Sit-Down Chain Burgers Ranked By Beef Flavor

The key to a good burger is the beef, regardless of bun, seasonings, condiments, and toppings. And there's a high expectation for that burger when you order it from a sit-down restaurant versus fast food burger chains. Whether you sit down in the restaurant or order to go, the cost is usually higher than zipping through a fast food drive-thru. With that higher price is the anticipation the burger will be great. Visions of large, juicy burgers with just the right seasonings and toppings can have your mouth watering, but if the beef doesn't cut it, the burger can flop.

I enjoy burgers a few times a week, at least, but typically via supermarket, local butcher shop, or nearby farm. So, I was interested in finding out if sit-down chains like Applebee's, LongHorn Steakhouse, Cracker Barrel, and a few others could serve up a burger full of beef flavor. I was completely taken by surprise by which chains were the best and super disappointed with one of my favorite restaurants, which failed to create a burger worth eating. 

While I paid close attention to how each burger looked, as well as its texture and chew, the main focus was the taste of the beef itself. I go into more detail on my methodology below.

I've never eaten at Applebee's until this taste test. So, I had no idea what to expect (I've heard mixed reviews about the chain), but this was one of the worst burgers I've had. To be frank, I'd go so far as to say it was terrible. I've experienced better-quality meat with frozen beef burgers from the grocery store. At first, I even second-guessed what I ordered because it looked like a smashburger — but it was the chain's classic burger, which features a regular patty. And even if it had mistakenly been made as a smashburger, I wouldn't have considered it to be good in that style, either. 

Perhaps if I had ordered this burger with all the fixin's, it would have been enough to hide the burger patty itself and all of its flaws. The bun looked delicious, and the fries were tasty, but this test was about the burger meat. And this burger basically had no flavor — none. I wasn't even sure it was beef upon first taste, and there was either no seasoning, or it was light enough that it was hardly noticeable.

Along with the mashed shape of the burger patty and barely-there beefy taste, the first bite was dry and crumbly, and not from being overdone. The meat was so tough to chew, it felt like I was chewing forever. As far as sit-down chain burger patties go, this was an odd one.

It's been years since I've been to Ruby Tuesday, but I can't help breaking into song when I see the name ("Ruby Tuesday" by The Rolling Stones, if you're not familiar). So, as I got ready to bite into the burger, I was belting out the lyrics. But it didn't help the burger. One bite and I declared it the loser until Applebee's earned that spot. Unlike Applebee's, however, I wouldn't say the burger was terrible; it just had very little taste. My first impression wasn't much, either; the patty was pretty thin, but not to the degree that Applebee's was. While I didn't mistake it for a smashburger, it was still dry and crumbly.

The beef was similar to a lower-end grocery burger — not bad but not good. The meat had virtually no flavor at all, but with a little more seasoning than Applebee's version. The burger also chewed better than Applebee's, but these are small points between two bad bundles of beef. So, I must say, "Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday," your burger did not hit the mark this time, but I give you kudos for still offering an all-you-can-eat salad bar.

It hurts my heart to rank Texas Roadhouse, one of my favorite chains to grab a ribeye, low on the list. I've never gotten a burger from TR before, but I don't recall ever receiving a bad ribeye here, so I imagined the chain would serve good beef all around and had high hopes for a good patty. Unfortunately, I was wrong. I was immediately disappointed when I saw it. But since looks can be deceiving, I let my taste buds do the testing ... but was equally discouraged when I finally bit into it.

The one saving grace of this burger patty was its texture and chew. Much better than either Applebee's or Ruby Tuesday, it's what I would consider better-quality beef. The problem was that there was not a ton of flavor. I was really surprised. This burger patty was certainly okay to eat — maybe a little dry, like the meat was overworked — and there was some very light seasoning, which was on par with Ruby Tuesday's patty. But there was just no beef taste like you would expect of a good steakhouse chain burger.

I'm often on the fence about whether it's worth going to LongHorn Steakhouse for steak (having previously mentioned Texas Roadhouse as my go-to spot), let alone a burger. But when I did my ranking of LongHorn's steaks, I was impressed with the ribeye and filet. So, I was intrigued about where on the list a burger patty from this sit-down chain would land. I honestly never expected it to land higher than Texas Roadhouse's, but here we are. 

Overall, the beef was good. The meat quality itself was better than Texas Roadhouse's burger — it had that nice soft chew like you'd get with fresh meat. And because this burger had a light beefy flavor, it nabbed the spot just above the bottom three. The patty was thinner and more uniform than I anticipated, but it had that beef taste and texture you want in a decent burger. Unfortunately, parts of it were chewy, and it was overall a bit dry. However, it was lightly seasoned, which complemented the meat without overpowering it, and it also had a nice grilled taste.

I've definitely had Chili's burgers before — it was a frequent stop for decades. And ranking it third doesn't surprise me. I've always had a decent burger from this chain. This taste test was no exception. The patty used for the chain's Big QP Burger was very good — everything you want in a burger. It was even in the running for first place in my ranking until the top two knocked it down a couple notches. It was a thicker burger patty, which I prefer, and it had good beefy flavor that was tasty without the need for condiments, toppings, or sauces. While LongHorn's burger was also good without help, Chili's made a better eat-as-is patty.

Along with the good beefy flavor, it had a good texture and chew, like fresh ground meat. And though I wasn't ranking the seasoning (nor weighing it the same as the beef flavor), it was flavorful and complementary to the meat, enhancing the overall patty. Still, along came two to keep Chili's down from No. 1.

I'm no stranger to Cracker Barrel. Though I typically go for breakfast (my go-to dish is steak and eggs, with bacon), I was pleasantly surprised to discover how good the chain's half-pound burger patty was. (And now I want to try the breakfast burger, which features that same half-pound beef patty topped with American cheese, bacon, hashbrown casserole, and a sunny-side-up egg.) 

My first impression was promising, as it looked like the type of burger I like — with a decent thickness and appearing to be freshly made (i.e. not completely uniform). I had ranked the burger in first place until another chain came along and performed just a bit better in my taste test. My one criticism with Cracker Barrel's burger was the dehydrated onions used in the seasoning; it really took away from the overall bite. (But if it featured the seasoning used on Chili's patty, it would have been great.)

The beef tasted like good-quality meat with a nice light beefy flavor, and the patty was a good thickness. Each bite was moist and flavorful with a good texture and chew (like fresh meat). Overall, this was a very good burger just as it was, so I imagine it would rate as a pretty great traditional burger with the bun and toppings.

At the time of this writing, Outback Steakhouse is undergoing a change, having shuttered dozens of locations while aiming to renovate the rest, in part due to fewer customers visiting in recent years. I admittedly don't eat at Outback often, as I have found it to be a little pricey for an average meal. Texas Roadhouse is more affordable than this chain, so I tend to lean in that direction. So, it was a nice surprise to place Outback's burger in first place, since I haven't been this sit-down chain's biggest fan in the past. 

At first glance, the chain's half-pound Outback burger patty was pleasing and inviting — it looked like a fresh-made burger hot off the grill that you'd want to sink your teeth into. And I was pleasantly surprised with how good it was. Overall, it was easy to rank Outback's burger at the top of this ranking: It was juicy, full of good beefy flavor, and chewed like fresh quality meat, which made me think it was crafted from a steak cut and not the typical ground chuck (though there is nothing to confirm what type of beef the burgers are made from). The seasoning was light but complementary, and it tasted like a good steakhouse burger. 

Outback Steakhouse's burger patty gets zero complaints from me. It was very enjoyable without all the added toppings and condiments.

In order to accurately assess the beef patty of each sit-down chain burger, I wanted to taste them side by side. So, I ordered these burgers to-go, which I kept in mind for why a burger might have been overdone. Regardless of how I ordered, most of the burgers ended up medium, but a couple were well done, so I took that into account, as well. This taste test was specifically about the flavor of the beef, and that's what I focused on. But I also paid attention to the texture, chew, and finished quality.

I lined up the burger patties and dug in, occasionally going back and forth from one to the other to get a better impression of how they compared. I had some water in between each to cleanse the palate, and basically just continued eating until I was full. I generally eat about one to two pounds of meat a day and have for about eight years now. So, I ate what amounted to about three and a half patties in total.