Cheap Burgers: More Bang for The Buck

Arizona Daily Wildcat

Several fast-food chains around the UA have aided in the valuable pursuit of reasonably priced meals, unlike the horrendous pricing of the third-rate 'eateries' in the Memorial Student Union. (Is it really worth dishing out over a dollar for a slice of re-heated cheese pizza?)

McDonald's, Burger King, Jack in the Box, Carl's Jr. and Arby's are a mere handful of the establishments offering reasonably priced 'deluxe' burgers, forwarding the quest for affordable, but decent, meals. Here, then, is a brief rundown on how to get the best for your buck.

First off, Burger King has two reduced priced concoctions: the Whopper and the Big King, the latter being suspiciously similar to el Big Mac, although it supposedly contains 75% more meat than its arched counterpart. The Whopper and the King both score well in the taste department, although on the afternoon of my inquest, the particular Burger King I entered was not quite as clean as I would have liked. So stick to the drive-thru, if you can.

McDonald's, on the other hand, had far more low-priced goodies, a cheapo rotation including the Big Mac, McChicken Sandwich and the McNuggets. To make the most of your money in McD's, it is advised that you order the value meals, which include Large Fries, Medium Drink and a Burger/Sandwich of your choice.

As most of us would agree, the Big Mac is the pinnacle of all fast-food burgers, and when you have a Mac-Attack, nothing else will do. And while McDonald's offers it up several times a year for under a dollar, for now, if you've only got a buck, you're out of luck.

The somewhat dodgy Jack in the Box seemed too dangerous to attempt, but it's a tough job and somebody has to do it. The 99 cent Jumbo Jack, tasted similar to most other burgers I tried this weekend, and the whole lack of originality in taste and presentation lost Jack in the Box several points, therefore destroying their chances of winning the annual 'cheap burger hunt.' I guess the fellows at Carl's Jr. are right, the clown in the box doesn't know jack about juicy char-grilled burgers.

Carl's Jr., being unavailable back on my home ground in Hong Kong, held quite a surprise in store for me with their 99 cent Famous Star, which tasted great and hit the spot. One problem, though, was the lack of any other burgers that were priced around the low mark, but that doesn't change the fact that Carl's is a great place for a great burger.

As for Arby's, they went out of business after only six months back in Hong Kong, which seemed to be a hint that their product leaves a lot to be desired. Well, it was quite a good hint; the Arby's Melt, consisting of a Spam-like substance, tasted similar to a mouthful of vinyl, and was hardly worth the 99 cent price-tag, which was available with a coupon . That said, Arby's does create some genuinely decent Subs, although they don't fall into the 'cheap meal' category and therefore don't count.

Wendy's has failed to secure a location near campus, thus excluding themselves from my research, while Taco Bell - well, I'll come to that in a bit.

Overall I must say that Burger King comes out on top in the fast-food taste/price wars, as its selection was good, and that char-grilled flavor added that extra taste I was looking for. The Whopper and the Big King were both good solid burgers. Carl's Jr. would have clinched first place, but the limited selection of 99 cent sandwiches (one) hindered their chances of Kingdom.

McDonald's places a respectable third, but I'm getting pretty tired of the same goddamn burgers that are always on offer there. (The newer fare, like the Arch Deluxe, is considerably more expensive than McDonald's has made us accustomed to.)

Arby's and Jack in the Box both scrapped for the last position and remain there together. Taco Bell, which I consider the worst fast food chain, could actually be better than these two approximations of food.

Now that you've seen the spread and diversity of fast food chain-mealing around the university, I hope you'll choose wisely when it comes to getting your food. Of course, as we all know, fast food is bad for you, and a weekend of research like this usually calls for an econo-save box of Alka-Seltzer from the convenience store. Let this serve, therefore, as both a reference and a warning.