Our Favorite Fast Food Signature Burger Gives You The Most Bang For Your Buck On Flavor And Quality

A lot of fast food chains have signature burgers that have become iconic over the years. The most well-known examples are easily the Big Mac from McDonald's and the Whopper from Burger King. In Daily Meal's ranking of nine fast food signature burgers, though, a lesser-known signature burger won over our taste buds: the Big Buford from Checkers and Rally's. Based on the taste and quality of the ingredients, as well as the overall value for money, we found that the signature Big Buford burger perfectly melds the beef and cheese flavors with condiments that add complexity without being overwhelming. And, although it wasn't the cheapest signature burger we tried, it also wasn't the most expensive. 

Simply put, Checkers and Rally's has achieved an impressive middle ground that provides fantastic value for a price that we're willing to pay again, especially since it looks like a juicy, ginormous burger out of an advertisement. It might not be a total surprise that a burger from Checkers and Rally's took our top spot, considering that the fast food chain also won Daily Meal's ultimate ranking of American fast food restaurants. However, Reddit users also feel like it's underrepresented in the grand scheme of things, typically getting overshadowed by larger chains. Some of them acknowledged that the Big Buford and many of the restaurant's other burgers don't always look picture perfect, but they generally agreed that they've eaten plenty of them anyway because they're so good.

Reflecting on their first Big Buford experience, one Redditor enthused that it: "Tasted like what I always imagined the 'classic American burger' would taste like, in the best way possible." Another user loved the burger so much they named their truck after it.

Daily Meal as well as Checkers and Rally's fans alike love the Big Buford more than many of the signature burgers from other fast food chains for good reason. Proudly dubbed the "boss of all burgers" by the restaurant itself, the Big Buford boasts two large all-beef patties that are hand seasoned. Each is topped with a slice of melted American cheese before being stacked on the bottom of a toasted bun. The cheesy patties are then topped with tomato, iceberg lettuce, red onion, and dill pickles. All of this is complemented with just the right amounts of mayonnaise, ketchup, and mustard.

Counted among our list of the 10 fast food restaurants with the best value menus, Checkers and Rally's also has a couple of variations of the Big Buford. The Triple Big Buford comes with all the same toppings and condiments but has an additional hamburger patty and slice of American cheese. The Smoky BBQ Bacon Buford, on the other hand, is quite different with two beef patties each topped with Swiss cheese and the further addition of two slices of smoked bacon; there's also tomato, lettuce, onions, and pickles complemented with mayonnaise, a sweet and smoky barbecue sauce, and real bacon bits. 

A triple version of the burger, meanwhile, adds a third hamburger patty and slice of Swiss. On top of that, Checkers and Rally's periodically offers the Super Loaded Buford on the menu. Compared to the Big Buford, it has caramelized onions instead of red onions and also adds crispy onions, two bacon strips, and seasoned fries but removes the mustard. Of course, you can always remove or add extra ingredients or toppings that you don't like to these burgers — "Having it your way" isn't exclusive to Burger King, after all.