Dine & Cook | Alternative food journalism

Despite serving billions, a recent survey by Consumer Reports puts McDonald's at the bottom of the list of best fast-food burgers.

Consumer Reports surveyed 28,000 online subscribers on their favorite fast-food restaurant burger, among the standouts were In-N-Out Burger and Five Guys Burgers and Fries-- McDonald's came in a distant last place among respondents.

"In this case, the bigger-name burger wasn't better," said Tod Marks, senior project editor for Consumer Reports. "The Five Guys patty was more flavorful, juicy and meaty tasting."

Consumer Reports asked the survey takers to rate the burgers on a scale of one to 10-- from least delicious burger ever eaten to most delicious.  Eighteen fast-food restaurants across the country were ranked and among the popular fast-food chains Wendy's and Burger King fared better than McDonald's.  Despite the higher rankings, most popular fast-food chains scored far worse than the highest-rated chains. Among the fast-food front runners noted for their delicious burgers: Fuddruckers, Burgerville and Back Yard Burgers.

In addition to conducting the survey, Consumer Reports sent a reporter to make an informal comparison of the fare at Five Guys and McDonald's.  Consumer Reports said they couldn't get their hands on an In-N-Out Burger in time for press.  Five Guys basic burger of two 3.3-ounce griddled patties on a lightly browned sesame seed bun was bigger and beefier, came with a $5 price tag and offered 15 free toppings choices. McDonald's $1-burger - a 3.5 ounce patty with pickle slices, bits of raw onion, and a dab of ketchup and mustard on a lightly browned bun - tasted mild and more greasy than beefy with the major flavor coming from the toppings.


The full report and Ratings are available in the magazine's October issue and on www.ConsumerReports.org.