Yelp! has the rep as the place most Americans look for the latest news and opinions on Fast Food issues. Now, the social media platform has released its 2025 list of Top Burger Chains in The US. And the result may not be what you were expecting!
I was surprised several times before I finished my first pass through the roster. But it’s hard to argue with Yelp! over it’s survey methodology or currency. The list is billed as ‘a celebration of National Burger Day’, this coming May 28…
What you think?
Here’s the list. Where does your fave Fast Food chain show up?
Top 25 Burger Chains in the United States
- In-N-Out Burger
- The Habit Burger Grill
- Shake Shack
- Culver’s
- Islands Restaurants
- Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers
- Five Guys Burgers & Fries
- Wayback Burgers
- Mooyah Burgers, Fries & Shakes
- Red Robin
- Jack in the Box
- Cook Out
- BurgerFi
- Whataburger
- Wahlburgers
- Smashburger
- McDonald’s
- Sonic Drive-In
- Burger King
- White Castle
- Fatburger
- Wendy’s
- Carl’s Jr.
- Checkers / Rally’s
- Steak ‘n Shake
Yelp’s analysis
Regional fave In-N-Out, which is legendary in California, came out on top. And Yelp! trend expert Tara Lewis says there are good reasons for that. “Based on the reviews we’re seeing, it has to do with the ingredients, drive-thru experience, and the not-so-secret ‘secret’ menu,” Lewis says. “Of course, cus-tomization and consistency are big factors when it comes to this list, and I think In-N-Out does it really well.”
“You want to be able to access a burger that you know you’re going to love regardless,” Lewis adds. “When you look at the regionality, a lot of that has to do with accessibility and consistency of service. You know you’re going to get delicious food every time, which taps into your nostalgia and the com-fort food [element] of eating at a burger place.”
An extreme example
An extreme example of Lewis’ regional fave theory would be Mooyah Burgers, Fries & Shakes. I had never even heard of this Texas-based chain until this survey surfaced. And though they say they have locations in 20 states, it appears they have only one location in many of those states. But Mooyah fits Lewis’ emergent fave profile perfectly.
Soliciting new franchisees, the company refers to itself as, “one of the fastest-growing ‘better burger’ concepts around.” They also appear to have a cult-like sense of humour designed to appeal to the sort of fan who giggles uncontrollably when they even think about the ‘Holy Hand Grenade of Anitioch’ homily from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
“We love fun. In fact, we’re fun-loving lovers of fun. And yet, we couldn’t be more serious about our food,” their self-description weaves and wobbles. “We’re talking never-frozen beef, hand-cut fries, real ice cream shakes, and other delicious nouns preceded by quality-assuring adjectives. Here, “serious” and “fun” are one with the bun.”
My take
I was shocked to see that McDonald’s – once the runaway fan fave burger chain in the US – didn’t even make it into the Top 15 in this survey. McD’s didn’t even show up until 17th spot. And arch competitor Burger King only managed to make 19th.
Who did show up were smaller, local and regional, ‘cult fave’ brands such as In-N-Out, Shake Shack and Jack In The Box.
I’ve been saying that the top-tier players in the Burgersphere would be struggling among themselves for market preeminence by this point in the mid-2020s. And the smaller chains would either be merg-ing or closing under increasing pressure in an overcrowded market. Or, like Mooyah, developing a cult-like following capable of sustaining them, or even allowing a limited number of locations to thrive.
Though other industry observers said I was nuts to make such a prediction… I hasten to point out – I was right on this one!
~ Maggie J.