Ultimate List of Fast Food Hamburgers – Worst to Best (3 of 4)

Jack in the Box: Jumbo Jack

This fast food chain’s flagship burger is their Jumbo Jack; which is constructed out of a beef patty with toppings of lettuce, tomato, pickles, onions, and mayo. The beef is not quite the best in terms of seasoning, but the grilling and overall effect is better than many of its burger rivals. The burger is well-constructed, with a nicely balanced ratio of the patty to toppings, while the buns are well buttered with a subtle difference from what other burger chains offer. For the most part, this is one solid, decent burger.

The major cause of concern here is that the chain opts to use just mayo as a sauce. Although I find no particular fault in the condiment in itself, it does not do a great service being used alone on a burger. A little comfort is a knowledge that they use real mayonnaise on their burgers – but they could seriously do better to up their game a bit.

Steak n’ Shake: Original Steakburger

Steak n’ Shake has chosen to refer to their hamburgers by a somewhat classier name – ‘steakburger’. Often, when fast food marketing teams opt to use this kind of rebranding, it is in an attempt to simply make it appear different and high-end on their menus. Most other fast food chains offering steakburgers are basically just actual patties posing as a posh meal.

But, the Steak n’ Shake steakburger is definitely different. The burgers are made from ground meat which comes from Chuck and beef brisket. The chain definitely holds their high standards as something of pride and have even attempted legal complaints against chains who use the term ‘steakburger’ to define their burgers.

So, is their burger really worth all the trouble? Short answer: kind of. The chain’s Original Steakburger toppings are definitely up to par, with sliced cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion and pickle, and the topper of a decently toasted bun. The patty hits all the right notes in terms of juiciness and size, and its superior cut makes it stand out a bit. But, we do think that branding it a ‘steakburger’ and jealously guarding the name enough to drag someone else to court for using the same name is a bit overkill.

Wendy’s: Dave’s Single

Wendy’s delivers customers with the closest thing there is to a classically made hamburger with their Dave’s Single. Their patty is the major thing that makes the entire burger special, but worthy to be mentioned are their toppings of cheese, lettuce, onion, tomato, pickle, and mayo. We can’t really talk about all the good stuff without pointing out some of the less good so, the major issue here is their failure to include some mustard. It really fails to hit the spot when there’s just some ketchup and mayo all by themselves. On the plus side, however, there is the toasted bun, which is definitely better than most of the others found higher up on this list.

The beef is fairly okay, and they gain more kudos for the fact that it is never frozen. Their patty is overall more juicy and enjoyable than most of those offered by their rivals. Good stuff.

A & W: Papa Burger

Even though A&W offers their own version of a universally disappointing value hamburger, the burger we will be examining today is the Papa Burger; their flagship burger. This is what you should expect to be getting – two 1/3 lb. patties, two slices of cheese, onion, pickles, tomato, and top it off, their unique Papa Sauce, all on a toasted bun.

While the fast food chain offers a lesser burger, it is often not enough and the Papa Burger is the choice for diners with healthier appetites. The ratio of the patty to toppings is perfectly balanced even though there are two parties involved, and the perfectly butter toasted buns ensure that all stays in place. The Papa Sauce is also to be commended, as it is definitely one of the few burger sauces that actually make a real difference, rounding up the whole deal with the perfect tang that other condiments (ketchup, mustard, and mayo) usually fail to get. People may find the two-patty idea a bit too much, but if you really want to go all out, this is perfect for you.