Americans love to eat hamburgers! But what’s the best hamburger restaurant in America? This debate is very strong, because America is so diverse and has many opinions on burgers and their quality.
I will write about the places that were voted #1 by state and tell you how many states agreed.
1. Five Guys
One of the top-rated burger chains – Five Guys – was voted number one by Connecticut, Georgia, Montana, Nebraska, Oregon, South Carolina, Vermont, and West Virginia.
That’s 8 states that agreed, Five Guys is the best burger chain in the U.S. What makes these burgers so delicious?
To start, Five Guys only uses peanut oil to cook their patties.
They only use peanut oil for cooking, so if you have a peanut allergy, you should stay away.
Five Guys allows for customization, they have 15 toppings to choose from at no additional cost. The toppings include Jalapenos, grilled onions, tomatoes, mustard, lettuce, pickles, grilled mushrooms, green peppers, barbecue sauce, and steak sauce.
They say there are about 250,000 combinations in ways to customize a Five Guys burger. Giving customers the choice to create their perfect burger is one of the main reasons why Five Guys is so favorable. Their company started in Virginia – on the East Coast, but they have expanded and have over 1700 restaurants across the U.S.
2. Steak ‘n Shake
A close competitor to Five Guys would be Steak ‘n Shake.
Steak ‘n Shake was voted as the number one burger joint by 7 states – Alabama, Delaware, Michigan, Nevada, Ohio, Rhode Island and Tennessee. Steak ‘n Shake began in Illinois in 1934, and it has locations primarily in the mid-western U.S. and Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S.
The most popular item on the menu is the “steakburger,” the meat patties are a mixture of T-bone, sirloin and round meats. Their hand-dipped milkshakes are also popular, hence the name Steak ‘n Shake.
3. McDonald’s
When discussing popular burger chains in the U.S., it would not be complete without mentioning McDonald’s.
McDonald’s, famous for its golden arches, was ranked the highest burger chain in 6 states: Idaho, Indiana, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and Washington.
McDonald’s began in 1940 in California and is now a multinational fast food chain. It is the world’s largest restaurant franchise by profit.
To put this in perspective, McDonald’s serves more than 69 million customers a day in over 100 countries. McDonald’s is famous for their hamburgers, cheeseburgers, Big Mac and fries.
McDonald’s has been under scrutiny for serving unhealthy food, yet it remains as the most profitable fast food restaurant in the world.
It is believed that McDonald’s has remained a top ranking competitor because it advertised itself as a fun place for families -using their clown mascot, Ronald McDonald to appeal to children. They also advertised their business to be fast, convenient and consistent.
4. In-N-Out
Another popular fast food chain is In-N-Out.
This burger chain started in California and it was the number one burger place in 3 states: Arizona, California and Utah. In-N-Out is primarily located on the West Coast of the U.S. in only 7 states.
They are famous for their fresh -never frozen food. Unlike McDonald’s which freezes its meals for convenience, In-N-Out always cooks their meats and french fries fresh.
In-N-Out is also known for inventing the Drive-thru. They began in 1948 around the same time that the automobile became popular, so the owner thought it would be a great idea for cars to drive into the restaurant and people could eat their food in their cars. This is why the restaurant was named In-N-Out, because it shows the convenience of grabbing a quick delicious burger.
In addition to their menu, In-N-Out offers a secret menu of items that can be ordered by everyone. I recommend ordering Animal Fries from the secret menu. Animal Fries is an order of french fries with melted cheddar cheese, thousand island dressing, and grilled onions.
Maribel Garcia was born and raised in Los Angeles. She's a local! Her passion for teaching began when she volunteered to teach English to undocumented immigrants. She met a variety of students who wanted to improve their English skills. She saw the difference she made in improving not only their English, but also their lives. She began teaching at MLI in 2018. She finished her Masters in Teaching English as a Second Language in 2019 from California State University, Northridge. She was promoted to Program Coordinator at our Hollywood campus in 2021.
