When it comes to fast food’s biggest burgers, the prices are often stacked just as high as the patties.
Hikes in fast-food prices and “shrinkflation” — a phenomenon in which people say menu items get smaller while either remaining the same price or costing more — are deterring customers, and chains have released meal deals aimed at luring them back.
As some chains see sales decline, brands are thinking beyond limited-time promotions and more about how they can deliver the best value for customers.
To determine which chain offered the best value on its larger-ticket items, I compared six of the largest burgers sold at fast-food chains.
I tested burgers from McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King, In-N-Out, and Shake Shack to see how they stacked up in terms of taste and overall value.
Here’s how the biggest burgers at five fast-food chains ranked, from worst to best.
Shake Shack’s double cheeseburger, my least favorite, was particularly large.
It cost me $13.89, not including tax, making it the most expensive burger I tried.
I chose pickles, onions, and Shack sauce as my toppings.
The burger patties were perfectly crispy on the outside and covered in gooey melted cheese.
The pickles were large and crunchy, and the amount of other toppings was generous. The chain’s signature Shack sauce also added a lot of flavor, and the cheese was perfectly melted.
However, the burger was almost too heavy to pick up.
I know I purposefully ordered the largest burger on the menu, but the Shake Shack burger was a little overwhelming.
This burger was massive. I saw it as a hindrance rather than an asset, and I struggled to get through more than a few bites.
The burger patties were much thicker than quite a few of the other burgers I tried, and the toppings definitely enhanced the flavor. However, for me, it was simply too big, to the point where it tasted like a giant meat-and-cheese grease bomb.
My second-to-least favorite burger was a classic: a McDonald’s Big Mac.
I was conflicted over whether the biggest burger at McDonald’s was the Big Mac — which felt like the largest thanks to the extra bun — or the Double Quarter-Pounder, which is the burger with the most meat.
I decided to try both to appease both sets of McDonald’s fans who argue for one over the other.
A Big Mac cost $7.99 at my local McDonald’s, excluding tax.
There was a generous layer of pickles, lettuce, and sauce on the sandwich.
The sandwich wasn’t overwhelming, and I also liked the tangy, creamy Big Mac sauce.
However, I thought the added bun made the sandwich taste too much like bread, and the other flavors were slightly lost.
The sandwich was a good size and very filling, but I wasn’t crazy about the flavor profile.
I simply wanted more flavor happening. Between the extra bun and the generous serving of Big Mac sauce, that was all I could taste.
Tomato, cheese, or simply other condiments might have taken the sandwich to the next level.
The 4×4 is the largest burger available at In-N-Out.
The burger, which is on In-N-Out’s “not-so-secret” menu, is also referred to as the “Quad Quad” or simply “Quad,” and comes with four beef patties, four cheese slices, lettuce, tomato, spread, and the option to add onions.
It cost $10.99, excluding tax and fees.
The giant burger was difficult to hold in one hand, let alone bite into.
The burger was far too large for me to eat in one sitting, though the flavor made me want to.
The burger was delicious in every way, from the juicy beef patties to the layers of cheese and fresh lettuce and tomato.
However, I thought the additional burger patties ended up detracting from the burger’s overall ranking instead of enhancing it. The burger was overwhelmingly heavy, with the tomato and lettuce failing to offset the excessive amount of meat and cheese.
The buns couldn’t contain the juicy beef patties, and they started disintegrating as I ate the burger. Truthfully, I wouldn’t order this again. Although it was tasty, the amount of meat was just too much for me.
I also tried the McDonald’s Double Quarter Pounder with cheese. I preferred it over the Big Mac.
Looking at the burger in the box, I immediately noticed that it had more meat than the Big Mac. The meat was clearly the star of the show, with the other toppings barely visible beneath the patties and bun.
The burger cost me $10.49, excluding tax.
The Double Quarter-Pounder with cheese comes with a whopping half-pound of meat, pickles, onions, ketchup, and mustard.
I found this burger to be pretty flavorful, especially thanks to the condiments and large slices of crunchy pickles.
However, I wasn’t crazy about the bun — while I normally love a sesame-seed bun, I found this one to be pretty bland, airy, and artificial-tasting.
I would order this burger again.
Despite having a lot of meat, the burger didn’t feel too overwhelming to eat.
I thought it was a filling yet completely manageable sandwich, especially compared to the gigantic burgers from Shake Shack and In-N-Out.
The second-best burger I tried was Wendy’s Dave’s Triple.
The Dave’s Triple burger cost $11.49, excluding tax.
Wendy’s Dave’s Triple burger comes with nearly a pound of beef, American cheese, crisp lettuce, tomato, pickle, ketchup, mayo, and onion.
The sandwich was difficult to pick up, but all of the ingredients appeared to be well-balanced.
There was a large serving of tomatoes, pickles, and cheese, so it didn’t look like the beef patties would be overpowered.
This burger was so flavorful. The cheese was perfectly melted, and the patties were super juicy.
While I couldn’t finish the entire thing, I definitely thought the flavors were there and it was a good value for the price.
If I were to change one thing, it would be to remove the mayonnaise. It ended up mixing with the juice from the tomatoes in an unappetizing way, creating a tomato-mayo sauce that I thought brought the other flavors down.
The best burger I tried was the Triple Whopper with cheese from Burger King.
Similar to the Dave’s Triple, the Triple Whopper also comes with three quarter-pound beef patties, although the ones at Burger King are flame-grilled.
The burger cost me $10.99, excluding tax, making it the second-most expensive burger I tried.
Unlike the other burgers, the Triple Whopper only comes with one slice of cheese.
However, I felt that this allowed the other flavors to really come through, and it led to a less gut-filling, more appetizing eating experience.
The lettuce, tomatoes, and onions tasted fresh and added a delicious crunch to the burger.
I also liked the beef patties on this burger the most out of the ones I tried.
The burger patties had a smoky, savory flavor that made the sandwich taste fresh off the grill. I also thought the patties’ shape, which were larger in circumference but flatter than some of the other burgers, made the sandwich easier to eat.
Overall, I really enjoyed this burger and would definitely order it again, if I have the appetite.
While I’m not sure I’m happy to pay more than $10 for any fast-food burger, it was a very generous serving and the most flavorful out of the bunch, without being overwhelmingly huge.
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