Hold onto your wallets, folks—In-N-Out Burger, once a titan of fast food, has just taken a surprising tumble in the latest burger rankings.
According to the Daily Mail, in a shocking upset, In-N-Out's iconic Double-Double has slipped to fourth place on USA Today's list of best fast food burgers, outpaced by competitors like Habit Burger & Grill, A&W, and Jack in the Box.
This isn’t just a minor blip. The Double-Double, crafted with two beef patties, cheese slices, onions, tomato, lettuce, and a signature sauce, has dropped two spots from its previous standing. It’s a signal of shifting consumer tastes and fiercer competition in an industry where efficiency and value reign supreme.
At the top of the heap sits Habit Burger & Grill with its Double Char, boasting two hamburgers, onions, lettuce, tomato, and pickles. This chain held onto its number one spot from last year, proving consistency can outshine hype.
Right behind, A&W secured second place with its Papa Burger, while Jack in the Box clinched third with the Jumbo Jack Cheeseburger. These rankings show smaller players can punch above their weight in a market often dominated by giants.
Culver’s rounded out the top five, returning to the list with its double ButterBurger with cheese after missing out last year. Meanwhile, notable names like Five Guys fell outside the top tier, despite their enduring popularity.
Despite the rankings setback, In-N-Out isn’t sitting idle. The chain has grown to over 400 locations nationwide, navigating industry headwinds with expansion. However, CEO Lynsi Snyder’s decision to relocate operations to Tennessee has sparked backlash among some loyalists.
Contrast this with Jack in the Box, which, despite a strong third-place showing, plans to shutter 150 to 200 locations amid financial turbulence. The chain is also seeking buyers for its struggling Del Taco brand, following a franchisee’s bankruptcy filing.
Habit Burger & Grill, meanwhile, is doubling down on growth, eyeing expansion in Asia to boost its nearly 400-restaurant footprint. Success in rankings fuels ambition, but global markets are a different beast.
Looking further down the list, Shake Shack landed at seventh with its ShakeBurger, featuring lettuce, tomato, cheese, and signature sauce. Both Shake Shack and Culver’s are expanding and tweaking menus, though their higher price points make them among the priciest fast-food options.
Freddy’s Frozen Custard and Steakburgers debuted at eighth with its Original Double, a fan favorite made with steakburger patties, cheese, onion, pickles, and mustard. Burger King’s Whopper, despite a 1.3 percent sales drop in North America, held ninth place, hinting at lingering customer loyalty.
Whataburger, rounding out the top ten with its Double Meat Whataburger, is banking on growth under new leadership. With over 1,100 stores and former McDonald’s executive Todd Ewen steering development, the chain aims to capitalize on its never-frozen meat promise.
Not everyone cut this year—White Castle, Carl’s Jr., and BurgerFi were notably absent. BurgerFi’s absence stings harder, given its bankruptcy filing last year, a stark reminder of the brutal economics of fast food.
For investors and entrepreneurs, these rankings aren’t just trivia; they’re a window into market dynamics. Chains that prioritize value and operational efficiency—like Habit Burger & Grill—are winning, while others struggle with debt or overexpansion. If you’re eyeing fast-food stocks or franchises, focus on brands balancing growth with fiscal discipline, and always diversify to hedge against these volatile shifts.