America's Favorite Burger Chain
The restaurant defends its title for the second year in a row
We at Tasting Table have long taken part in the best-burger-joint debate—roasting each other for naming hometown-based chains as superior to fry-forward restaurants and posting polls on social media to quell the arguments. But the United States has officially spoken, and it declares Five Guys as the country's favorite burger chain.
According to the Harris Poll's 30th annual EquiTrend brand study, Five Guys was found to be the country's "Burger brand of the year." The study surveyed 77,031 people to determine a winner between 16 other chains including Jack in the Box, White Castle, Shake Shack and McDonald's.
The restaurant's signature brown paper bag—made soggy by seeping peanut oil—has become an image of good ol' American fast food, helping the chain defend its title for the second year in a row. (It broke In-N-Out's winning streak in 2017 and hasn't loosened its tender hold on the country's heart since.) The famed restaurant, which never freezes its hand-formed fresh-ground beef, was founded in 1986 and now has 1,500 locations worldwide.
As we wait with bated breath to see which brand will win next year, we'll keep tasting all the burgers we can . . . in honor of America, of course.