America votes on fast food: favorite burger joint revealed

ByLA Blake WPVI logo
Saturday, July 26, 2014
#3 Best burger restaurant: Five Guys Burgers and Fries
#3 Best chicken restaurant: Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen
#3 Best Mexican restaurant: Qdoba Mexican Grill
#3 Best sandwich restaurant: Schlotzsky's
#2 Best burger restaurant: In-N-Out Burger
#2 Best chicken restaurant: El Pollo Loco
#2 Best Mexican restaurant: Rubio's Fresh Mexican Grill
#2 Best sandwich restaurant: Firehouse subs
#1 Best burger restaurant: The Habit Burger Grill
#1 Best chicken restaurant: Chick-fil-A
#1 Best Mexican restaurant: Chipotle Mexican Grill
#1 Best sandwich restaurant: Portillo's Hot Dogs
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America votes on fast food: favorite burger joint revealed#3 Best burger restaurant: Five Guys Burgers and Fries
Photo/Flickr, Neil Conway

According to the results of a new survey by Consumer Reports, you probably haven't tasted America's favorite burger.

Across the nation, surveyors consumed more than 96,000 meals from 65 different restaurants to determine the most delicious fast food in America. Given the broad range of fast food, restaurants were divided into four categories: burgers, chicken, Mexican food (with a focus on burritos) and sandwiches (broadly defined).

The top picks among the best restaurants are surprising, to say the least. So surprising, you might not have even heard of the restaurant with the best burgers.

Who Had The Best Burger?

3. Five Guys Burgers and Fries

2. In-N-Out Burger

1. The Habit Burger Grill

Who Had The Best Chicken?

3. Popeye's Louisiana Kitchen

2. El Pollo Loco

1. Chick-fil-A

Who Had The Best Burritos?

3. Qdoba Mexican Grill

2. Rubio's Fresh Mexican Grill

1. Chipotle Mexican Grill

Who Had The Best Sandwiches?

3. Schlotzsky's

2. Firehouse Subs

1. Portillo's Hot Dogs

While regional chains generally did much better than chains that can be found nationwide, the burger joint champion, The Habit Burger Grill, quite possibly has the smallest national footprint. Habit Burger is a California-based chain with fewer than 100 total restaurants that sprawled out of its modest start in Santa Barbara in 1969. The chain now has locations all over California, six in Arizona, five in Utah, one location still being built in New Jersey, and nowhere else. So if you want to try the Consumer Reports' best burger in America, you might need a plane ticket.

Habit Burger is so obscure, and with such a niche clientele, their website crashed soon after the survey was released, reports The Daily Mail.

On the flip side, McDonalds has the lowest rated burgers; Kentucky Fried Chicken the lowest chicken; Taco Bell the lowest Mexican; and Sbarro the lowest overall.

Do you agree with the results? Which chain do you think is the best? Let us know in the comments below.