YONKERS, NY — A recent survey of 28,000Consumer Reports’ subscribers ranked the burgers at fast-food restaurants, and McDonald’s ended up at the bottom of the list. The survey asked respondents to rate the burgers they had eaten on their last visit on a scale of 1 to 10 from the least delicious burger ever eaten to the most delicious. Eighteen fast-food restaurants across the country were ranked.


Among the standouts in the ranking were In-N-Out Burger and Five Guys Burgers and Fries.

"In this case, the bigger-name burger wasn't better," said Tod Marks, Senior Project Editor forConsumer Reports. "The Five Guys patty was more flavorful, juicy and meaty tasting."

Popular fast-food chains such as Wendy's and Burger King fared better than McDonald's, but they still scored lower than the highest-rated chains. Fuddruckers, Burgerville and Back Yard Burgers were also recognized among the higher ranked chains.

In addition to conducting the survey,Consumer Reportssent a reporter to make an informal comparison of the burgers at Five Guys and McDonald's. According to the report, Five Guys basic burger of two 3.3-oz. griddled patties on a lightly browned sesame seed bun was bigger and beefier, came with a $5 price tag and offered 15 free toppings choices. McDonald's $1-burger – a 3.5-oz. patty with pickle slices, bits of raw onion, and a dab of ketchup and mustard on a lightly browned bun – tasted mild and more greasy than beefy with the major flavor coming from the toppings.

The full report and ratings are at www.ConsumerReports.org.