Data Underload  /  ,

Best Burger Ranks

By Nathan Yau

Burger rankings bubbled up in my feed, based on a survey conducted by Market Force. The methodology is kind of iffy, but let’s just pretend the rankings are rock solid. I mean, it’s all subjective anyways.

Survey participants were asked to grade fast food burger restaurants on eight criteria. The charts below show how each restaurant ranked.

Fast Food Burger Ranks

Survey participants were asked to rate places on eight criteria.

Speed of Service

Value for

Money Spent

Food Quality

Healthy

Options

Atmosphere

Worst

Best

Cleanliness

Curb Appeal

Staff

Friendliness

Speed of Service

Value for

Money Spent

Food Quality

Healthy

Options

Atmosphere

Worst

Best

Cleanliness

Curb Appeal

Staff

Friendliness

Five Guys

In−N−Out

Smashburger

Culver‘s

Speed

Value

Quality

Healthy

Atmos.

Overrated.

There can only be one king.

Never tried, but I’m intrigued.

Clean

Curb

Friendly

Whataburger

Steak ‘n Shake

Dairy Queen

Red Robin

Sonic

Jack in the Box

Wendy‘s

Carl‘s Jr.

Two tacos for a dollar. Nuff said.

Just add BBQ sauce and bacon.

Burger King

McDonald‘s

Haters. Have you even tried a Happy Meal?

Where the mascot will haunt your dreams…

Five Guys

Speed

Value

Quality

Healthy

Atmos.

Overrated.

Clean

Curb

Friendly

Smashburger

In−N−Out

Never had, but I’m intrigued.

The true king.

Culver‘s

Whataburger

Steak ‘n Shake

Dairy Queen

Red Robin

Sonic

Jack in the Box

Wendy‘s

Two tacos for a dollar. Nuff said.

Burger King

Carl‘s Jr.

Just add BBQ sauce and bacon.

Where the mascot will haunt your dreams…

McDonald‘s

Haters. Have you even tried a Happy Meal?

The low rankings for the more national chains make me wonder what the actual survey questions and scoring criteria were.

For example, Carl’s Jr. ranks at the bottom for value, but last time I checked, you get a lot for your dollar there. Are the other places just that much better? Or what about Five Guys? It ranks so high in quality but so low for value.

In conclusion, the key takeaway is that In-N-Out is the best.

Notes

  • The data comes from here. I couldn’t find the direct source, and it’s unclear what the percentages actually mean.
  • I used R to make the radar charts.

Chart Type Used

Radar Chart

Become a member. Support an independent site. Make great charts.

See What You Get

Learn to Visualize Data See All →

How to visualize data with cartoonish faces ala Chernoff

The goal of Chernoff faces is to show a bunch of variables at once via facial features like lips, eyes, and nose size. Most of the time there are better solutions, but the faces can be interesting to work with.

Using Transparency in R to Improve Clarity

When you plot a lot of data at once, points and lines can obscure others and hide patterns. Transparency can help reveal what is really there.

How to Make Frequency Trails in R

Also known as ridgeline plots, the method overlaps time series for a 3-D-ish view of the data. While perhaps not the most visually efficient, the allure is undeniable.

Grabbing Weather Underground Data with BeautifulSoup

Weather Underground is a useful site and a fun place …

Favorites

Real Chart Rules to Follow

There are rules—usually for specific chart types meant to be read in a specific way—that you shouldn’t break. When they are, everyone loses. This is that small handful.

Data, R, and a 3-D Printer

We almost always look at data through a screen. It’s quick and good for exploration. So is there value in making data physical? I played around with a 3-D printer to find out.

Who We Spend Time with as We Get Older

In high school, we spend most of our days with friends and immediate family. But then we get jobs, start a family, retire, and there’s a shift in who we spend our days with.

Divorce Rates for Different Groups

We know when people usually get married. We know who never marries. Finally, it’s time to look at the other side: divorce and remarriage.