Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
In some ways, I am not surprised Whataburger dominates Texas. It's one of those things that feels traditional about the state, what every girl has for a summer job.
Personally, however, I don't touch the place (not sure I touch any fast food place these days, but something else). Not because of the food but because the service has to be the SLOWEST in existence.
Location: Scott County, Tennessee/by way of Detroit
3,352 posts, read 2,823,762 times
Reputation: 10348
This map is wrong where Michigan is concerned....There is a Wendys on every corner it seems and they have Checkers dominating...there is like 2 that I know of in the area where they have it marked...
I'd be interested in knowing (but too lazy to google) if there's any state that has all 16 of the chains represented on this map. I'm guessing no except for maybe Texas since it's large, in the middle encompassing both the South and Midwest, and is one of 5 states with an In N Out location.
I live in Iowa and we have 9 of the 16 chains here.
1) Hardee's-There are only a couple of Hardee's in the Des Moines area, but they are huge in small towns. Many small towns have a Hardee's but no McDonald's. Many of the Hardee's also contain a Red Burrito, which is similar to a Taco Bell. I enjoy Hardee's when I occasionally have it.
2) Culver's-This is probably my favorite fast food chain of the ones listed. If I go to Culver's and get a bacon cheeseburger, cheese curds, and a flavor of the day concrete mixer, I'm a happy man. I like that they serve pot roast, fried chicken, and walleye too.
3) Whataburger-We don't have these here, and I've never had it, but we get the commercials for it and I look forward to my first Whataburger experience.
4) Krystal-I've never even heard of Krystal. I guess they're big in the South.
5) White Castle-I love these little sliders. We don't have them in Iowa, but I had like 7 of them in 1 sitting in Ohio once. I occasionally get the frozen White Castles from the grocery store. While they're not the same, they do the trick.
6) Checker's-I ate at one of these in Davenport. I love their fries.
7) Sonic-Most of these have closed in the Des Moines area. I used to go here often for appetizers and half-priced slushies.
8) Steak n Shake-I ate at one in Coralville. It was good, but highly overrated IMO. I would consider this more of a fast casual place since there was waitstaff.
9) Dairy Queen-I just go here for blizzards and dip cones. It would never occur to me to go to DQ for a burger.
10) Carl's Jr-I've never been to one, but it's my understanding it's just like Hardee's.
11) In N Out-I had In N Out in Phoenix. I got an animal-style double double, animal-style fries, and a Neapolitan shake. The food was cold, but I was so hungry that I didn't care. It was delicious.
12) Five Guys-Iowa is one of the few states that doesn't have a Five Guys. I ate at one in Omaha. I like that all the toppings are free. My bacon cheeseburger was awesome, and I loved the sack of greasy fries they give you. My only gripe was that it was over $11 for a meal there.
13) Jack in the Box-This fast food place was my standby when I lived in Hawaii. I love their tacos, Ultimate Breakfast Sandwich, and Ultimate Bacon Cheeseburger. Bonus points for serving breakfast anytime.
14) McDonald's-I go here once every two years for a Big Mac or Egg McMuffin. The portions are smaller and the prices are higher every time.
15) Burger King-There's always something off about my burger here. It could be too many condiments or a bad tomato. I used to love the Whopper. The one I go to smells really bad, and it's only redeeming quality is that it has a freestyle pop machine.
16) Wendy's-I probably go here the most. I love their junior bacon cheeseburgers, natural cut fries, and frosties. It's consistently decent. I've never had a bad meal here.
I prefer local chain, B-Bops, and fast casual chains, such as Fuddruckers and Red Robin with their bottomless fries, to any of the above when I want a good burger.
cats in texas like to hype it up...but they just taste like burgers imo..no unique "fast food" taste, i suppose thats why they like em?
people also like the honey butter chkn biscuits there
I didn't know people in Texas regularly fed Whataburger to their cats. How did I miss that, living in Texas for the past twenty years?
Around here (northeast Texas) there are three burger chains that are very popular - Whataburger, Dairy Queen, and Sonic. They're not necessarily popular for just their burgers though.
I for one am underwhelmed by Whataburger's burgers. But I have to admit that there are two things they excel at - one is the freshness of their food (it's never made before the order is placed) and also - they have the "science of fries" down pat. Terrific fries!
I like everything about Dairy Queen. Yum!
Sonic excels at drinks and quirky stuff, like their stuffed jalapenos and unique hot dog combos.
Texans generally go for very flavorful things (remember this is the land of Tex Mex and the revered jalapeno pepper!) so I don't think that the reason why Whataburger is popular here has anything to do with it having "no unique fast food taste" whatever that means.
In some ways, I am not surprised Whataburger dominates Texas. It's one of those things that feels traditional about the state, what every girl has for a summer job.
Personally, however, I don't touch the place (not sure I touch any fast food place these days, but something else). Not because of the food but because the service has to be the SLOWEST in existence.
It's because they don't start cooking it till you order it, unlike many fast food restaurants.
I don't understand why the whole map isn't black. No one else has the coverage McD's has.
Here? AFTER McD's, you are probably more likely to run in to a BK or Wendy's. Then the next level down would be Krystal's. And at the bottom is Hardee's and Steak n Shake. I base that on number of locations with Steak n Shake trending up since they have only been in the market a couple of years and are adding locations while the rest hold firm.
We have more McDonalds in my city than anything else. I think there are 8 of them now, as they just built a brand new one. Carl's Jr comes in with the next largest amount of locations. Most of the people I know though prefer heading on over to In&Out. we have one location here and they are always busy. We also have a local chain that I prefer over the others called "the Habit". That is my choice for a Burger. Habit Burger
Whataburger tastes NOTHING like it did many many years ago.. I used to enjoy them but now I don't even think about them...
Do you remember when Whataburger was in California? We had a couple in the area way back when I was in grade school. There is still an old location in the area called A Burger. Same look as the old Whataburger, same location, just a differant name. They still make the food the way that they did back in the 1970's though.
I am living in Five Guys's area. I really loved their burger and love the fact that it is not a big deal to make a request or accommodate to my gluten free diet.
We finally have a Five Guys here in my city. They also have another in Thousand Oaks. I tried it and loved the food. Amazing place.
A Whataburger Double Patty Patty Melt with green Chile is about the best thing that I have eaten in 2014. They have been excellent EXCEPT for the one on St. Mary Ave in Tucson which is miserable.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
