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10 Chain Restaurants Worth Visiting Slideshow
Credit: © Flickr/Aaron Friedman
Comments
I have to agree with the commenters from Texas who say that Scotty P's has the best burgers. In fact, they are the very best burgers in the universe. Period. The runner-up is Houston's.
Since when is outback a great chain? There are some good things on the menu, but they are all way over priced. Even the author said you should only stick to the steak (implying that nothing else is good).
And yes the pause button does work, but only for one slide. How hard is it to make a pause button that works for all slides? I learned how to do that in a class that wasn't even about programming, it was a cartography class!
The Cheesecake factory is mediocre. Their cheesecakes are good, but their entrees are bland. I've tried five guys three times and have felt sick after eating their burgers every time.
Chik fil a should definitely be on this list. I've eaten chik fil a since I was a kid and I can't remember a bad meal from them.
Didn't have In and Out Burgers in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Here in Phoenix I've been to several and I love them. The best thing is the presentation....Nothing nicer than seeing what kind of burger I ordered. I love not having the burger all wrapped up in paper when it's brought out. Nice not having a "surprise" burger !
If you want a REALLY good chain restaurant burger, try Lark Burger!
People who talk about In-n-out make it sound more like a religion than a restaurant. Don't get me wrong, the burgers are fine. They're no better or worse than any other but the fresh condiments are a nice treat. The fries do stink though. My objection to place is that it takes SO LONG to get your food once you order. The zealots will say this is because all food is cooked when ordered. This is silly. If the store manager KNOWS that they are going to sell 25 hamburgers in the next 5 minutes, start cooking hamburgers. There is no genius in making me wait wait for my burger. Genius would be to pull it off the grill just as I finish ordering.
With the cholesterol you get a Bible verse...
Yeah, I agree. Nobody goes there anymore because it's too crowded.
It sounds like EVERYONE goes there if it's too crowded. These comments suck.
I love In 'n Out, but around here, we call it In 'n Wait! I've been going there since the '70s, but lately I go infrequently because they are soooooo damn slow. And it NOT because they are fresh. Tommy's (an L.A. icon) which also has walk-up and drive through and prepares a similar burger to order delivers it to you hot and juice almost immediately. Why? Because as the poster points out, they just keep cooking burgers because they know people will be there to order them as they are done. Go to Tommy's at 3am and you'll see a grill full of hot an juicy burgers, but none of them are over-cooked, because after decades in business, they can predict the demand at anytime of day. In 'n Out must be losing millions in lost business. My work-buddies and I won't go there for lunch because we can't get "in and out" in time. And its not just during the peak hours, it's any time of the day or night. One Tuesday at about 10pm after a late day at work, I wanted a quick bite. Drove by the local In 'n Out. Line of cars was out to the street and I knew it would be 20+ minute wait. Drove another 4 miles out of my way to Tommy's drive through and was served almost without having to stop my car (slight exaggeration, but not much). I was so incensed I submitted a complaint on the In 'n Out website. They wanted to know what location was the problem and I told them it was every location, there is something wrong with their delivery model, so don't punish the local guy. They sent me coupons for two free burgers for my trouble. Took me months to use them as I still didn't have the time, even if free.
Why is this place so popular? Limited menu (Don't bother with the "specialized menu" comments...), greasy fries, and crappy burgers.
Totally agree-- this place is gross!
Shut your face. Their burgers own you and everything you will ever know about meat patties, seasame seed breed and cheese.
agreed. Wish you guys would pay attention -- this is a list about the best fast food. If you don't like greasy burgers, fries, etc. then you probably don't like fast food. This is what fast food burgers have traditionally been like, and I for one am glad places like this and 5 guys are moving back to the 50s style of disgustingly greasy and good. Go to Noodles and co if you want healthier and less-greasy options (or wherever you prefer that isn't a burger joint.)
agreed
One non-food thing that definitely needs to be mentioned...All In-N-Out employees receive medical, dental and vision benefits, paid vacation and sick leave, fixed and floating holidays, profit sharing and 401k plans...AND they get paid a living wage far above minimum. I doubt if any other fast food burger joint (or any of the other restaurants on this list) can come close to the In-N-Out benefits package. Perhaps the fact that they treat their employees with respect makes the burgers better - but it DEFINITELY makes a visit to In-N-Out infinitely more enjoyable!
Wow that's great
too bad they can't bar all the chain store shills from commenting here, so we could get some real reviews.
While I agree with most of the list, I am very surprised that Chick Fil A is not on the list. For those that don't know about it it is a fast food place that serves chicken sandwiches and has great service. I have never met a person who didn't like Chick Fil A and whenever I get one of their sandwiches I can't stop from going back to it every day for like a week.
I can't agree more. Chick-fil-a is my number one chain restaurant choice. After living for the last 5 years in Illinois, I'm happy to report they are going to open one soon in Schaumburg. Now we just need to get my number two chain restaurant, Whataburger, here.
Have to agree with you, Chic-Fil_a is definitely one of my favorite, has been for over 30 years.
The problem with Chick Fil A is that it is closed on Sundays(at least it used to be).
Some would see that as a plus, not a problem.
There is a pause button between the < >. Use it & stop complaining about the slideshow format.
The pause button would be a great solution if it actually worked. But every time you push an arrow to go to the next frame, it resets to 'slide show' mode. Now, if you're not having that happen, it just means the feature is badly designed because it doesn't work on all browsers. In any case, the default should be "Off," not "On."
fix play/puase plz its real annoying
Pal's, in northeast Tennessee/southwest Virginia, based in Kingsport, Tennessee, is my favorite hamburger/hotdog chain (though privately held like In-N-Out Burger). They were the first restaurant chain to win the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. I could go for a chili bun add ketchup, frenchie fries, and tea right about now.
I am sipping on a Pal's tea right now. Already finished my frenchie fries though!
This slideshow is horrible, moves to fast, kept changing as I was reading comments. Hard to read.
Fuddruckers is not small and it is nationwide, dude. We eat em up down here in Virginia. I agree with you tho, they have the absolute best friggin burgers anywhere.
In-N-Out is on my list of places to get high at. By the time I finish my Double-Double, with chopped hot peppers on it, fries and pink lemonade, with fresh lemon slices squeezed into it, I am in 7th Heaven. No, this is not the best burger place around. I give that to the small North Western chain of Fuddruckers but In-N-Out is darn good. And both the staff and clientele are definitely a major step up from the typical trash you see at the golden arches.
The last 12 years that I lived in SoCal, I lived in San Diego. I left in 2003. Until then, they had ZERO stores in Diego!!! Every time I wen to Smell "A", I stopped by the In n Out in Chula Vista, right next to the freeway. It was heaven!!! Two Double Doubles, and a large fry and I was set for a while, till next trip.
I now live in Southern Florida. NO In n Out's here either. In 2005-2008 I moved to Dallas/Ft. Worth. None there, that I could find. Maybe now, but not then.
A Five Guys burger shack opened up near me hear in Sarasota, FL. but I looked at the menu online B4 I went there, as I have heard so much about them. $6.00 for a hamburger??????? No thanks!!!!! An IN n Out Double Double is around $2.50, right? For $6.00, I want a sit down restaurant, with a waitress, music on the speakers, maybe even Valet Parking. NOT at a burger joint!
That said, we have Chicken fil "A". s around here. $3.00 for a deep fried, dried out chicken breast? No thanks. The gal asked me if I wanted lettuce and tomato's on the sandwich. (I never had one B4), I said "Yea, sure". She charged me $0.33 for the "toppings". LOL! Last trip to Chicken Fil "A". But, the place was literally PACKED with young kids. So, what do I know, eh? To each their own.
I ate at In n Out on a trip to San Diego in 1998.
In'N Out is good in the sense that it beats the heck out of McDonald's and Burger King for the best drive-through burger out there.
Whataburger's over-salted frozen tasting patties, really?? I live in Plano and In-N-Out is now easily the best fast food burger spot within driving distance, Steak N Shake coming in second. Whataburger's not even worth shaking a stick at, I'd go to Burger King before eating there. I wouldn't be surprised if 20% of a Whataburger patty isn't salt. You sir (or ma'am) have no functioning taste buds.
Seriously do not get all the fuss over an In-n-Out burger! My sister and I went to the one that recently opened in Allen, Texas and it was nothing. Whataburger is the best fast food hamburger in Texas and for a higher-end burger Scotty P's is the place to go, also in Allen. Along with their Cardiac fries, they are awesome!
In-n-Out can go back to California for all I care. I won't be going back. Would rather eat a Big Mac. Seriously!!
57 years old and grew up on In N Out when they only had one store. To stay you like Big Macs over In N Out, you must love the sodium. My guess would be you weight over 400 pounds?
Your are an idiot and have no taste just like the majority of America who like McDonalds. Stick to your tasteless McDonalds while me and the smart people enjoy REAL food like In N Out.
Wow, calling someone an idiot because they have a different opinion on food...now that's intelligence! You are way smarter than I!
Any way, I like both In-N-Out Burger and Whataburger (both the Texas and N.C./Virginia versions) but there is a burger chain in East Texas called Hamburger Depot that blows me away. Small chain but growing and you have to get there early for lunch or the wait can be over half an hour long. Their onion rings are the best ever!
Isn't this place only popular because it gets plugged by Jay Leno and other late night show hosts? And that makes it popular with the hipster crowd in California?
I didn't know what the big deal was about In-N-Out until I visited L.A. in April. Besides Leno and others, a local radio host in Portland extolled the virtues of I-N-O, so when I went to SoCal and came across an I-N-O to see what the fuss was for myself. Let me tell you, all the fuss is JUSTIFIED!!! The taste blew me away because it was fresh and juicy. Best of all, it was priced lower than a Whopper or Wendy's single (Wendy's is my fave of the Big 3 burger chains). Want to understand what the fuss is about? If you go to California, make it a point to find an In-N-Out and taste one. You will be hooked! (And the shakes are just as good as the burgers!)
In N Out was a popular west coast burger joint (along with Fatburger) well before Jay Leno or anyone else started touting them on late night television. Their burgers are good, their fries are made fresh, and people love their 'secret' menu. Personally I think Five Guys is better, but In N Out is up there.
Zaxbys Chicken. Enough said.
Haven't you ever SEEN the STOP button right inbetween the "move left" & "move right" arrows, click on it & it stops the slide show, click on it OR the next picture & its goes to the next one where you click on the STOP button again.
All this food got me hungry, I'm going to have a Venison Meatloaf sandwich, can't get any more "free range" than that!
The slideshow format is wrong for this type of information- there is no way to print a list of the 10 best from the slideshow format.
Actually. there are literally dozens of 'good' quality chain restaurants these days. This list is missing many of the better ones.
this is like saying there are plenty of shopping carts in a mall, but they belong to whom? try to be a little more specific. like what fast food? be specific.
I'm not too sure what the parameters were for this slideshow... But 2 glaring exemptions that come to mind is Ruth's Chris and Flemings.... 2 really great chain restuarants... Your list is woefully incomplete without these 2. And I think the fries at 5 guys should be avoided at all costs.
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