One Chain Restaurant's Burger Is A Total Letdown In Our Eyes

There are few institutions more American than the fast food hamburger. First, White Castle, the first American fast food joint, destigmatized the burger after Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle" made everyone leery of ground beef; then, Ray Kroc helped turn McDonald's hamburger stand into a worldwide phenomenon and a symbol of American cultural hegemony (ripping off the McDonald brothers along the way, as detailed in the solid three-and-a-half-star Michael Keaton film, "The Founder".) Now, you're positively spoiled for choice. White Castle? McDonald's? Wendy's? Burger King? Five Guys? The list goes on and on and on.

It can be hard to tell you one burger you have to try, but it's easier to tell you one you should avoid. Of the 9 chain restaurant burgers we tried, there was one that fell well short of the rest: Sonic's cheeseburger. Sonic is a chain that has inspired plenty of fond memories in people, whether they be of their milkshakes, their mozzarella sticks, or their commercials with those two guys in the car. But their cheeseburger left something to be desired, tasting of little more than dry beef.

"The cheeseburger was room temperature, dry, and though it looked well assembled, it wasn't particularly tasty. In fact, the meat didn't taste like any burger I'd had on this taste test," our writer explained for their burger rankings. They plainly elaborated further that the Sonic burger simply tasted too old and as if the beef had remained in the freezer for a very, very long time. "This cheeseburger, though decently sized, got two bites before being dismissed back into the bag."

It's a shame, because Sonic actually has plenty to recommend as a fast food joint. Rather than offering a one-size-fits-all menu the way some franchises do, they go out of their way to incorporate regional favorites into their menu, such as Philly cheesesteaks in the Philadelphia area. In a lot of ways, Sonic truly knows what fast food is about. They are one of the few fast food franchises to recognize the potential of fried pickles as a side. And to our surprise, Sonic actually came out on top in a comparison of four different fast food soft serve offerings. If we sound like we're being hard on it, it's only because we know it can do better.