Burgers are the staple of American cuisine. With empty stomachs and uninhibited intestines, four brave Californian reporters entered a place of both time and substance: The Taste Zone

Disclaimer: We have reviewed four San Ramon burger locations that students enjoy to eat at. These reviews have been conducted by professionals.

Nation’s

Nations is the kind of fast food place where someone goes when their dog has just died. They’re sad now, but also hungry but too sad to go to In-N-Out, so they just go to nations. 

It’s pretty much the best place to go when you’re feeling down and need to eat to cope with that sinking feeling in your chest, whatever that might be. 

The burgers accurately match that cold, wet feeling you have, that can only be solved by smothering yourself in ketchup. They’re overly soggy, and the ratio of lettuce to everything else is ridiculous. Seriously, I came here to get a burger, not a salad between wet buns.

People don’t go to Nation’s to get a burger, they end up at Nation’s shamefully buying one.

What really shines here are the pies, which will never cease to satisfy and are often prescribed by doctors as a substitute for Prozac.

Nation’s is the best place to start your morning for breakfast, before entering your monotonous, soul-crushing day at work or school or both.

Overall, I’m feeling a light to decent 5 on this one, guys.

The Habit

The Habit is the new kid on the block when it comes to burger joints. Appearing out of nowhere one day like a weird rash you find on your arm, the Habit has seen a meteoric rise in popularity over the last year.

This establishment takes a unique spin on grilling burgers. Rather than cooking the burger to an appropriate medium rare, The Habit instead burns their burgers to a charred crisp. This is how their mainstay meal gets the name, “The Charburger.”

Most would view the desecration of an American food icon as a sin, but the Habit wears this charring proudly on their sleeve, and they seem to make it work.

Due to this charring, the meat is slightly dry, but as gluttonous as our country is, no one seems to care. Just add a heaping mound of ketchup between the buns and the charburger is actually quite good. 

The fries provided by the habit are decent as well. They don’t do anything special, simply offering your run-of-the-mill french fries, but there is something comforting in the feeling of a pound of salt sitting in your stomach afterwards.

Salads are also served at the Habit, but if you get a salad at a burger joint you’re a sinner so it will not be reviewed.

The Habit is a solid option for a quick meal to feed you up. It’s not the greatest burger you could ever have, but it will be a mainstay in America’s grease-addicted food pallet for years to come.

The Habit deserves a 2 and a half men out of 5.

Wendy’s

Wendy’s is often overlooked in the hierarchy of fast food franchises. It’s the only establishment that has franchise transparency in guaranteeing consumers “Fresh, never frozen burgers.”

That type of commitment to the craft is very admirable and reassuring to the everyday customer. Wendy’s is like the comforting mother you go to when you want a wholesome, delicious burger. 

Subjectively speaking, their Baconator burger is the best thing to order, with its two fresh, never frozen all-beef patties with crunchy bacon and creamy cheese. What’s not to love? It’s a gluttonous, fattening experience that should be enjoyed in moderation. 

All of  Wendy’s burger patties are not only fresh, never frozen, and super plump and juicy, but shaped into a square in order to give customers a little extra meat to eat.

Of course, they’ve got more than just burgers to enjoy. But a fair warning for purists: nothing else sold there is guaranteed to be fresh besides burger patties.

They offer tasty, crunchy chicken sandwiches, nuggets and tenders, as well as above-average fries that are cut thicker and are well seasoned. 

All in all, you can’t go wrong with stopping by Wendy’s, which deserves a solid E rating for Everyone.

In-n-Out

In-N-Out is a staple for California teens. A combination of relatively cheap burgers and fresh fries makes this establishment very attractive for the socialite on a budget. 

In-n-Out’s Burgers are thin, requiring additional patties to make up for their lackluster size. A Double-Double could fill an average patron, but the tower of meat and cheese found within a 3×3 or 4×4 is preferable for those with a more active stomach.

Where In-n-Out succeeds is on the secret menu. Flying Dutchman, Animal Style, and Eifel Tower make your burgers or fries much more enjoyable with the added enjoyment of seeming like you are in the know when ordering. Overall, In-n-Out deserves a respectable John 3:16 out of 10.