Posted on 07/03/2014 4:09:55 PM PDT by nickcarraway
The Habit Burger and In-N-Out lead the pack. Chick-fil-A also has lots to squawk about. Turns out nobody’s loving it.
The standard McDonald’s hamburger — the one that claims to satisfy “billions and billions” — finished dead last in a new Consumer Reports taste test.
The Hamburglar’s favorite meal earned a score of just 5.8 out of 10 from the magazine’s readers, putting it far behind West Coast chains The Habit Burger Grill and In-N-Out Burger, which scored 8.1 out of 10 and 8 out of 10, respectively.
The top fast food burger available locally was Five Guys Burgers and Fries, which got a 7.9 score from the 32,405 readers surveyed by the magazine.
McDonald’s said in a statement that it’s “proud to serve 27 million customers a day” — but the chain has suffered declining sales for six consecutive months. And Consumer Reports thinks it knows why.
“More and more, food quality - not just low price - is emerging as a deciding-factor for many Americans when choosing where to spend their dining dollars,” said Tod Marks, senior projects editor for the magazine.
By quality, Marks said his readers mean “the food’s flavor and fresh-tasting character.”
Even Micky D’s fans couldn’t really defend their daily bread (and frozen patty).
“The food (quality) depends on what McDonald’s location you’re at,” said Aravid Murali, an 18-year-old Brooklynite who dines with Mayor McCheese once a month.
Meanwhile, New Yorkers are waiting in line for the burger at Five Guys, despite a meal that costs several dollars more.
“I like that you can see them cooking at Five Guys as opposed to McDonald’s,” said Sean Daniels, 26, of Crown Heights.
McDonald’s did get a measure of revenge — its McGriddle breakfast sandwich beat Taco Bell’s Waffle Taco in a mouth-to-mouth test.
Still hungry for more? Breakfast and burgers weren’t the only thing on Consumer Reports’ menu. Midwest-based Portillo’s Hot Dogs was the best tasting fast-food chain with a score of 8.5 out of 10. And Chick-fil-A’s signature poultry sandwich earned a score of 8.
I’ve never liked Heinz since I began associating it with John Kerry, former Vietnam Vet (in case anyone wasn’t aware).
Good for you. You will like it. Let me know the result. Cheers.
There is a Bob’s in Downey on Firestone just East of the Long Beach Freeway. They have Car Service just like the good old days on Weekends.
When I get out that way I stop in for a Big Boy Combo with Blue Cheese for the Salad and on the side for my Fries.
“Del Taco is still around. They do have good burgers, and their mexican fast food is way better that Taco Bell”
And at least in So Cal they have brought back the Bun Taco!
“I can remember when Arby’s was good too”
Never a big fan of Arbys, but my Mom raves about their Chicken Salad Sandwich which they sell only during the Summer. Been meaning to stop by and try it.
Did they change or did you :-)
So what are the critical attributes?
The fries are GREAT!!! Thick and potatoey (is that a word?).
Yeah buddy! Burger Boy in Cedar Crest NM is better IMO.
I am sure my taste buds are not as good as they were when I was a teenager but yeah, I think the McDonald’s burgers have also changed and for the worse.
Tod Marks - Consumer Reports
A tightwad tells you how negotiating pays off
I am such a persnickety shopper that I once returned a watermelon that wasn’t sweet enough. No surprise that haggling is part of my daily routine. By mixing moxie and humor with a laid-back style, I seem to win more often than not, even if it’s a minor victory. My guidelines: Nothing is off limits, be polite, and know what constitutes a fair price. Here are some recent wins:
I know these are matters of taste, and somebody likes anything. But a proper french fry can be difficult to do. It takes cooking in two stages at different temperatures. Lower to cook the potato through, and higher to make it GBD (golden brown and delicious). That can be cheated by making them very thin, or using par-boiled potatoes.
McDonalds actually pre-cooks the fries before they get to the stores, where they are cooked again. It's no accident that their fries are consistently rated the at the top.
Cutting up a potato and dropping it in a fryer is simple and efficient, but it isn't a proper french fry and can't compare to one made correctly.
There’s a small regional privately held chain here that makes a great burger, Cookout. Fries are great, too. Thick but soft and moist inside, crispy outside. No canola oil there. I always order a Huge Bacon Burger, large fries and a Cheerwine with crushed ice.
White Castle is my least favorite fast food. Somewhat self inflicted. One time they gave me an extra large onion chips in addition to the one I ordered. I ate them all. Ruined me for life.
I will never eat at Burger Queen ever again.
A little off topic but I’ve discovered that you can make very good french fries at home at relatively low temperature so you don’t get a lot of spattering. Put the cut potatoes in a skillet, cover with oil, then cook for about ten minutes on medium low heat. I read about it in the NYT and didn’t think it could work but tried it and sure enough it did. Maybe not quite as good as the proper method but still pretty dang good. Golden brown, crisp, not soggy. I was surprised.
It’s hard to believe but back in the day Backyard Burger made an absolutely outstanding burger. It truly was like a burger you’d grill in the back yard, right down to the hand patted slightly irregular patties that were pink in the center. This is probably late ‘80s when they were first starting out. Since then they’ve really changed.
People who knew Backyard Burger at it’s best say a good Cookout Burger is like that. Backyard tried and failed in Greensboro, NC a few years back. Nice store, good location but poor visibility from the main roads. Too expensive, Cookout was better at two thirds the price. Cookout does suffer from spotty quality overall. Some locations are awesome. Some only so-so. I hit one of the newer sit-down stores in Kernersville, NC. They do a fine job. Others, particularly the older double drive throughs with no dining room, are hit or miss.
“There is a Bob’s in Downey on Firestone just East of the Long Beach Freeway. “
During my teens, it was cool to “cruise” Whittier Blvd. between Bob’s in Whittier, and McDonalds in La Habra.
Going the other way, we could go down Harbor to Anaheim, and check out Carl’s.
I wish we had a place like that around here. There’s nothing like an authentic back yard type burger. Five Guys and In and Out are really good but they’re not back yard style. The other style that’s really good is the old-school diner fried burger. They have the thin, very well done grey patties which on paper shouldn’t be that good, but man when they’re done right they are really good. Before Wendy’s changed their recipe a year or two ago they sometimes got in that ballpark.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.