Big Joe’s picks for best chain restaurant cheeseburger

This September 18 is National Cheeseburger Day. If it was up to me, all banks and post offices would be closed and there would be no garbage collection. It should be a national holiday.

I have spent years looking for and tasting the best cheeseburger I can find. I’ve literally been to 46 states, 10 countries and have at some point of my visit tried a cheeseburger at each of my locales.

Of course fast food restaurants like McDonalds list the Big Mac, Quarter Pounder with Cheese and the double cheeseburger as top sellers for the golden arches, all a derivative of the classic cheeseburger.

According to Thrillist, the top ranking chain cheeseburgers are:

#1 Culvers Double Butter Burger with Cheese: This is a chain from Wisconsin that claims the addition of Wisconsin cheese is part of the great flavor. The cheese burger sits on a fluffy Kaiser roll that has a dab of butter on it, making it the double butter burger with cheese. The chain boasts of high quality ingredients. As of this month the cheeseburger cost $4.29. Not Bad.

#2 In-N-Out Burger: Double Double Burger : In-N-Out Burger is proud of the never frozen always fresh hamburger patties that are made at an In-N-Out facility and shipped fresh to the companies outlets. The Double Double burger is a couple of these burgers sandwiched in with American cheese and their special “animal sauce” which I’m pretty sure is mostly Thousand Island dressing but thinner. It’s pretty good.

#3 Sonic Drive In: Super Sonic Double Cheeseburger: Sonic does a good job and decorates their cheeseburger with two patties with American cheese in the middle some tomato slices, onions, pickles, lettuce with ketchup and mayo. The beef is tasty and it all comes together. Great flavor.

#4 Whataburger: Double Meat Whataburger with cheese: While the two patties that they use on this burger are thin, they are big and encompass the large bun, with cheese, lettuce, tomato and onion along with the Whataburger mustard. It’s a good burger.

#5 McDonald’s: Quarter Pounder with Cheese: the standard that’s been around for the ages got a face lift a couple of years ago when the golden arches switched to fresh meat on the quarter pounder instead of frozen, this change increased sales and gave the Big Mac a run for its money!

#6 Wendy’s: Dave’s Double: There are two quarter pound patties sandwiched in between lettuce, tomatoes, onions, ketchup and mayo. It is a mighty tasty burger. The toasted bun is good too.

These are the top chain cheeseburgers. Let me make it perfectly clear: The best of these cheeseburgers still can’t hold a candle to the great New Jersey Restaurants that are famous for their hamburgers. I shared that full list on a previous post from May of this year that included some great Jersey burger places.

For your info here is a list of my Jersey favorite places to get a great cheeseburger:

Barnacle Bill's in Rumson, New Jersey

Celtic Cottage Pub in Long Branch

Trama Restaurant in Long Branch, NJ

Irish Rail in Manasquan, New Jersey

White Manna Hamburgers in Hackensack, NJ.

Back Bay Ale House in Atlantic City in New Jersey

The Ark in Point Pleasant Beach

The Committed Pig in Summit , New Jersey

These are my favorites, enjoy a cheeseburger.