There are two ways one could take that.
Guess which way I lean: 
Here burp here!!
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Look at Culver’s results. It’s even in the shape of a burger!
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I feel so vindicated.
Lost in the East Coast/West Coast feud between In-and-Out and Shake Shack is Culvers, the fast food king of the Midwest. Better burgers than In-and-Out, better ice cream and shakes than Shake Shack, and everything is at Midwest as opposed to LA/NY prices.
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Culver’s is actually more expensive than In-N-Out ($2.79 for a basic burger vs. $2.10). Much bigger menu though if that’s your draw.
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Ahh… but can you nibble on that Culver’s while stretched out on the oceanside?
I think not! 
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Fair, I guess I’m mostly thinking of Shake Shack, which is truly an expensive fast food restaurant
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Yeah, but I, a middle class guy, can eat Culver’s in the house I bought at the age of 25. Can any LA/NY people say that?
I think not!
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Note that there is almost a perfect inverse relationship between perceived overall satisfaction and the degree to which the burger chain has penetrated all regions of the country. Maybe some regional chauvinism at play?
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Or maybe it’s just an issue of which chains are able to use fresh, locally-sourced ingredients vs. which chains are not.
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I ate at one this week. Those burgers are mighty good… and the cheese curds are excellent.
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Yup, Culver’s switched from their own sourcing to Sysco.
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I would imagine that once you get outside a couple of hundred mile radius, that’s tough to do.
I’ve been to Five Guys, Whataburger and In-N-Out, they’re good, but are they that much better than Hardee’s or Wendy’s? Not really, IMO.
It’s pretty easy now to check on the web for a good local place to get lunch nearly anywhere. I don’t think I eat at a chain more than 4-5 times a year anymore.
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… which is why I (along with even partway decent cooks) can make burgers at home that are always 10x better than any fast-food burger.
I think…!
… no, I can’t use that here.
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Very interesting visualization!
Yeah, the cult of In n Out is… Culty. But it’s a good little burger.
Current fave in SoCal burger chains is Burger Lounge. Pricey, but consistently quite good, plus very nice fries, and salad options for mixed company.
As for Steak n Shake, it’s the butter burger or 'nuthin.
I apparently need to try Whataburger now that I’m here in Austin!
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Over on this side of the world, these chains fall readily into three distinct groups:
- The ones that exist over here
- The ones that I’ve heard about through American media
- The ones that I wasn’t even aware existed.
It’s kind of good to know that group 3 exist, given the homogeneous nature of pop culture.
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Not part of the national chain:
It’s in Mattoon, Illinois, and was opened (and a state trademark registered) before the chain came to Illinois. A court case ensued, and the end result was that the federal trademark took precedence, but the Mattoon restaurant got exclusive rights to the name in a 20-mile radius.
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Sources? What is “real ice cream”?
Looks like in n out is big on back patting but short on proof. Antibiotics, hormones, gmos, cotton seed? I have no reason to believe the food babe either, but in n out could clear things up easily if they aren’t hiding something.
and Bob’s Burgers (the real restaurant in ABQ) sucks.
