The Worst McDonald's Burger Has Been On The Menu For 70+ Years

What was once an innovation is now the dullest burger on the menu. In a recently published Daily Meal taste-test ranking of McDonald's burgers, our reviewer determined that a classic item, offered at the chain since its start, landed in last place: the humble hamburger. There was nothing offensive about this burger — it is just plain boring. 

The hamburger consists of pickles, diced onions, ketchup, and mustard on a very thin burger patty, which is essentially how it's been since the first McDonald's opened in 1948 with only a hamburger, cheeseburger, soda, milk, coffee, potato chips, and pie on the menu. Considering how cheap McDonald's was when it originally opened — with the hamburger costing a mere 15 cents — it's not surprising that the chain soon attracted crowds with its speedy service. Now that low price is long gone, while the speedy service can get you more flavorful options in the same amount of time it takes to squirt a couple condiments on this tiny hamburger.

Our reviewer used their history in the food industry to judge the burgers on both taste and balance. While nothing tasted off with the regular hamburger, they found it to be dry and starchy thanks to the unbalanced meat ratio. In the end, their verdict was that, while they would not order one themselves, if someone else bought a McDonald's hamburger for them, they wouldn't say no.

Not many people talk about the McDonald's Hamburger. On a Reddit post debating what the fast food chain's main burger is, the original hamburger got little mention. Most of the debate was between the Big Mac and Quarter Pounder. Another Reddit poster asked: "What's your fav McDonald's burger?" Big Macs, Quarter Pounders, Filet-O–Fish, McDoubles, even the regular Cheeseburger were all mentioned multiple times, with only one replying with hamburger. The reason? "Mainly cause I'm cheap."

People complain about the higher prices at McDonald's. "The price of beef has skyrocketed so much that I really can't justify it anymore. Nearly $5 for a burger that was like $2 only 5-6 years ago," wrote one commenter. The prices going up at this once-cheap chain is one of the most common complaints customers have about McDonald's. "I remember when hamburgers when [sic] from $0.15 to $0.20. Five for a buck was a great deal even then," wrote another commenter. These days, depending on where you live, a McDonald's hamburger can cost anywhere between about $2.40 and $3.20. That's a far cry from "five for a buck" — especially for how plain they are.