Best Sit-Down Chain Burgers

[steakrules85]

Not talking about fast food places like Mcdonald's or In-n-Out. I am talking about sit-down chains where you have to actually wait for the food. Here are some of the better ones I have had....

Red Robin- Royal Red Robin Burger
Champps- Shroom Burger
Ruby Tuesday (Only thing theyre good for)- Triple Prime Burger, Smokehouse Burger
Friday's(See Ruby Tuesday)- Jack Daniels Burger

Ones I want to try
Cheesecake Factory- Ranch House Burger- With pieces of steak on it, anyone ever try this!?
Claim Jumper- If I ever make it to the West Coast (Love in New York)
Chili's- Bacon Ranchburger

[alt11]

Ton of Fun burger at Cheesecake Factory. It's a good quality version of the Big Mac...and at least twice the size, of course!

[SarahEats]

My favorite chain for a burger is, hands down, Red Robin. Especially the Royal Red Robin. The fried egg really makes the burger for me. Add crispy fries and a banana milkshake and I'm a happer camper.

The OP reminded me that I used to love the burger at TGIFridays back in the day. I haven't eaten there in years but I did love their burger.

[calabasas_trafalgar]

It's still Bob's Big Boy for me!

[nyfoodjoe]

Houston's ...Ruth Chris

[wittlejosh]

Houston's

[kindofabigdeal]

fuddrucker's because the meat is good quality and I've always had it cooked correctly. Plus you get control over what goes on it.

[misohungrychewlow]

I liked Fuddrucker's back in Texas in the 80s when they were getting started. However, I visited the one in my neighborhood (Phoenix) several years ago and never returned. The quality of the meat was very poor, shockingly so -- gristly, tough, could hardly choke it down. Maybe I should give another chance someday, but with so many other worthy options ...

[peekpoke]

I remember Fuddrucker's from 20 years ago when they actually butchered and ground the meat on site behind glass windows so you could watch. That meat was exceptional. That Fuddrucker's closed long ago.

I've had Fuddrucker's from LakeForest CA a few times recently, and although the preparation was still blah (cooked on a big flat top griddle). The meat wasn't "bad", it was just typical commercial ground beef. For me the best part of my recent Fuddrucker's visits was the condiments, particularly the sliced banana peppers and the fresh salsa (mostly diced tomato, and onion).

[kindofabigdeal]

I think they still say it's ground daily.

[jujuthomas]

Houlihan's - it comes on a whole wheat bun, was cooked just as I like, and you have a choice of several sides.

[peekpoke]

Red Robin: Low quality meat. If you like their toppings, fine, otherwise skip it. They won't cook it less than medium well.

Claim Jumper: Huge drop in quality, now uses cheap preformed patties that are quite a bit smaller than the bun (part of the general cost savings over the years at Claim Jumper as they try to keep portions looking large whilst cutting material costs). They won't cook it less then medium well.

Cheesecake Factory: Chop house burger, best chain burger I've ever had. Simple, good quality grilled meat cooked to order (I get mine medium rare) on a quality griddled bun.

[air]

I can't pick just one, I personally would say Red Robin, Fuddrucker's, or Ruby Tuesday.

[Turtle177]

Ruby Tuesday Triple Prime Burger!! But Litton's in Knoxville, TN is a very close runner-up. (Not a chain- but a definite place to stop if you're ever passing through).

[Tari]

I think The Daily Grill has a very good cheeseburger. I am not sure what states have this restaurant but it is one of my favorites.

[monkuboy]

I like Islands - big, juicy but messy burgers full of calories! The fries are good, too.

[meb903]

Houston's has the best hamburgers. Outback's are pretty good too.

[Vexorg]

By this criteria, around here there isn't really a whole lot besides Red Robin, although they do a pretty good job of it (I usually go with the guacamole burger.) Fatburger is pretty good too, but I don't know if you could really call them a sit-down place. Usually if I'm going to a place like Chili's or Claim Jumper (rarely) I'm not going to order a burger anyway.

[tom porc]

The Triple Prime Burger at Ruby Tuesday was excellent .... medium rare.

It was my first visit to RT.

[Sacto_Damkier]

I just had the E-Bar BBQ Burger at Elephant Bar yesterday, and it was pretty good. The secret was to order it medium instead of burnt to death like most chains. I think most places can make a decent burger if ordered medium or medium-rare. The bun/meat ratio was nearly perfect and the beef was nice and juicy - many napkins needed. The BBQ sauce plus mayo actually worked well with the cheese bacon and produce.

[steakman55]

Actually, I think Chili's is pretty good. In spite of all the things they can add to a burger, their ole timer, just a plain burger with mustard, pickle, lettuce and tomato is the best in my opinion

[ArikaDawn]

I am not a big burger fan and do not go to a lot of chain restaurants in general, but when I lived in Palm Beach I HAD to have a turkey burger from the Quarterdeck at least every few weeks. I would get the regular sized one with tomato, lettuce, onion, and special sauce while my fiancee got the super turkey burger which was two patties, two pieces of cheese, plus all of the aforementioned toppings. Yum yum.

[ccbweb]

I was impressed with the sliders at Cheeseburger in Paradise.

[brendastarlet]

Eat N Park (Pennsylvania) has a good Black Angus burger.

[ballulah]

Fuddrucker's makes a good burger, it's great roadtrip food if you can find one.

I got a burger at Chili's once when I was stuck in Houston during rain storms and floods and it was the closest thing to the hotel. It was the first time I've ever had a burger that was so bad I couldn't finish it. It was a skinny, quarter of an inch thick, and so apparently a processed patty of some kind, and tasted of it too. Blech. Vile. I'll never go back no matter how hungry I am.

[Itslikeimsayin]

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/304147

[ballulah]

I actually live in NY and there are two I know of in NJ. One is in Bergen County not too far from the GWB, the other is near the Bridgewater Commons Mall on Route 22.

[stacylyn]

I must say the Roadside Sliders on the app menu at Cheesecake Factory are really good....

[stumpworks73]

Houston's has a great burger as does J. Alexander. Ruth's Chris also has an excellent burger. In each of these cases the burgers are good because of the quality of the meat and the restaurants actually prepare to order. Although Champp's won't cook to order, their blue cheese burger is a good one when it's not over cooked.

[textex]

i like chili's alot

[mojoeater]

I recently saw an article comparing sit-down to fast-food chains. One Ruby Tuesday Colossal Burger is equal (in fat and calories) to four or five Big Macs. Scary.

[kindofabigdeal]

chains use profuse amounts of mayo/sauces and have a large amount of residual oil from the griddle. They also use huge buns. I can't stomache the thought of dropping 1500 calories on just a decent meal from a chain, sit-down anymore, no matter who I'm with and who is paying. When I end up at one of these I always order salad, dressing on the side, soup or a meal with the cals posted, otherwise, you never know whats getting into your body.