NEW YORK ( TheStreet) -- While Memorial Day weekend is a traditional time for Americans to grill their own hamburgers and hot dogs, our collective appetite for fast-food burgers just continues to grow.
According to research firm NPD Group, Americans consumed a record nine billion burgers outside the home in 2014.
That hunger has led to winning results at firms such as Shake Shack (SHAK) - Get Shake Shack, Inc. Class A Report, whose shares are up a whopping 345% from its initial public offering price earlier this year, but much less so at stalwarts such as McDonald's (MCD) - Get McDonald's Corporation (MCD) Report, whose declining sales have led to a moribund share price over the last few years.
In honor of National Burger Month (yes, it's real), crowdsourcing ranking site Ranker.com determined "The Best Fast Food Burgers" in the country. Ranker's poll asked voters to pick their favorite from among 46 different burgers, with about 42,000 votes piling in to determine who was the king of the beef.
The overall big winner was independently owned Five Guys, which had two of its burgers appear in the top 3 and one of its burgers listed as a top choice in 30 out of 51 states. Overwhelming affinity for Five Guys, with its notoriously high-fat burgers, even surprised the folks at Ranker.
The top burger came from a California-based chain that's developed a cult-like following (its offering also packed the third-most calories among the top ten).
Absent in the overall top 10 list was McDonald's, which must be especially painful given that rival Burger King's standard bearer, The Whopper, was ranked number five overall (Burger King is a subsidiary of Restaurant Brands International (QSR) - Get Restaurant Brands International Inc Report . The Big Mac just missed the cut, coming in at number 11 on Ranker's list.
Another conspicuous absence from the list was anything from upstart burger chain Shake Shack. The survey was national, however, and with only 43 U.S. restaurants and most of them in New YorkCity, Shake Shack likely still isn't well-enough known across the country to have garnered enough votes to do well. Its signature ShackBurger, a cheeseburger topped with a distinctive ShackSauce, clocked in at number 23 on the list.
TheStreet takes a look at the top 10 burgers that made the cut.
#10
Burger Name: Fatburger Burger
Signature Ingredient: 100% pure lean beef
State Where It's Most Popular: California
Calories: 400
Total Fat: 21g
Cholesterol: 55mg
Sodium: 1,080mg
#9
Burger Name: Steak 'n Shake Double 'n Cheese Steakburger
Signature Ingredient: Two hot off the grill steakburgers
States Where It's Most Popular:Missouri, North Dakota
Calories: 440
Fat: 25g
Cholesterol: 70mg
Sodium: 590mg
#8
Burger Name: Wendy's 1/4 LB Single
Signature Ingredient: 100% North American ground beef
State Where It's Most Popular: Not available
Calories: 579
Fat: 31g
Cholesterol: 100mg
Sodium: 1,220mg
#7
Burger Name: Fuddruckers The Original Fudds
Signature ingredient: Sesame-topped, homemade bun
State Where It's Most Popular: Not available
Calories: 840
Fat: 21g
Cholesterol: 220mg
Sodium: 232mg
#6
Burger Name: Wendy's Baconator
Signature Ingredient: Fresh-cooked applewood smoked bacon
State Where It's Most Popular: Not available
Calories: 939
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Fat: 56g
Cholesterol: 205mg
Sodium: 1,890mg
#5
Burger Name: Burger King Whopper
Signature ingredient: Flame-grilled beef
States Where It's Most Popular:Alaska, New Mexico, and South Dakota
Calories: 312
Fat: 44g
Cholesterol: 85mg
Sodium: 1,260mg
#4
Burger Name: Whataburger Original Whataburger
Signature Ingredients: Fresh, never frozen, 100% pure American beef topped with mustard
States Where It's Most Popular: Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas
Calories: 640
Fat: 30g
Cholesterol: 45mg
Sodium: 1,140mg
#3
Burger Name: Five Guys Bacon Cheeseburger
Signature Ingredient: Fresh ground beef
States Where It's Most Popular: Florida, Pennsylvania, and New York
Calories: 317
Fat: 62g
Cholesterol: 180mg
Sodium: 1,310mg
#2
Burger Name: Five Guys Hamburger
Signature Ingredient: Fresh ground beef
State Where It's Most Popular:New Jersey, Alabama, and Kentucky
Calories: 265
Fat: 43g
Cholesterol: 125mg
Sodium: 430mg
#1
Burger Name: In-N-Out Burger Double Double
Signature ingredient: Beef sourced from premium cattle
State Where It's Most Popular: California, Washington, and Arizona
Calories: 670
Fat: 41g
Cholesterol: 120mg
Sodium: 140mg
This article is commentary by an independent contributor. At the time of publication, the author held no positions in the stocks mentioned.
