This makes us doubtful.
Or, more precisely: Double Double Doubtful.
The folks at USA TODAY HQ recently named the best fast-food burgers served by chains nationwide.
First, the good news: The top two in the ranking are companies based in California.
Now the dubious part: USA TODAY ranked California-based Habit Burger Grill higher than California-based restaurant In-N-Out Burger.
You can hear the collective groans of “Say what?” from die-hard In-N-Out fans across California.
How did the editors make this decision? USA TODAY 10Best editors and a panel of burger enthusiasts nominated the top picks. Then (poorly informed) readers voted on their favorites.
Jason Triail, Habit’s director of culinary innovation, took a victory lap via email when asked by SFGATE about the recognition, crediting the chain’s “charcoal grilling” and “smoky flavor” for the win.
“It’s not just about taste,” Trail said. “It’s about the whole experience.”
Very well, then, if you say so.
USA TODAY’s list of the best burgers served by chains
Here’s the full list of USA TODAY’s top 10 chain burgers.
- Double Char – Le Habit Burger Grill
- Double-Double – Burger In-N-Out
- BBQ Rodeo Burger – BurgerFi
- Jumbo Jack Cheeseburger – Jack in the Box
- Cheeseburger – Five Guys
- Double Meat Whataburger – Whataburge
- Butter Cheeseburger, Double – Culver’s
- Whopper – Burger King
- Double Western Bacon Cheeseburger – Carl’s Jr.
- The Slider 1921 – Château Blanc
When did The Habit Burger Grill start?
The Habit Burger Grill first opened in Santa Barbara in 1969.initially appointed Hamburger Habit. In 1995, a second location opened in Ventura and gradually expanded to more than 20 locations in Southern California. By 2014, the company had 109 locations. Today, the Irvine-based company has 372 locations, including 30 in the United Kingdom.
When did In-N-Out Burger start?
In-N-Out opened its first location in 1948 in Baldwin Park. Today, it has approximately 400 locations in seven states: California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Texas, Oregon and Colorado.
The burger haven has since developed a devotion among ordinary people and celebrities alike, especially after celebrity chef and food writer Anthony Bourdain declared In-N-Out the best restaurant in Los Angeles.
Earlier this year, Paul Giamatti celebrated his Golden Globe for Best Actor for “The Holdovers” by heading to In-N-Out in Westwood. Still dressed in his tuxedo, the actor was spotted sitting at a table with his Golden Globe trophy.
Does In-N-Out have a secret menu?
First, In-N-Out doesn’t have a true “secret menu,” said Carl Van Fleet, vice president of planning and development.told USA TODAY. But he has a not-so-secret menu, he said, that isn’t posted on store menu boards but on the channel’s website.
Among those dishes is the Protein Burger, which consists of two cheeseburger patties wrapped in lettuce, but without a bun. “We never intended to create or develop a secret menu,” Van Fleet says. Some of the names of those variations have stuck.
USA TODAY contributed to this article.
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