The Mississippi Fast Food Chain From 1978 That Customers Love For The Old-School Chili Cheeseburger

Sometimes when you need a big, messy, old-school burger, nothing hits the spot like a chili cheeseburger. Few chains have chili cheeseburgers on the menu, and often when a craving strikes you'll have to make one yourself. However, if you can make it to Mississippi, Ward's has just what you're looking for. Dubbed "The Big One with Chili and Cheese," this burger features homemade chili, a signature sauce, and a 4-ounce hamburger patty making it almost the same size as a Burger King Whopper.

Ward's chili is made in house, and while the exact recipe has not been shared, commenters on Reddit claiming to have inside info suggest it's similar to Wendy's chili. They allege it's made with ground up hamburgers and a premade seasoning mixture supplied to the chain by a third-party vendor. Unlike Wendy's, it's a very finely ground chili with no beans, just meat and seasoning in a sauce. Other Redditors have speculated about what may be included, such as chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, and cumin; no one has offered an exact dupe of the recipe.

The chili is described as spicy but not overwhelmingly so, and also greasy in a good way. It's savory, salty, and tangy. The Big One can be ordered as a double or even a triple to truly beef it up and make a ¾-pound burger. The chain also sells homemade root beer that some diners recommend alongside The Big One to complete the meal. For those who want a little less, the Lil' One with Chili and Cheese is a smaller burger topped the same way.

There are only a few dozen Ward's locations, all of them in Mississippi. Despite how few there are, Ward's still made our list of restaurants with the best chili cheeseburgers. The chain started in 1978, and while times and prices have changed, the menu features old school classics like root beer floats served in a frosty mug, corn dogs, catfish sandwiches, and even ham sandwiches. For some diners, it carries a lot of nostalgia, too. "I always order the Lil One combo and ask for the frosty mug root beer. It's great to know that some things never change," said one TripAdvisor reviewer. 

That kind of consistency has a lot of appeal, particularly for customers who can return to a regional restaurant years later and find many of the same items on the menu. "It's the classic old time burger taste with a true pedigree," said another, referring to the chain's history and explaining that, even with menu updates, core items like the burgers still have that old school feel.

Many reviews of Ward's chili cheeseburgers are effusive. One reviewer on TripAdvisor said, "The chili cheeseburger was one of the best I have ever had." Another reviewer said, "The chili burgers are their claim to fame and for good reason!" People who have moved away from Mississippi often post about returning to Ward's when they visit, describing it as a staple of any trip to Southern Mississippi. If you can't make it to one yourself, you could always try this Wendy's chili cheeseburger hack for the next best thing.