Whataburger Beat Out Wendy’s and McDonald’s for Best Value Burger

When we think of value, scale is usually a part of the equation, particularly when it comes to food. Fast food chains that are bigger are usually able to keep their costs down a bit more, with the trade-off being that you’re not exactly getting a gourmet burger every time. Yes, massive fast food chains like Wendy’s and McDonald’s might not deliver the best food, but most people will at least feel as though they’ve come away not having spent too much for what they’ve got. Their value meals also help to create that effect, too.

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That’s what these chains want you to think, at least – but it turns out that there’s one out there that’s beating out the bigger names on a pure value level. A study by NetCredit recently took a very mathematical approach to determining which fast-food chain has the best-value burger. The winner? It’s Whataburger, folks.

What(aburger) A Deal!

In NetCredit’s study, Whataburger took the top spot over bigger names like Burger King, McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and Shake Shack, as well as similar-sized competitors like Carl’s Jr. NetCredit determined value by quite literally looking at how much you get for your money, in sheer weight. It looked at how much each burger cost from 14 different chains, relative to how much their single patties weighed. It found that Whataburger’s flagship sandwich came in as giving the most bang for your buck, at $1.66 per ounce of meat.

Coming hot on the heels of Whataburger were McDonald’s ($1.91 per ounce of meat in its Cheeseburger), Smash Burger ($1.96 per ounce for its All-American Smash), and Burger King ($1.99 per ounce for a Cheeseburger from the restaurant). At the other end of the scale, Five Guys was considered the burger with the least value for money, at $3.59 per ounce.

Now, importantly, this study isn’t taking into account how good these burgers are. That’s a different question entirely. The NetCredit research wasn’t looking at the actual price of the burger, either. But if you’re judging them on pure quantity, Whataburger wins.

More Fries For Your Dollar

The study also looked at how much value a portion of medium or regular fries represented from each fast food chain, when looking at their average weight and price – and it turns out that the potatoes from Whataburger are not as cost-effective. Whataburger’s fries cost, on average, $0.99 per ounce, placing it 12th in the list. You win some, you lose some.

So, who won out in the French fry wars? Good old Shake Shack! The slightly more upmarket chain actually has the best number of fries for your hard-earned dollar, with its portions costing around $0.40 per ounce. Culver’s, In-N-Out, and Five Guys also all ranked highly here. We guess that no fast food chain can do everything the best, huh?