly. The chain promises a similar quality commitment to its french fries and other offerings—no freezing or microwaving, ever.
7. Elevation Burger
With a name like “Elevation Burger,” this brand sets a high bar for its ingredients. Ironically,FAT Brands purchased this relatively small chain in 2019, contradicting names that could put your brain in a pretzel. Despite its parent company's name, Elevation Burger uses lean ingredients, including 100% grass-fed organic patties and “heart-healthy olive oil.”
Though Elevation is currently relegated to a select few locations on the East Coast, it offers eye-catching burgers, milkshakes, and chicken sandwiches drizzled in hot honey. We can't wait to try the chicken sandwich (and burger) next time we're in Maryland, Pennsylvania, or New York City.
8. The Habit Burger Grill
The Habit Burger Grill has a growing presence along the East and West Coasts, and its overt commitment to fresh ingredients should propel the chain's further growth.
The brand touts its patties as 100% ground beef without additives, preservatives, or fillers. If you want your cheat meal free of mystery meat, consider stopping by The Habit Burger Grill. The company has strived to live by its catchphrase, “There’s No Substitute for Quality,” since 1969.
9. Hopdoddy Burger Bar
Texas-based Hopdoddy Burger Bar has earned a glowing reputation for its wide range of fresh menu items, including gluten-free burgers. The appeal of Hopdoddy starts with the patties,which are prepped daily in-house and never frozen. Those patties are the foundation of many interesting items, including burgers with avocado, mushroom, truffle aioli, buffalo sauce, and more outside-the-box ingredients.
Hopdoddy’s endorsem*nt of regenerative agriculture is especially noteworthy. Rather than sourcing animals living in stressful, dystopian environments, Hopdoddy uses grass-fed bison and beef raised regeneratively.
10. Smashburger
One of the key players in the elevated burger revolution, Smashburger has embraced the trend of using fresh, never-frozen ingredients to outclass legacy burger chains. Unlike other fast-casual restaurants, Smashburger locations do not have microwaves, freezers, or ingredients of mysterious origins.
The founders of Smashburger claim to have vetted hundreds of beef options before identifying Certified Angus Beef as the best. You can do far worse than Certified Angus and Smashburger in an industry littered with low-quality meat.
11. B.GOOD
Another up-and-coming chain peddling fresh burgers, B.GOOD maintainsa list of “no-no ingredients”that you might find at less quality-conscious burger chains. The chain makes a concerted effort to minimize unnecessary (and harmful) additives and preservatives, and you can taste the difference in the fresh, flavorful burgers.
B.GOOD's list of banned ingredients makes you wonder what is in lesser competitors' meats. Insect flour? Acetone peroxides? Synthetic smoke flavor? These are decidedly bad, and you won't find them in B.GOOD's burgers.
12. Five Guys
Call Five Guys overpriced, but don't call its patties frozen.You'll find no freezers in any Five Guys location, and it's no surprise why the burgers are so juicy and flavorful.
You have probably noticed that you feel quite full after eating a Five Guys burger. Your stomach knows the difference between real beef and alternatives packed with fillers and additives. Americans are willing to pay for quality, which is why Five Guys has proven a popular burger chain.
13. Whataburger
Despite immense growth since its founding in 1950, Whataburger has remained true to its founder, Harmon Dobson's mission of serving a fresher burger than the competition. Whataburgers are never frozen, which is more than many drive-thru burger chains can claim.
With more than 890 locations nationwide, the Whataburger brand has gained a loyal following. Even after Dobson's unexpected passing in a 1967 plane crash, the brand has established itself from other 24-hour burger spots through the quality of its beef.
14. Fatburger
California-based Fatburger calls itself “The Last Great Hamburger Stand,” and it certainly stands behind its ingredients. The chain uses “100% pure lean beef” and never freezes its patties. Other menu items, like onion rings and chili, are alsomade from scratch.
Customers should expect a similar level of quality among Fatburger's chicken sandwiches, turkey burgers, and chicken wings. Fat patties do not have to be patties filled with harmful additives, and Fatburger proves it as one of the best fast food burgers available.
15. Epic Burger
Illinois-based Epic Burger is on a trajectory that could follow other local favorites like Portillo's: national expansion. Epic Burgers are thick, never frozen, and packed with eggs, bacon, and other flavorful toppings, making them a must-try burger chain.
When you name your burger “epic,” you set expectations sky-high. Whether you are trying the classic burger, fried cod sandwich, turkey burger, or hot chicken sandwich, you will not be disappointed by the thick, sumptuous cuts Epic Burger dishes out.
Worst-Quality Burgers
Unfortunately, not every fast food restaurant is capable of delivering a quality meal.
We just rounded up some of the best options; now let's touch on the worst of the worst when it comes to fast food burgers.
1. McDonald's
When your competitors are serving beef burgers that have never been frozen, what is the excuse forMcDonald's burgers being “flash-frozen?”The Golden Arches' brand recognition is so strong that there will always be a line around the block while competitors like Culver's serve their fresh, never-frozen burgers to far fewer customers. Make it make sense.
McDonald's rakes in several billion dollars in revenue perquarter, signaling a worldwide addiction to cheap “beef.” Your taste buds and body deserve better than McDonald's mystery meat.
2. Burger King
Burger King has long marketed its burgers as “flame-grilled.” What Burger King's marketing professionals leave out is that the “flame-grilled” burgersare frozen before entering a cooking conveyor beltand eventually reaching your sorely disappointed palate.
While Burger King does not use preservatives in its meat, the downside is that your burger has been frozen. While you may not be opposed to freezing food to stretch your dollars at home, you can taste the loss of freshness when food comes out of the freezer.
3. Carl's Jr.
Carl's Jr. has made a concerted effort to portray an elevated burger experience that stands out in the crowded fast-food landscape. However, the first step in differentiating oneself from run-of-the-mill burger joints is using fresh ingredients, and Carl's Jr. doesn't do that. Before the chain's patties are charbroiled,they are frozen, and you can truly taste the difference when compared with a fresh beef patty.
Perhaps Carl III will break his father's bad habits, following the lead of freezer-free burger chains like Five Guys.
4. Dairy Queen
While you could forgive the Dairy Queen for freezing her vast array of dairy-based treats, freezing a burger party is far less forgivable. As is too often the case at large chains that rely on brand recognition instead of fresh ingredients, Dairy Queen burgers start off in a frozen, petrified state.
Dairy Queen proves that you have to research burger chains beyond their advertisem*nts. Though the restaurant markets its food as fresh, most of its ingredients are frozen.
5. Jack in the Box
Jack in the Box could be aptly re-named Frozen Patties in a Bag. A diverse menu beliesthe open secret that Jack in the Box burger patties are frozen before being served. That fact alone is a reason to seek an alternative drive-thru that doesn't freeze its meat.
Fast food chains that offer the wide variety that Jack in the Box does (burger and tacos in one convenient location) runs the risk of relying too heavily on frozen ingredients.
6. White Castle
You may have seen White Castle burgers in the freezer section of your local grocery store and thought, “Cool, they found a way to freeze my favorite sliders.” Packaging White Castle sliders for frozen mass production was not the leap you may have assumed.
Even in its restaurants,White Castle chefs make the burgers from a frozen state, steaming them and dishing them to the hungry masses (including Harold and Kumar).
7. Sonic
Former fans of Sonic have been vocal about a marked drop-off in quality in recent years. Sonic managementhas been non-committal about whether it uses beef loaded with antibiotics, and speculation is that a 2018 change of ownership coincided with a commitment to using quality ingredients.
Your taste buds don't lie. If you've noticed your Sonic burgers lacking flavor and freshness, a decline in ingredient quality and preparation seems to be the culprit.
8. Hardee's
One ranking of fast-food burger options described Hardee's beef as having a “spongy” consistency — that's concerning. Evaluating the burger's taste as “without any recognizable beef flavor” was similarly off-putting. Can you testify to the contrary if you're a Hardee's customer?
Having recently given Hardee's a second chance, I can't describe the burger as fresh or tasty. “Edible” might even be generous.
9. Rally's/Checkers
While Checkers (and its regional counterpart, Rally's)have committed to using never-frozen beef, a similar commitment to consistent quality has been long overdue. You never know what you'll get when you order a burger from Rally's or Checker's. For that reason, we're out.
It's time for the quality checkers at this much-maligned burger spot to rally, making a stronger commitment to delivering an elevated dining experience.
