Best Fast Food

[Stadler]

Are Orange Julius's still around?

[Anguyen92]

^^ I believed they got merged in when Dairy Queen bought them.

[Cool Chris]

Is "animal style" a universal term everyone but me is familiar with?

[cramx3]

Is "animal style" a universal term everyone but me is familiar with?

Maybe?  It's part of the "hidden" menu of In-N-Out so it's not exactly advertised, but if you're familiar with In-N-Out, I'd be shocked if you haven't heard of animal style.  In-N-Out is regional though, so I'm guessing they aren't near you which would make a lot of sense to not know the term.

[Stadler]

Is "animal style" a universal term everyone but me is familiar with?

Maybe?  It's part of the "hidden" menu of In-N-Out so it's not exactly advertised, but if you're familiar with In-N-Out, I'd be shocked if you haven't heard of animal style.  In-N-Out is regional though, so I'm guessing they aren't near you which would make a lot of sense to not know the term.

What does it actually mean?

[bosk1]

Honestly, I think most of the hate is a pushback against the over-the-top fanaticism.  For me, the biggest issue is the lack of portability (which seems to be much worse than most other places.  As for the operation, yeah, I think that's right, although I refuse to sit in the drive-thru line.  I park and go inside and almost always am out quicker than if I'd used the drive-thru.  They also hire above the bottom of the apparel.

This article echoes a lot of what you wrote (and is funny to boot):  https://www.cracked.com/blog/5-beloved-restaurants-that-are-seriously-overrated

As far as the hate being a pushback against the fanaticism, yeah, that's probably right.  And understandable. 

As for the article, I agree with the general take that their burgers are good but overrated.  I just think he comes in way too hard on the pushback.  But, again, it seems to be more of a pushback against the fanaticism than the food itself, which I get (well, that, and the need to be edgy because he has a column that people read, and I guess that's his schtick).  And people who say, "oh, well if you didn't love it, it's because you ordered it wrong; you have to get it animal style" are just weird.  I disagree about the fries, but that's fine.  I didn't like their fries at first, but came to love them.  But the thing about their fries is that they HAVE TO be eaten while hot.  Once they cool down, they go from near top of the list for fast-food fries for me to bottom of the list.

But back to the article, I found this amusing:

There are burger places in this world that are so confident in their wares that they expressly prohibit customers from making any special requests. Extra onions? Nope. Hold the garlic pesto mayo? Hold your tongue, you heathen.

There's a local place here called Dad's (there are some other locations that, at some point in time broke away and are actually completely different ownership, but use a variation of the logo and have almost identical menu items, but are total imposters and not nearly as good) that showed up years ago on Diner's, Drive-Ins, and Dives, and highlighted their classic Dad's burger.  IMO, best burger I've had in this area, hands down, and second place doesn't even come close.  And why I mention it in connection with the article is that I remember the second time I went there, I sheepishly asked the waitress:  "Um...please don't get upset if this is against the rules, but...would it be considered blasphemy if I asked for a slice of cheddar on that?"    She was happy to oblige, and it was out of this world.  But it was one of those burgers where I seriously wondered whether they would entertain adding to it. 

[cramx3]

Is "animal style" a universal term everyone but me is familiar with?

Maybe?  It's part of the "hidden" menu of In-N-Out so it's not exactly advertised, but if you're familiar with In-N-Out, I'd be shocked if you haven't heard of animal style.  In-N-Out is regional though, so I'm guessing they aren't near you which would make a lot of sense to not know the term.

What does it actually mean?

https://www.in-n-out.com/menu/not-so-secret-menu

[bosk1]

Is "animal style" a universal term everyone but me is familiar with?

Maybe?  It's part of the "hidden" menu of In-N-Out so it's not exactly advertised, but if you're familiar with In-N-Out, I'd be shocked if you haven't heard of animal style.  In-N-Out is regional though, so I'm guessing they aren't near you which would make a lot of sense to not know the term.

What does it actually mean?

They add mustard to the patty while it is on the grill, which gives it a mustard crust, and grill a concoction of thousand island, onions, and extra pickles, and put that on top as well. 

[Anguyen92]

I always get the fries animal-style since the fries on its own is obviously not good.  I can't imagine getting the burger animal-style.  Not a huge mustard fan.  Now all of this talk makes me want to wait in line after work and go get In-N-Out.

[bosk1]

I always get the fries animal-style since the fries on its own is obviously not good.  I can't imagine getting the burger animal-style.  Not a huge mustard fan.  Now all of this talk makes me want to wait in line after work and go get In-N-Out.

Interestingly, it doesn't really taste overly "mustardy" to me.  When I first found out about the animal style burgers years ago, I didn't even know about the added mustard part.  But I guess for someone who hates mustard, it would stand out more.

[Stadler]

I've baked chicken with mustard on it; I think the cooking takes some of the signature "mustard-ness" away from the taste.

[cramx3]

I also only learned today about the mustard cooked patty.  I never noticed the taste myself, but I also enjoy mustard and enjoy it on a burger so I may have just not paid enough attention.  I almost want to get a burger with and one without it and compare now.

[pg1067]

Is "animal style" a universal term everyone but me is familiar with?

Maybe?  It's part of the "hidden" menu of In-N-Out so it's not exactly advertised, but if you're familiar with In-N-Out, I'd be shocked if you haven't heard of animal style.  In-N-Out is regional though, so I'm guessing they aren't near you which would make a lot of sense to not know the term.

What does it actually mean?

Already explained for the burgers.  For fries, they take a regular order of fries, put a slice of American cheese on top and put it in a little melting slot.  When it comes out, they put "spread" (i.e., 1000 island dressing) and grilled onions on top.  You can also order cheese fries without the slop.  The "secret menu" is part of the chain's mythos.

I disagree about the fries, but that's fine.  I didn't like their fries at first, but came to love them.  But the thing about their fries is that they HAVE TO be eaten while hot.  Once they cool down, they go from near top of the list for fast-food fries for me to bottom of the list.

Yup.  I mentioned portability earlier.  There's an I&O literally 0.9 miles/4 minutes from my house.  When we get I&O to go, it's a coin flip whether the fries will still be edible when they get home (this is where the air fryer saves the day).  Eating at the restaurant versus getting it to go is a completely different experience.  Every fast food place has portability issues, but it seems to be exaggerated with I&O compared to other places.

[Samsara]

bosk - is Dad's still in the location we know? I haven't been down there in some time, and figured it was gone.

[bosk1]

Not sure.  Haven't been there in a long time.  I can't remember--did you and I ever go there together?

EDIT:  Just Googled it, and it is still showing up as being on Freeport, right next to Freeport Bakery and Marie's Donuts.  So, yeah, same place.  And apparently, those other Sacramento mainstays are still in business as well.

[pg1067]

Not sure.  Haven't been there in a long time.  I can't remember--did you and I ever go there together?

EDIT:  Just Googled it, and it is still showing up as being on Freeport, right next to Freeport Bakery and Marie's Donuts.  So, yeah, same place.  And apparently, those other Sacramento mainstays are still in business as well.

As of October 2022:  https://www.google.com/maps/@38.5507785,-121.4888962,3a,75y,292.17h,91.61t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s6tW9GqF-XOTpPPJ4kUtCyg!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en

[Anguyen92]

So I decided to get In-n-Out today and got the burger animal-style.  Honestly, aside from the fact that there's pickles in this one, I can't spot much of a difference.  I still like it.  Not much of a line today though and that's a plus.  Minus for someone bumping the rear end of my car.  No damages as far as I can see, so that's good news.

[bosk1]

  I was going to send my son out today to get In-N-Out for me.  Only reason it didn't happen was he was feeling lousy from getting Covid booster and flu shot yesterday.

[Ben_Jamin]

I really don't get the whole hot chicken craze. Since it's new and shiny they became ubiquitous overnight down here. Every week there are reviews for the newest place that has just raised the bar. When I've had it I found it quite underwhelming. Although, in truth I'm mystified by America's hard-on for fried chicken sandwiches altogether, so what do I know. I keep thinking I should try Popeye's chicken sandwich, but I can't shake the feeling that thirty minutes later I'd be lamenting that I didn't drop $10 on something better.

Same here. Most of us at work were like..."Why?!" when we started getting them. It was so much fun making so many of these for "National Chicken Sandwich Day" this was including making our regular orders as well. I don't even remember how many bags of sandwich patties we had to drop that day. 

[Cool Chris]

Is "animal style" a universal term everyone but me is familiar with?

Maybe?  It's part of the "hidden" menu of In-N-Out so it's not exactly advertised, but if you're familiar with In-N-Out, I'd be shocked if you haven't heard of animal style.  In-N-Out is regional though, so I'm guessing they aren't near you which would make a lot of sense to not know the term.

Apparently the closest In-N-Out is 233 miles away. Never been to one.

One time when my friend and I were in Vegas, we were strolling the strip at 3am after a night of clubbing, and were dying for some grub. We couldn't decide on what we wanted, it just had to hit our stomachs hard. And then we saw it, as if an oasis in the desert. A sign that said "Fatburger." We had never heard of that chain before, but we looked at each other, and silently nodded, our prayers answered.

What's with all the hate toward chicken sandwiches? If I get a fast food "burger" which is not very often, I usually opt for a chicken burger, preferring those to hamburgers at the cheap fast food places. I save my hamburger eating for restaurants or made at home.

[bosk1]

Never had Fatburger, but I've heard good things.

Chris, if you are ever in an area where there is an In-N-Out that isn't too inconvenient to get to, I would recommend it.  As the discussion in this thread would indicate, don't expect too much.  But it's a good fast food burger.

As far as the chicken sandwiches, I haven't really seen any hate.  Just a few questioning why it's been a sudden craze in recent years.  I'd probably lump myself into that crowd.  I don't hate a chicken sandwich by any stretch.  But it's almost always a more bland option than a burger, so I almost never choose that route.  Never understood the hype around Chick-Fil-A at all.  Other than the company aspect when dining with Samsara, I never had anything close to an amazing experience there.  Their sandwich is good, but nothing special.  And their waffle fries, while great in concept, are usually just flabby slabs of potato (for the thickness, they haven't figured out how to fry them to get them crispy enough).  The one exception to the chicken sandwich craze is Popeye's.  My daughter was going on and on about Chick-Fil-A when I was taking her on a road trip to So. Cal., and I had been telling her that Popeye's sandwich was hands-down a superior sandwich in every way.  Let's just say that she was skeptical.  ...until I pulled off the freeway and got her one.  She instantly became a believer.

[XJDenton]

For me, chicken is at its best when the breading is super crispy, and  shoving it in a burger roll to sweat for a few minutes before serving is antithetical to that. Fresh fried chicken is great though.

[cramx3]

I'm a huge chicken sandwich fan, probably enjoy them more than burgers generally. Hence my previous comment about Chick Fil A status    However, I don't usually get the chicken sandwiches from the burger chains like McDonalds/Burger King/Wendys.  I'd prefer Chick Fil A, Popeyes, Boston Market, or KFC for the chicken sandwiches.

[T-ski]

As I said on page one….

Arby’s.

All day, every day.

[pg1067]

Never had Fatburger, but I've heard good things.

Next time you're in/near Elk Grove or Lincoln, check it out.  You'll be glad you did.

For me, chicken is at its best when the breading is super crispy, and  shoving it in a burger roll to sweat for a few minutes before serving is antithetical to that.

My wife has recently found what I assume is a relatively small chain called Burger Boss.  Their burgers are fantastic.  There's one I go to for lunch occasionally and other that's about 6 miles from my house.  My wife has taken to having BB delivered.  Their food does surprisingly well coming from that far away.  She got a chicken sandwich this past weekend.  It was huge, so she cut the chicken to fit the bun and gave some of the extra to my son and me (and probably the dog).  I was VERY impressed that it was both tasty AND still quite crispy.

[emtee]

Not sure if Panda Express qualifies but that would be my vote.

[bosk1]

Never had Fatburger, but I've heard good things.

Next time you're in/near Elk Grove or Lincoln, check it out.  You'll be glad you did.

Oh, wow.  I didn't know they were up here at all.  I assumed they were just So. Cal.

[El Barto]

Never had Fatburger, but I've heard good things.

Next time you're in/near Elk Grove or Lincoln, check it out.  You'll be glad you did.

Oh, wow.  I didn't know they were up here at all.  I assumed they were just So. Cal.

We've got a couple down here. They're only in trendy suburban neighborhoods, and they're combined with something called Buffalo Express. One of their partner companies under the FAT brand. Doubt I've been within 15 miles of one since they arrived. Honestly, the only brands of theirs that I've heard of are Johnny Rockets, in theme parks and food courts everywhere, and Bonanza, which I haven't seen in 40+ years.

[jammindude]

Something Bosk said earlier about In and Out being a well put together operation reminded me of something I wanted to touch on.

We don’t have In and Out up here in Washington, but I will ALWAYS frequent Chick-Fil-A if for no other reason than their cleanliness.

I’ve almost gotten used to going into fast food establishments and being greeted by a completely disinterested teenager who more often than not gives the appearance of having just got out of bed without showering, and is only half-listening to my order. The restaurants are often disgusting if you take a look around (ever looked behind the soda machine at your local KFC??) and never a place that looks anything like a commercial.

I’ve never had that experience at Chick-fil-A. It’s like walking into a commercial. The stores are always clean. I’m greeted by someone who is smiling and attentive and CLEAN!! I don’t know where they are finding their workers but walking into my local Chick-Fil-A (and the other outlets that I’ve been to) is like walking into a time machine. 

It reminds me a bit of when I was being trained as a manager at Hollywood Video, and the top regional manager (everywhere he went, the numbers doubled within a month of arriving) was training me on how to hire people. First he would take the huge pile of job applications (they were paper then) and immediately throw away any that were not complete without reading them. Then he would pick the top 10 or so (without reading) with the neatest and most legible penmanship, and call those first.  If they brought their friends, they were out. If they weren’t dressed properly, they were out. He would run a store short staffed before he would hire someone who looked like a slob and/or didn’t want to be there.

Criticize the method all you want, but the teams he put together were always happy, and the stores were always very well run. I often wonder if Chick-Fil-A doesn’t have a similar vetting process.

[cramx3]

I know my local chick fil a is new (not even a year old) but it's always super clean, the employees are friendly, and I have never had a bad or even questionable experience there.  Which can't be said to almost every other fast food spot I've gone to.  I've wondered if they know who I am by now, I definitely know the faces there.

[jammindude]

I know my local chick fil a is new (not even a year old) but it's always super clean, the employees are friendly, and I have never had a bad or even questionable experience there.  Which can't be said to almost every other fast food spot I've gone to.  I've wondered if they know who I am by now, I definitely know the faces there.

When restaurants are new, they can give a false sense of how clean they are. We had a Carl’s Jr for awhile that was beautiful when it opened. But within 4-5 years there was broken tiles, broken signage, and it just generally looked run down a lot sooner than it should have. I blame bad management because that place was busy when it was clean, but when it became cosmetically unappealing, people stopped going, the employees got dirtier, and within 10 years they closed.

The Chick-Fil-A has been around for a little over 5 years now and it still looks brand new. And they are also always busy. I can’t help but think there is a correlation.

[bosk1]

Something Bosk said earlier about In and Out being a well put together operation reminded me of something I wanted to touch on.

We don’t have In and Out up here in Washington, but I will ALWAYS frequent Chick-Fil-A if for no other reason than their cleanliness.

...

I’ve never had that experience at Chick-fil-A. It’s like walking into a commercial. The stores are always clean. I’m greeted by someone who is smiling and attentive and CLEAN!! I don’t know where they are finding their workers but walking into my local Chick-Fil-A (and the other outlets that I’ve been to) is like walking into a time machine. 

...

Criticize the method all you want, but the teams he put together were always happy, and the stores were always very well run. I often wonder if Chick-Fil-A doesn’t have a similar vetting process.

Totally.  Yeah, they do have specific methods and standards, and my understanding is that you can't get a franchise without agreeing to abide by that.  And I get that there are many that would say "I don't care about that. Just give me cheap, good food, and save money and time skimping on all that other crap."  Totally cool with anyone who thinks that way.  But for me personally, I have two responses: (1) I am often more inclined to go someplace where I feel I am treated well and that is clean than the alternative, even if it costs a bit more and takes a bit more time.  (2) That kind of care often translates to food quality.  If you just don't like the food a particular chain sells, that's cool.  But if you like Chi-Fil-A (or In-N-Out), you can be VERY confident that you will have a pretty consistent experience at just about any location, whether it be the one in the hood, the one in an upscale suburban neighborhood, or the one at the airport.  I can't count the number of times with other chains where you know not to go to a particular location because they consistently have worse food than the location half a mile up the road, they commonly get orders wrong, or the customer service is trash.  You won't really find that with a CFA or In-N-Out.

The one thing about CFA that is a minor annoyance is that they frequently take the courtesy up so many notches that it can feel fake and insincere.  Which, of course, it is.  It's called "customer service"--it's not like they actually want to come and hang out with you after their shift and invite you to Thanksgiving dinner.  But even if it is actually fake and insincere, if it feels that way, they might be doing it wrong.  When I go through the drive through, I take bets with myself on how many seconds into the order until they say "MY PLEASURE!"  And then I inevitably roll my eyes when they do.    But all that said, this rant is more of a me problem than a CFA problem.

[jammindude]

Funny you should mention that in particular. I’m not sure how many people know about that company policy. They are actually NOT ALLOWED to say “no problem” or “sure” in response to a customer saying “thank you”. They actually have to say “my pleasure”.

Some people might cringe, I kinda like it. It just feels a bit like old fashioned manners, and that’s not always a bad thing.

[El Barto]

Funny you should mention that in particular. I’m not sure how many people know about that company policy. They are actually NOT ALLOWED to say “no problem” or “sure” in response to a customer saying “thank you”. They actually have to say “my pleasure”.

Some people might cringe, I kinda like it. It just feels a bit like old fashioned manners, and that’s not always a bad thing.

I'd rather hear it from people who mean it. And I can tell you that a "you bet" or "no problem" from me means more than a canned "my pleasure" (which I also us). Down here you can actually judge people's manners. If people are forced to use platitudes and friendly expressions then what's the point.

[Stadler]

FWIW, I got to meet C. Truett Cathy and two of his sons (who run the organization today).  Couldn't have been nicer, genuine people.