In this article, we will be taking a look at the 20 Best Burger Chains in the US. If you want to skip our detailed analysis of the burger restaurants and fast food industry, you can go directly to 5 Best Burger Chains in the US.
In one of our recent articles, we briefly discussed how the US ranked among the 20 Countries with the Best Food in the World. Today, we will be looking at some of the most reputable and successful burger chains in the country.
Over the years, burgers in the US have become a cultural phenomenon. A wide variety of burger chains in the country continuously try their best to perfect their burgers using high quality items and ingredients while also offering tall, juicy, and tasty burgers.
Burger Restaurants Market and the Fast Food Industry
Burger restaurants and chains in the US are once again in full swing as the fast food industry recovers from the COVID-19 crisis and shifts their focus towards growth. While the COVID-19 crisis proved to be disastrous overall for the fast food industry, some burger chain restaurants in the US remained open throughout the pandemic. These burger and fast food chains offered pick-up and delivery services and the convenience of low priced burger meals during the pandemic prevented the fast food industry’s revenue from falling at a much faster rate.
Many of the fast food chains in the US were still forced to close huge numbers of their locations in the country after the start of the pandemic. However, the fast food market has recovered and continues to show promise as the demand for fast food is on the rise. Burger restaurants continue to represent a huge segment of the fast food industry. According to IBISWorld, there are now more than 91,000 Burger Restaurants Businesses in the US in 2023. Heightened demand for burgers and other ready-to-eat meals remains one of the key drivers anticipated to push the global fast food industry towards growth. According to Expert Market Research, the global fast casual restaurant market was valued at $189.7 billion in 2022. The market is further expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.5% during 2023-2028 to reach a value of around $364.52 billion by the end of the forecasted period.
Some burger chain stocks that are expected to become a popular choice as the demand for fast food rises include McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD), Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR), and The Wendy's Company (NASDAQ:WEN).
On July 27, McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD), which ranks among the largest burger chains in the world, reported strong earnings for the fiscal second quarter of 2023. The company reported earnings per share of $3.17 and outperformed EPS estimates by $0.38. The company reported a revenue of $6.50 billion and beat revenue estimates by $202.69 million. On July 27, Reuters also reported that the shares of McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD) were up 1.5% after the giant burger chain posted better-than-expected quarterly profit and sales as it continued to attract consumers to its locations. However, the corporation announced that inflation had begun to cool down prompting the burger chain to bring down their pricing levels, and this could potentially curb their revenue growth. McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD) and other burger restaurants as well as fast food chains previously had to increase their prices because of high levels of inflation, but this proved to be highly profitable for some of the chains when prices of commodities like beef and dairy eased down.
However, easing of inflation and lower levels of prices could positively influence the burger restaurant market as it is anticipated to attract even larger numbers of customers. Burger chains around the world seem ready to make good use of opportunities like these through collaborations and promotions. On July 13, CNBC reported that Restaurant Brands International Inc.’s (NYSE:QSR) giant burger chain, Burger King, in Brazil unveiled a Barbie themed burger meal and took to social media to announce their collaboration with the blockbuster movie.
Moreover, the rising demand for burgers and fast food, especially in the US, has raised the competition within the burger restaurant sector to unprecedented levels. On August 2, Reuters reported that some of the biggest fast food chains are pushing towards new technologies to automate production, lowering labor costs, and possibly increasing their profit margins. It is no secret that technology and digitization can help improve the customer experience by providing better service, faster delivery, and accurate orders. Many burger chains in the US, with the aim to increase their sales and improve guest experience, are already encouraging customers to use self-service kiosks, and also to place their orders online through their apps or websites.
McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD) is a prime example of fast food restaurants that are pouring into their digitization initiatives. Here are some comments from McDonald's Corporation’s (NYSE:MCD) Q2 2023 earnings call:
“In our top six markets, digital sales represent nearly 40% of system wide sales and our loyalty members remain highly engaged with over 52 million 90 day active members across our top six markets. As our relationships with these customers continue to grow, we will unlock additional customer needs and explore investments for continued digital innovation at a scale that only McDonald's can achieve.”
Now that we've provided some insights into the burger business and the fast food industry, let's take a look at some of the best burger chains in the US.
20 Best Burger Chains in the US
Methodology
For this article, we compiled a list of the 20 best burger chains in the US using consensus picks from QSR Magazine, Eat This Not That, Restaurant Clicks, Thrillist, and Mashed. We calculated the number of times each burger chain is listed in these sources and calculated the aggregate position of each of these chains according to their position in each of the sources. Choosing the best burger chains requires a number of factors to be taken into consideration and it can still be a matter of personal preference. To provide the readers with an accurate representation of the 20 best burger chains in America, we used results from different websites that rank these burger chains based on factors like sales, value for money, fan following, taste, and overall success. All the burger chains listed below are popular choices for a reason.
20 Best Burger Chains in the US
20. BurgerFi
Number of Mentions: 2
Franchised and owned by BurgerFi International, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFI), BurgerFi burger chain is the first one up on our list of 20 best burger chains in the US. There’s a lot we can appreciate about this burger chain and its burgers. BurgerFi claims that for their burgers they only use the best 1% of beef in the country which is free-range, humanely-treated, and raised on vegetarian diets. This beef has no steroids, growth hormones, or antibiotics.
BurgerFi burger chain is on its way to becoming one of the top most burger chains in the country, considering the fact that their first restaurant opened in 2011 and there are now as many as 102 BurgerFi locations in the US as of July 12, 2023. We can expect BurgerFi to climb higher and grow bigger in the coming years.
Some of the top burger chain stocks to invest in include McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD), Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR), and The Wendy's Company (NASDAQ:WEN).
19. Steak ‘n Shake
Number of Mentions: 2
Steak ‘n Shake, as a subsidiary of Biglari Holdings Inc. (NYSE:BH), is famous for their steakburgers. The burger chain has a variety of steakburgers that are made with patties that contain a unique combination of round, sirloin, and T-bone steak.
If you’re a true meat and burger lover, try their White Truffle Prime Steakburger at least once, you won’t regret it. As of July 17, 2023, there are 416 Steak ‘n Shake restaurant locations in the US.
18. Red Robin
Number of Mentions: 2
Now operated and franchised by Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc. (NASDAQ:RRGB), Red Robin chain of burger and casual dining restaurants started out as a bar in the 1940s. However, today the burgers are at the front and center of each of the chain’s locations.
While Red Robin offers tasty burgers, a nice sit-down dining experience, their burgers have been criticized for not being worth the money that they cost. As of 27 July, 2023, there are 499 Red Robin restaurants in the US.
17. Dairy Queen
Number of Mentions: 3
Owned by Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:BRK-B), Dairy Queen is a chain of soft serve ice cream and fast food restaurants. While the chain does serve a variety of burgers and sandwiches and you can get a burger meal at a Dairy Queen restaurant for cheap, they rarely serve a burger that will blow your taste buds away.
Dairy Queen’s selection of desserts and sweet treats make it a good restaurant to visit when your sweet tooth is begging for a treat, but maybe not when you have a craving for a tasty burger. As of 18 July 2023, Dairy Queen has as many as 4,306 locations in the US.
16. Checkers and Rally’s
Number of Mentions: 3
Owned by Oak Hill Capital Partners, Checkers and Rally’s is a chain of double drive-thru restaurants in the US. Their burgers look very appealing and according to most you get good value for money, but they can come up a little bit short when it comes to the quality of flavor and taste in their burgers.
Going to Checkers or Rally’s may be a good idea if you’re looking for a good deal. As of July 05, 2023, there are 817 Checkers and Rally's restaurants in the US.
15. Fuddruckers
Number of Mentions: 3
Operated and franchised by Black Titan Franchise Systems, Fuddruckers restaurants have been long known for serving burgers that use never-frozen beef with no fillers and zero additives. The burger chain also specializes in hamburgers.
However, over the years their juicy made-to-order burgers have become overpriced. As of 20 April 2023, there are 64 Fuddruckers locations in the US.
14. Hardee’s
Number of Mentions: 3
Owned and operated by CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc., Hardee's is known for their sizable and quality burgers. More famously the chain is known for their charbroiled and grilled patties paired with their freshly baked buns.
Hardee’s has a long list of burgers and none of their burgers will leave you disappointed. As of June 14, 2023 there are 1,659 Hardee’s locations in the US.
Some of the most popular burger chains among Americans are owned and operated by McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD), Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR), and The Wendy's Company (NASDAQ:WEN).
13. Sonic Drive-In
Number of Mentions: 3
Owned and franchised by Inspire Brands LLC, Sonic Drive-In has made a recent come-back by making ‘incremental improvements’ to their burgers. While their hot-dogs, slushies and ice-creams always remained customer favorites, their burgers have only recently reached the same glory.
With a new combination of acidic mayo and ketchup, the Super-Sonic Cheeseburger is layered with American cheese and diced onions plus lettuce. Their new and improved fresh burger buns are the cherry on top of a fantastic burger meal. As of July 25, 2023 there are 3,541 recorded locations of Sonic Drive-in in the US.
12. Jack in the Box
Number of Mentions: 3
Operated and franchised by Jack in the Box Inc. (NASDAQ:JACK), Jack in the Box is an American fast food chain. The burgers at Jack in the Box are particularly famous for their large size, making them a quite fulfilling meal. Their Jumbo Jack burger and Sourdough Burger are certainly two crowd pleasers with their thick beef patties and fresh vegetables.
On the other hand, the Ultimate Cheeseburger and Buttery Jack are two burgers often disliked by the masses. These two options have exponential amounts of butter and an odd mixture of cheeses, making these burgers too mushy. Jack in the Box has as many as 2,197 locations in the US as of July 19, 2023.
11. Smashburger
Number of Mentions: 3
Owned by Jollibee Foods Corporation, a fast-casual hamburger restaurant chain. Smashburger is famous for their Angus beef hand smashed burgers. Although they host a relatively limited menu, they have mastered each and every item.
Their Spicy Jalapenos Baja burger is filled with guacamole, chipotle and pepper jack and is a scrumptious beef option. In the US there are 214 Smashburger restaurants as of July 05, 2023.
10. White Castle
Number of Mentions: 4
White Castle is a family owned hamburger restaurant chain. While White Castle burgers offer a wide range of flavorful burgers, there has always been the issue of lack of substance to their burgers due to their small size.
Their square shaped sliders filled with American cheese and diced onions are still quite the crowd pleasers despite their small size. There are 351 White Castle locations in the US as of July 12, 2023.
9. Carl’s Jr
Number of Mentions: 4
Also owned and operated by CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc. like Hardee’s, Carl's Jr has something for everyone’s taste with their diverse menu of burgers. With almost the exact same menu as Hardee’s, their Superstar Burger and Western Bacon Cheeseburger are quite famous.
With fresh and crispy lettuce, onions, thick tomato slices and slices of American cheese their burgers are topped off with freshly baked buns. Although some may argue that their beef burgers are nothing out of the ordinary, they’re still quite the competition in the fast food industry. As of July 12, 2023 there are 1,063 Carl’s Jr locations in the US.
8. Shake Shack
Number of Mentions: 4
Operating by Shake Shack Inc. (NYSE:SHAK), Shake Shack’s fast casual restaurant chain is famous for its shakes as well as burgers. Shake Shack has an ever-evolving seasonal menu inspired by different flavors. The milkshakes made from their in-house frozen custard are included with every meal of their scrumptious burgers.
Shake Shack burgers are made from custom 100% Angus meat, which means their beef is free from hormones and antibiotics. Their burgers are also made with potato roll made buns. As of 08 June 2023, there are 299 Shake Shack locations in the US.
7. Five Guys
Number of Mentions: 4
Five Guys is a family owned American fast food chain that specializes in hamburgers, hot dogs, and french fries. Five Guys goes above and beyond in providing its customers with freshly produced fast food while also ensuring their money's worth. With their hand-made burgers from completely unfrozen meat, Five Guys is certainly doing a great job at providing quality food.
Their entire menu is cooked in only Peanut Oil, giving their food a unique and fresh taste. There are 1,449 Five Guys locations in the US as of July 5, 2023.
6. Burger King
Number of Mentions: 5
Burger King is a subsidiary of Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR). This giant burger chain is constantly making great efforts to compete in the fast food industry, from reinvigorating their brand to bringing new flavors and items in their menu, they have done it all. It is the go-to for those who enjoy a good flame-grilled flavor beef burger.
The Whopper used to be a great crowd pleaser with its generous amounts of American cheese, iceberg, onions, pickles and tomatoes. However, over the years, Burger King was seen over-grilling their Whoppers and had to introduce the fresher alternative, Impossible Whopper. By July 18, 2023 there had been 6,850 reported locations of Burger King across the US.
