I (H)ate the Six-Dollar Burger

For whatever reason, people like to make fun of the wealthy and the things that they choose to spend their money on, for so often it seems they are really just spending more money on the same thing. Moreover, for an entirely unrelated reason, the hamburger has become a staple, or at least an immovable cornerstone in our food economy. They can be found in just about any kind of restaurant, and countless varieties of them have appeared as spin-offs from the original form. The pinnacle of these is what is sweepingly generalized as the "restaurant-style" burger, often larger, made with higher-quality ingredients, and usually served with a few stylings that make it representative of the restaurant in question. They will often carry some inflated price tag, usually starting at about six dollars and continuing on upward, depending on the restaurant.

For a while now, however, the Carl's Jr. fast-food chain has brought into question the price of these restaurant-style burgers and has taken on the challenge of deconstructing the mystique of the restaurant-style burger to bring down the price of this inflated fast-food item and bring it to the common man. Enter the Six-Dollar Burger. Sarcastically titled, the Six-Dollar Burger pokes fun at lofty, restaurant-style burgers by being a comparable product, but priced at $3.95. The truth of the matter is, the Six-Dollar Burger really falls fairly short of being a true restaurant-style and restaurant-quality burger, although it is not without its merits.

By its presentation alone it is clear that the restaurant is trying to draw a distinction between the quality of the Six-Dollar Burger and its other menu offerings. Rummaging through a to-go bag, I found that, instead of the paper-wrapped, soft, dense lump usually associated with the core component of a value meal, this burger is actually in a clamshell box--something the fast-food industry has not seen in wide usage since the mid-'80s. Beneath the lid you find the burger itself, half-covered in a paper wrapper much like the ones used by In-N-Out burger or any restaurant that wants to capture that 1950s malt-shop look and feel. It is a considerably larger burger than most, so it'll take you some time to work through this one. The burger itself consists of a bun, the patty of beef, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, onions, mustard, ketchup, and mayonnaise. The ingredients don't seem to be of any noticeably higher quality than what goes into any of their other meals, although efforts have been made to make the beef look more like it is a hand-formed and cooked patty, rather than something that has been frozen and mass-produced, though that is exactly what it is. Take a bite of the burger, and the illusion that it's something truly fancy immediately falls away. There's nothing special about the Six-Dollar Burger. The only thing that sets it apart from any other burgers on the menu is the pickles. Carl's Jr. uses what are often called "bread and butter" chips, which walk a line between dill and sweet pickles and aren't used in most burgers in any restaurant, probably because they're just not very popular. The condiments are bland, the vegetables are poorly picked, and the meat just doesn't seem freshly cooked, merely freshly reheated. A true restaurant-style burger should have a satisfying texture and sound to it as you bite through each layer, but the Six-Dollar Burger disappoints on this front as well--all the flavors just sort of mingle together, feeling tired and stale.

In the end, however, the Six-Dollar Burger isn't bad, considering what it is. While it is unsuccessful at truly duplicating the experience of a restaurant-style burger, it is a good fast-food burger in its own right, and considering its size, its value is still more than fair, for a four-dollar price tag. If you really have a hankering for a fancy burger, the Carl's Jr. Six-Dollar Burger isn't it, and you'd really just be better off spending the extra two dollars, being able to sit down and enjoy a nicer meal, and being able to pick how your burger is cooked. But if you don't mind bread-and-butter pickles, and you want a big fast-food burger, then the Six-Dollar Burger should treat you fairly.

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• Tyler
• Winegarner
• Gamespot
• Carls
• Jr
• Carl's
• Junior
• Six
• Dollar
• Burger
• Review

[CrazehPivotKid]

He says "YA KNOW" 13 times.

0:09 0:32 0:42 0:46 1:10 1:15 1:16 1:17 1:41 1:48 1:51 1:55 2:08

[DavesComment]

You know you suck at reviews when you can't even do a half decent review of a hamburger.

[0kaworu]

it's called quality and you get a  -3/10 good day sir.

[RockOnDoooooooooood]

Wtf we dont see those restaurants in texas... We have diary queen, jack in the box and others

[Eliteworkshop]

@CrazehPivotKid No -.-

[mjfromga89]

Carls Jr. = Hardees? Either way the six dollar burger is not all that awesome...

[UnoriginallyInclined]

The review made a decent point, it just didn't need to be stretched out for two and a half minutes. Stick to games, you've got more to talk about.

[loopofpoop]

I eat the six dollar western once a week on weekends, and let me just say; it's pretty damn good. I've had restaurants burgers which are fucking amazing (yes he's right, Carl's Jr. uses the same ingredients), but when you need to decide between a double western and a six dollar western, it's gonna be the six dollar western every time. In short, six dollar burger when you just want a good burger, restaurant burger when you're in the mood for bliss.

[RegRage1000]

Dude We know its a fast food hamburger. Duh. It comes from a FAST FOOD PLACE. We just like that its huge and btw tastes different from their other things... Ugh. Hate people like this. Makin something out of what it isnt.

[sammallory79]

haha this guy is a dumb fuck....I wonder if he realizes that cynical douchebags don't get much pussy in the long run. Eat the fucking hamburger or just stfu and move on.

[992kirky]

@derka33

Yes I buy milk in a bag... It's a big bag that has 3 little bags inside of milk and its about 4 dollars. Where do you live and how does you milk come?

[Derka33]

@992kirky wait... you buy milk in a bag ? What the crap