• I tried five cheeseburgers from Burger King, including the Whopper and the Bacon King.
• I thought the Triple Whopper was less flavorful than some of the smaller, cheaper burgers.
• The Whopper impressed me with its flame-grilled patty and classic cheeseburger toppings.

I've been around the burger block, and Burger King's cheesy, flame-grilled burgers consistently rank among my favorites.

According to an original menu reported by Delish, Burger King has sold cheeseburgers since its inception in the 1950s, but exactly how the chain makes them has changed considerably.

The chain started with simple broiled cheeseburgers, but now the Burger King menu includes cheeseburger melts, seven variations on its classic Whopper, chicken sandwiches, nuggets, fries, and more.

To determine which Burger King burger reigns supreme, I compared five different cheeseburgers from the chain. I tried the classic Whopper with cheese, the Triple Whopper with cheese, a plain cheeseburger, a double cheeseburger, and the Bacon King.

Here's how the burgers ranked, from my least favorite to my favorite.

My least favorite cheeseburger I tried was the chain's classic plain cheeseburger.

The cheeseburger from Burger King cost $2.79, excluding tax.

The cheeseburger came with American cheese, pickles, ketchup, and mustard on a sesame-seed bun.

The burger was extremely simple, but I was impressed by the generous serving of toppings. There was a hearty amount of condiments on the burger, and the cheese was thick and perfectly melted.

The sesame-seed bun also added a lot of flavor, but this burger was just a little simple compared to the other burgers I tried.

The flame-grilled burger had a grilled, smoky flavor that worked well with the ketchup and mustard.

Not only was this burger flavorful, but it also provided the best value, priced at $2.79, which was the cheapest option among the cheeseburgers I tried.

I enjoyed this burger a lot, but it could have been improved with an extra patty or more creative ingredients. At the end of the day, it was a basic fast-food cheeseburger.

Next up was the chain's double cheeseburger, which was a step up from the basic cheeseburger.

It cost $4.09, excluding tax and fees.

The double cheeseburger came with two of the chain's beef patties, American cheese, pickles, mustard, and ketchup on a sesame-seed bun.

Like the regular cheeseburger, there was a hearty serving of ketchup and mustard.

The pickle slices were thick and crunchy, and I enjoyed the flavor of the bun.

I thought this burger was certainly a step up from the regular cheeseburger. It packed the same grilled flavor and low price, but the extra patty made it even more flavorful and filling.

The Triple Whopper with cheese landed squarely in the middle of my ranking.

The burger cost me $11.49, excluding tax, making it the second-most expensive burger I tried.

The Triple Whopper comes with three quarter-pound beef patties, one slice of cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, mayonnaise, and ketchup.

The burger patties had a deliciously smoky and savory flavor that gave the sandwich a freshly grilled taste. The lettuce and tomato slices tasted extremely fresh, and I liked the addition of mayonnaise.

However, I thought this burger could have been improved with another slice of cheese between the layers of beef. The cheese's flavor was lost amid all the meat and other toppings.

I thoroughly enjoyed this burger and would certainly order it again — if I have the appetite for it.

This burger was extremely filling, and I would struggle to eat it all, in addition to fries. However, if you have a big appetite or simply love Burger King's beef, this might just be the burger for you.

The burger was also significantly more expensive than the smaller cheeseburgers and the regular Whopper with cheese. However, I don't think the higher price was worth it — the two extra patties were a hindrance, rather than an asset, to the burger.

My second favorite burger was the Bacon King.

It cost $11.29, excluding tax and fees, making it the most expensive burger I tried.

The Bacon King comes with two quarter-pound beef patties, bacon, two slices of cheese, ketchup, and mayonnaise on a sesame-seed bun.

The burger was swimming in mayonnaise and ketchup, but I didn't mind.

I like mayonnaise a lot, but I quickly noticed the generous amount spread on both the burger and the sesame-seed bun. If you're not fond of mayo, you might consider customizing or skipping this burger.

It was the most decadent, filling burger I tried.

The slices of cheese were evenly layered over the burger patties, which had a distinct smoky taste.

The perfectly crispy bacon added even more smoky flavor, and the cheese and condiments added a lot of moisture, which I felt the Triple Whopper lacked.

My favorite Burger King burger — and one of my favorite fast-food burgers, period — is the Whopper with cheese.

Burger King's signature burger has been around since 1957, just four years after the chain opened. Back then, the Whopper cost 37 cents.

It now costs $8.49, excluding tax and fees.

A Whopper comes with a quarter-pound beef patty, pickles, onions, lettuce, tomato, ketchup, and mayonnaise. I always add cheese for an extra 50 cents.

Immediately, it was evident that this burger would be bursting with flavor. Thick layers of ketchup and mayo spilled from the sides of the burger, but the sizable sesame-seed bun kept all the ingredients together.

I'm not surprised the chain's signature burger is so famous — it was my favorite, by far.

The cheese coated the burger patty, and the lettuce, tomatoes, and onions all tasted very fresh. They added a delicious crunch to the burger.

Even though this burger is a classic, and perhaps not the most creative burger I tried, it was the most satisfying. I also thought it was a great value for the price, and I would definitely order it again and again.

• Troy Bader had to pass an interview with Warren Buffett to land his job as Dairy Queen CEO.
• Bader told BI he was struck by the investor's desire to keep learning and his emphasis on passion.
• Buffett, 94, continues to pay close attention to Berkshire Hathaway's businesses, Bader said.

Warren Buffett won't be conducting many job interviews once he steps down as Berkshire Hathaway's CEO at the end of this year.

Dairy Queen CEO Troy Bader revealed what it's like to be grilled by the legendary investor, and shared two big takeaways from the experience, in a conversation with Business Insider in Omaha ahead of Berkshire Hathaway's historic 60th annual meeting.

Berkshire paid nearly $600 million to take Dairy Queen private in 1998. As a big fan of the chain's Blizzard soft-serve ice cream, Buffett joked at the time that he brought a "modicum of product expertise" to the deal.

Dairy Queen now develops, licenses, and services a system of more than 7,700 restaurants across more than 20 countries, according to its website.

'Very anxious'

Bader flew from Minneapolis to Omaha to interview for the company's top job. He recalled feeling a mixture of worry, anticipation, and excitement as he studied his notes before the meeting.

"It was the fall of 2017, I'll never forget the day," Bader told BI. "I was very anxious going in because OK, I felt like I knew our business, but you're sitting down with Warren Buffett."

"What questions is he going to have about our business that I'm just going to sit there and be like, 'Oh my gosh, I never even thought about this,'" he added.

Many people of Buffett's stature would be "very arrogant" in an interview, sending the message: "Here's who I am and you better impress me," Bader said.

"From Warren it was just the opposite," he continued. Buffett swiftly put him at ease, then spent the first 15 or 20 minutes of their conversation asking about a particular area he thought Bader might know something about, as it was relevant to another deal he was working on.

"Warren is a constant learner," Bader said. "He wants to know what you know and what he can learn from you."

The fast-food chief took away a big lesson from that: "Anybody you meet, I don't care who they are — they know something you don't."

Passion and ethics

Buffett probed Bader's knowledge of the restaurant business, his vision for Dairy Queen, and what he planned to do differently as the chain's CEO. He also gauged Bader's love for his work.

Buffett was "digging for something more, that energy, that passion, that connection to the business," Bader said.

That revelation sparked his second key takeaway. Even the "smartest person in the world" won't be as capable or perform as well as "somebody who has that passion."

Berkshire's 94-year-old boss echoed that sentiment during his recent Q&A: "What you're really looking for in life is something where you've got a job that you'd hold if you didn't need the money."

Bader said that Buffett, who is known for prizing ethics and reputation, likely assessed his character by speaking to his predecessor and others who knew him.

"As he always says, 'There's plenty of room to play in the middle of the court. We don't need to get to the edges,'" Bader said.

On the subject of his morals, Buffett "probably had that answered before I ever got in the door," Bader said. He added that "if there was any question about that, I'm not so sure I would've been in Omaha in his office."

Buffett made a similar point in the lead-up to his surprise resignation announcement. He said it "just doesn't work over time" to have managers who don't abide by the standards they set for their employees.

"So, you really need someone that behaves well on top and is not playing games for their own benefit," the billionaire philanthropist said.

Love for the job

Buffett stopped by Dairy Queen's booth to catch up with Bader a few hours before BI interviewed him.

Bader highlighted strong first-quarter sales figures to the outgoing CEO, and Buffett said he'd seen those in the subsidiary's reports.

"Dairy Queen's not a big part of Berkshire, but he's actually paying attention to every business," Bader told BI. "This is his life, this is who he is."

• Starbucks is staffing up thousands of US stores with additional staffing.
• Analysts say the investment in people could boost Starbucks' turnaround — if deployed correctly.
• It's a sharp contrast with other restaurant chains, which are using more AI and automation.

AI is taking drive-thru orders at Wendy's, and Chipotle uses machines to prep avocados for its guacamole.

Starbucks, however, is turning to a different solution: People.

The coffee chain said in its latest earnings report that it plans to staff up its stores over the next several months. The reason: The efficiency-oriented machines that it's spent the last few years using just weren't good enough at speeding up drink production as good ol' humans.

Some of the additional staffing will involve hiring more baristas, a company spokesperson said. In other cases, Starbucks will give additional shifts to existing baristas or pull in workers from one store to fill in at another to fill in.

"They're realizing that there's more to it, and solving some of the throughput and other experience issues they need to fix is going to require more labor," said R.J. Hottovy, the head of analytical research at Placer.ai

As it staffs up stores, Starbucks is also rolling out a new algorithm that will determine the order in which baristas make drinks. That will help baristas make drinks more efficiently with those extra shifts, the company has said.

By the end of September, the new labor model and the algorithm will be in about 3,000 US stores, Niccol said on last month's earnings call.

Starbucks provides a counter-example to a broader restaurant industry trend. While many other chains are automating processes, especially with AI, the Seattle-based company is acknowledging that there might be limits to what machines can do.

At Starbucks, machines haven't been as effective as people

Over the last few years, Starbucks rolled out the Siren System, which made a series of equipment and process improvements meant to speed up the production of cold beverages like frappuccinos.

At the end of April, though, CEO Brian Niccol said that Starbucks would halt the system's use as it invested more in adding shifts for its baristas.

"We're finding through our work that investments in labor rather than equipment are more effective" at making orders quickly, Niccol said during the company's earnings call.

The additional workers also mean that store employees are "able to greet customers, hand off orders personally, be available for customer questions and requests, and more," Starbucks said. "Customers appreciate these memorable, more personal moments in our community coffeehouses."

Earlier this year, Starbucks tried out the additional baristas at 700 stores, Niccol said on the company's earnings call. Those stores saw a growth in transactions, he added.

Still, spending more on people has its risks.

Starbucks will have to make the additional shifts work across in-store, pick-up, and drive-thru orders, said Sujay Saha, founder and president of Cortico-X, a consulting firm focused on customer experience.

Some baristas have told BI that their stores have been overwhelmed by the number of orders that they have to fill, especially those that customers place through the Starbucks mobile app.

Niccol has said that he wants Starbucks to provide both quick coffee and food to go as well as more personal service for customers who want to hang out in-store.

"That is an experience that some customers need," Saha said of Niccol's focus on connections between patrons and baristas. "But some customers just need to get the coffee and head out."

More baristas could improve Starbucks' customer experience

Some baristas told Business Insider that they are skeptical that the extra workers will make a difference. The baristas declined to be identified by name, citing potential retaliation from Starbucks, but BI has verified their identity and work for Starbucks.

One Starbucks worker at a store in New Mexico said that she and her colleagues are overwhelmed and need the extra shifts — something that's apparent to store visitors and could deter job applicants.

"People know they're going to be overwhelmed, overworked, and under-compensated," the employee said.

Another barista, based in a store in Ohio, said that the additional staffing are welcome news since their manager usually steps in to help when they are understaffed during a busy period.

"The only day my store manager was not on the floor working with us were Monday's," the employee said.

Another employee, who works at a store in North Carolina, said that the location is struggling to keep employees between understaffing and recent changes to Starbucks' dress code.

"I'll believe it when I see it," the employee said when asked about Niccol's announcement of additional shifts.

Employing people still costs money. Starbucks' shares dipped roughly 7% as the company announced the additional investment in labor.

Executives said that they plan to offset the costs by applying zero-based budgeting to Starbucks' expenditures. The measure determines spending by asking managers to justify each expense rather than using last year's budget as a baseline.

Paying for more person-power isn't cheap, but it does fit in with Niccol's goal of making Starbucks a place that customers want to keep coming back to, Placer.ai's Hottovy said. Visits to Starbucks stores fell 0.9% in the first quarter, according to foot traffic data from Placer.ai.

Additional staffing — and better customer service — could get patrons to stop by more frequently, Hottovy said.

"At the end of the day, it's really your employees that make the experience," he added.

Do you work at Starbucks and have a story idea to share? Reach out to this reporter at [email protected].

• I tried the cheapest cheeseburgers at McDonald's, Burger King, and Wendy's.
• They all cost around $3, excluding tax.
• I thought Burger King's cheeseburger was the most flavorful and best value.

Paying only a few dollars for a fast-food burger doesn't mean you have to sacrifice flavor.

Fast-food prices have risen due to factors including inflation and increased labor costs, but the classic cheeseburger remains one of the cheapest menu items at most fast-food chains.

I decided to order the cheapest cheeseburgers at the three biggest burger chains — McDonald's, Burger King, and Wendy's — to determine which one is worth your money.

They all came with the same classic ingredients: a single beef patty, one slice of cheese, and ketchup.

However, there was a clear winner in terms of taste and value.

Here are the cheapest cheeseburgers at McDonald's, Wendy's, and Burger King, ranked from worst to best.

My least favorite burger was the classic McDonald's cheeseburger.

The cheeseburger from McDonald's cost $3.49, excluding tax.

The burger came with a single beef patty, pickles, chopped onions, ketchup, mustard, and a slice of American cheese.

I rarely get a regular cheeseburger from McDonald's; I usually prefer the larger, more elaborate burgers like the Quarter Pounder Deluxe with cheese or the chicken sandwiches.

While I didn't mind the cheeseburger, it wasn't my favorite.

I thought the bun was a touch limp and the cheese could have been more melted.

I liked the taste of the pickles and the condiments.

However, the condiments overpowered the taste of the burger patty — this cheeseburger really only tasted of cheese and ketchup to me. I didn't really taste the onions, though I thought the pickles were tart and crunchy.

The junior cheeseburger from Wendy's ranked squarely in the middle.

The junior cheeseburger from Wendy's cost $3.74, excluding tax.

The burger had basically the same ingredients as the McDonald's cheeseburger but with a square patty.

It came topped with one slice of American cheese, pickles, onion, ketchup, and mustard on a toasted bun.

The burger seemed smaller than the other burgers I tried, but it had the thickest bun.

The cheese was more melted on this burger than on the one from McDonald's.

I found the burger to be flavorful and well-balanced.

All of the ingredients, from the burger patty to the cheese and the thick slice of onion, really amplified the flavor of this palm-sized burger.

The bun held up well, and I thought all the ingredients made this burger worth $3.74, which was the highest price of the three burgers.

However, it still wasn't my favorite, or the most flavorful, cheeseburger.

My favorite cheeseburger was also the least expensive. It came from Burger King.

The cheeseburger from Burger King cost $2.79, excluding tax.

The burger came with American cheese, pickles, ketchup, and mustard on a sesame-seed bun.

This burger appeared to have a more generous serving of toppings compared to the other two cheeseburgers I tried.

This was the only cheeseburger that didn't come with onions.

I was eager to see if this would lessen the burger's overall flavor, but it didn't.

The cheese was thick and perfectly melted onto the burger patty, something I didn't experience with the burgers from McDonald's and Wendy's.

The sesame-seed bun also added a lot of flavor — something I didn't get from the classic toasted buns at the other two chains.

However, the standout star of this burger was the patty itself.

The flame-grilled burger had a strong, smoky flavor that didn't overpower the other ingredients and was complemented perfectly by the ketchup and mustard.

Not only was this burger the most flavorful, but it was also the best value — at $2.79, it was the cheapest burger I tried.

Saudi Arabia rolled out a mobile and operational McDonald's truck for President Donald Trump's first visit to the nation since his inauguration in January, Fox News Digital found. 

A White House official confirmed that a mobile McDonald's food truck was in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, during Trump's visit. Images and video of the truck spread like wildfire on social media Tuesday morning, which marked Trump's first day in the Middle East. 

"Saudi Arabia brought in a mobile McDonald’s for President Trump on his visit," popular conservative social media commentator Benny Johnson posted on X, accompanied by footage showing the massive mobile McDonald's. 

Other accounts on X asked, "how's this real life?" or remarked that the scene of a truck holding Trump's beloved fast-food was "incredible." 

TRUMP MAKES FRIES AT PENNSYLVANIA MCDONALD'S: 'I'VE NOW WORKED FOR 15 MINUTES MORE THAN KAMALA'

Trump's love of McDonald's has long been documented. 

The president served a buffet of fast-food options when he welcomed national college football champions the Clemson Tigers to the White House in 2019. He also requested McDonald's following his COVID-19 diagnosis and recovery in 2020, according to his son-in-law, Jared Kushner. And anecdotes from his former bodyguard say Trump enjoyed Egg McMuffins for breakfast during the 2016 campaign. 

'VINDICTIVE': DEMOCRAT IN TIGHT SENATE RACE BLASTED BY GOP RIVAL FOR SWIPE AT MCDONALD'S AFTER TRUMP VISIT

Trump's love of the fast-food staple was underscored during the 2024 campaign cycle, when he donned a McDonald's apron and worked the fryer at a location in the battleground state of Pennsylvania. 

"Hello, everybody. It's my first day at McDonald's. I'm looking for a job," Trump said as he entered the McDonald's location in Feasterville-Trevose, which is located near Philadelphia, in October 2024. 

WOMAN SERVED BY TRUMP AT MCDONALD'S DRIVE-THRU REVEALS DETAILS BEHIND VIRAL EXCHANGE WITH FORMER PRESIDENT

Trump also worked the drive-thru window during his McDonald's shift, greeting customers and vowing that he would make the U.S. "better than ever" if re-elected to the Oval Office. 

LIBERAL MEDIA HAS MELTDOWN OVER TRUMP'S 'FIRST DAY' WORKING AT MCDONALD'S 

Trump arrived in Riyadh early Tuesday morning, with the nation sending fighter jet escorts to welcome Air Force One to the ground and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman greeting Trump on the tarmac that was adorned with a lavender-colored carpet.

"Air Force One about to go wheels down in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia with Saudi F-15 fighter jets bringing us in. On behalf of President Trump, THANK YOU!" White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino posted on X while sharing a video of jets flying alongside the U.S. president's plane.

Trump's trip included the president signing a "strategic economic partnership" with the country for energy, defense, mining and space-based agreements that amount to $600 billion. Trump said the deal could lead to the creation of 2 million jobs in the U.S.

Fox News Digital's Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.

• Sticking to a budget can prove difficult, especially with fast food getting more expensive.
• I tried to order as much food as possible for under $15 at McDonald's and Burger King.
• I used deals from both chains' mobile apps to save money.

Trying to spend less than $15 at a fast-food joint and still get a full meal can be harder than finding the last fry at the bottom of the McDonald's bag.

Chains like Taco Bell and McDonald's are leaning into the concept of value through cheaper meal deals and app-exclusive offers, especially as members of Gen Z — a key demographic for fast-food chains — continue to seek out the best value in terms of portion size, menu innovation, and variety.

"Gen Z is less about being loyal to one brand for the long haul, and more about chasing value, experience, and innovation," Hope Neiman, the chief marketing officer at Tillster, an ordering provider for brands like Burger King, Baskin-Robbins, and Popeyes, told Business Insider.

"A few years ago, people were either die-hard Chipotle fans or loyal Qdoba patrons. Today, that kind of loyalty is more rare, and Gen Z consumers are willing to bounce between brands — not just for lower prices, but for better food, more creative menu options, or a seamless ordering experience."

I set myself a $15 budget at McDonald's and Burger King — about the going rate for a burger, fries, and a drink at many fast-food chains — to see if I could get even more food for the same price. I tried to order as much food as possible using both chains' mobile apps for deals, which saved me money.

Here's how my two meals at McDonald's and Burger King compared.

My meal at McDonald's included a triple cheeseburger, chicken nuggets, fries, and a drink.

I used the McDonald's mobile app for a deal to get the most food for under $15.

I was able to order a 20-piece chicken McNuggets for $5, and then added on a triple cheeseburger meal, which included a medium fry and a medium drink, for $10.19, excluding tax.

There were a couple of other meals that would have been around or within the budget, but the triple cheeseburger was the biggest burger offered within that price range.

The cost of my meal came to $15.19, excluding tax.

I was a fan of McDonald's triple cheeseburger.

The burger typically costs $6.48, excluding tax, at my local McDonald's in Brooklyn.

The burger came with three beef patties, two slices of cheese, pickles, ketchup, and diced onions.

The triple cheeseburger is one of the chain's only triple-stacked burgers, though it didn't feel overly heavy.

The ingredients were evenly distributed throughout the burger, ensuring each bite packed the most flavor.

The burger was juicy and flavorful.

The cheese and three patties were savory and flavorful, while the diced onions and pickles added tartness and crunch.

Even though it had three patties, I didn't feel weighed down by this burger.

The star of this value meal was the chicken nuggets.

For $5, I ordered a 20-piece nuggets.

At my location, a 20-piece typically costs $10.69, excluding tax. Using the app-exclusive deal, I saved more than half on this part of the order.

The nuggets were crispy and could have fed multiple people.

If you're trying to get the most food for your money, this was excellent value. I ended up sharing the chicken nuggets with my two roommates.

I could also order three sauces with the nuggets. I chose ranch and honey mustard, and enjoyed both.

The meal also came with a medium order of fries.

The fries were what I expect from McDonald's: crispy, salted, and easy to eat by the handful.

Overall, I thought this meal was a good value and an impressive amount of food for the price. However, compared with the meal from Burger King, I thought it lacked variety.

My meal from Burger King included a Whopper with cheese, fries, nuggets, a drink, and a spicy chicken wrap.

I also ordered the meal on the Burger King app and used one of the app's exclusive meal deals to save money.

The King of Wrap meal came with a Fiery Royal Crispy Wrap, a Whopper, medium fries, and a medium drink. I added cheese to the Whopper, bringing the cost to $12.49, excluding tax.

I also added a four-piece order of nuggets to my meal for $1.89 and two ranch dipping sauces for $0.25 each, bringing the total cost of my meal to $14.88, excluding tax.

The Whopper with cheese is one of my favorite fast-food burgers.

The burger typically costs $7.99, excluding tax, and comes without cheese, but cheese can be added to the burger for an additional 50 cents.

The Whopper with cheese comes with a quarter-pound beef patty, tomatoes, lettuce, mayonnaise, ketchup, pickles, and sliced white onions.

The generous amount of ingredients added to the overall weight of this burger, which felt a lot heavier and heartier than the McDonald's burger.

I preferred the flavor profile of this burger.

It felt more homemade, thanks to the thickly sliced tomatoes, lettuce, and the chargrilled flavor of the burger patty. The mayonnaise also added more moisture and flavor compared to just the ketchup on the McDonald's burger.

If I had to pick between them, I'd choose to order this burger again.

The meal deal also came with one of the chain's chicken wraps.

The wrap typically costs $3.89 from my local Burger King in Brooklyn.

The wrap had a distinct kick and a lot of flavor.

The wrap features a chicken tender coated in the chain's spicy glaze, lettuce, tomatoes, and Royal sauce.

The wrap had a slight kick to it. The spiciness of the glaze, however, was balanced by the fresh vegetables and the Royal sauce.

The meal also came with fries.

The fries were thick and salted, but I had to admit I preferred the crispiness of the McDonald's fries.

Since the meal deal was under budget, I ordered a side of chicken nuggets, too.

The four-piece order of chicken nuggets cost under $2, and added even more variety to my meal.

The nuggets were crispy and paired well with the chain's ranch.

I preferred the peppery taste and crispy texture of these nuggets compared to McDonald's chicken nuggets, even though I got far fewer of them in the $15 budget.

Overall, I felt that I got more variety with the meal from Burger King. I was able to get a burger, which was bigger and more flavorful than the one from McDonald's, two different kinds of chicken entrées, fries, and a drink for a lower cost than the bigger chain.

If I had only $15 to spend on a fast-food meal, I'd choose Burger King every time.

• I tried cheeseburgers from Shake Shack, McDonald's, and Burger King.
• This was my first time having Shake Shack, and I thought the burger was great.
• I wasn't as impressed by the options from Burger King and McDonald's.

As a food writer, I'm no stranger to cheeseburgers. But I know that no matter how standard this classic meal is, not all burgers are created equally.

So, to find out which fast-food chain serves the best cheeseburger, I tried options from McDonald's, Burger King, and Shake Shack.

Here's what I thought of each one.

Prices may vary by location.

First, I went to Shake Shack.

This was my first time trying Shake Shack, which didn't have a Canadian location until the summer of last year.

When the restaurant first opened, the lines were very long, so I was excited to see whether the food lived up to the hype.

I ordered a ShackBurger, which cost 9.50 Canadian dollars, or about $6.80. It came with cheese, lettuce, tomato, and ShackSauce, but I also added pickles.

I really enjoyed the ShackBurger.

When I took a bite of the ShackBurger, I immediately noticed the crispy edges and nice char. The Angus beef was also tender and tasty.

The toppings gave the patty some additional moisture, and the soft potato bun held everything together nicely. I liked that the bun was sturdy and had a delicate sweetness to it.

I would definitely order this burger again.

Next, I went to Burger King.

I didn't grow up eating Burger King, so my experience with this fast-food chain was pretty limited.

I ordered a standard cheeseburger for CA$4.10, or about $2.95, which came with American cheese, pickles, yellow mustard, and ketchup on a toasted sesame seed bun. I also added lettuce and tomato to keep it consistent with the burger I tried at Shake Shack.

The Burger King cheeseburger was just OK.

The first thing I noticed about this burger was how messy it was. There was a ton of ketchup and mustard on it, which overwhelmed the other flavors.

The sesame bun was light and fluffy, but I found it to be pretty bland.

Thankfully, I could definitely taste the flame-broiled char on the burger patty. The overall flavor reminded me of what I'd find at a backyard barbecue.

However, I probably wouldn't order this burger again.

Finally, I took a trip to McDonald's.

Unlike the other two chains I visited, I'm very familiar with McDonald's. Growing up, there was a McDonald's around the corner from my house, and I could always smell the food cooking.

I used to eat there a lot, and in high school, I was a fan of the Quarter Pounder with cheese.

This time, I ordered a standard cheeseburger for CA$5, or about $3.60, which came with cheese, onions, and pickles. I also added lettuce and tomato.

The McDonald's cheeseburger was my least favorite of the three I tried.

When I took a bite, the first thing I noticed was that the bread's texture wasn't fluffy and soft like I'd hoped. The bread was too sweet for me, and I thought it tasted a bit stale.

I didn't enjoy the patty itself, either, which I felt had a slightly unpleasant aftertaste. The burger was also the messiest to eat, and toppings slid out as I picked it up.

I wouldn't order this burger again, which was disappointing because I remember enjoying the Quarter Pounder with cheese so much in my school days. Maybe this simple cheeseburger just wasn't the right McDonald's order for me.

Overall, the burger from Shake Shack was my favorite.

At the end of the day, the burger from Shake Shack was my favorite by a landslide. The burger had a good balance of meat, toppings, and sauces, and had delicious, fresh-tasting ingredients.

Though it was the most expensive of the three cheeseburgers I tried, it definitely felt worth the price.

• DoorDash's CEO said that people are continuing to spend on takeout and grocery delivery.
• Tony Xu said the delivery service hasn't "seen any changes in consumer behavior" so far in 2025.
• Many retailers and brands have voiced concern that Donald Trump's tariffs could cause a spending pullback.

Shoppers are pulling back spending in anticipation of the effects of tariffs. But not on food delivery.

DoorDash's first-quarter earnings showed that people are still spending to have restaurant food and weekly grocery hauls delivered despite the extra fees and tips involved.

"We haven't seen any changes in consumer behavior, even if there are changes in consumer sentiment," DoorDash CEO Tony Xu said during the company's earnings call on Tuesday.

DoorDash posted a profit for the quarter. Net income for the quarter stood at $193 million, beating estimates and above the $23 million loss it reported for the year-ago quarter.

Measures of how much DoorDash users were ordering, such as total orders, broke quarterly records, the company said. Revenue rose 21% to $3.03 billion.

Retailers and consumer brands have said that they will have to raise prices in response to President Donald Trump's tariffs. While Trump has paused tariffs on many countries since early April, he has kept duties on imports from China, a major supplier of consumer goods.

Many shoppers are already low on savings and stretching their budgets. Tariff-induced price hikes could lead to a spending pullback, some companies and economists have warned.

So far, those worries have not taken a bite out of DoorDash's business.

The delivery service has weathered other recent shifts that some analysts said might push down demand, such as society re-opening after the pandemic or high inflation in 2021 and 2022, Xu said.

In the face of tariffs and a potential recession, people will still need groceries and the occasional meal out, the CEO said. "Food really is the most resilient category," Xu said.

Other delivery services have also said that they aren't seeing signs of a spending pullback.

Instacart CFO Emily Maher said during an earnings call on Thursday that the delivery service has not "seen any signs of a weaker consumer" so far this year.

And Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has called his company "recession-resistant," adding that a downturn could even make rides and deliveries through Uber more affordable for customers.

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• Warren Buffett, 94, stood by his love of fast food and disdain for exercise on Saturday.
• He pointed to his age as proof that drinking Coke and eating junk food wasn't disastrous for him.
• During Berkshire Hathaway's meeting, he joked that he's been carefully "preserving" his body.

Warren Buffett defended his junk-food diet and distaste for exercise during Berkshire Hathaway's annual shareholder meeting on Saturday.

Seated with two cans of Coca-Cola and a box of See's Candies on the table in front of him, the billionaire investor and Berkshire CEO pointed to his advanced age as evidence that eating like a child hasn't done him any great harm.

"At 94 years of age, I've been able to drink whatever I like to drink," Buffett said, picking up one of his Coke cans. People have long issued dire warnings about the dangers of a soda habit, but Buffett said it didn't seem to be a problem for him or his late business partner, Charlie Munger, who lived to 99.

"Charlie and I never exercised all that much — we focused on preserving ourselves carefully," Buffett quipped, sparking peals of laughter in the audience. Business Insider was reporting live at the event from a press box stocked with a variety of See's chocolates and a fridge full of sodas.

He pointed to the wear and tear on professional athletes' bodies as a good reason not to join a baseball or basketball team, saying it showed the potential risks of too much exercise.

Buffett has previously said he grabs McDonald's for breakfast on his drive to work, drinks five cans of Coke a day, and devours Dairy Queen ice cream. He's known for loving unhealthy foods such as hot dogs, fries, popcorn, cookies, and candy.

He also hasn't shied away from making Coca-Cola and Kraft Heinz two of Berkshire's largest positions, and buying businesses like See's and Dairy Queen outright.

"I think happiness makes an enormous amount of difference in terms of longevity," Buffett said in a 2023 interview. "And I'm happier when I'm drinking Coke or eating hot fudge sundaes or hot dogs."

• Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol says he wants to add an "aperitivo" menu — late afternoon bites.
• I decided to piece together an afternoon snack based on Starbucks' current menu. Not bad!
• Sitting with a fruity drink, a pastry, and a savory snack at 3:30 p.m.? I could get used to this.

Around 3:30 most afternoons, I go full raccoon mode in search of snacks — raiding my cupboards and fridge at home, or furtively rifling through the offerings in the office breakroom, searching for something sweet/crunchy/salty/savory/life-affirming.

Starbucks knows about raccoon mode and wants to expand its afternoon snack menu to serve those customers. CEO Brian Niccol said this week that he's looking at bringing the "aperitivo"-style menu it has in its European locations to the US. Think of the "aperitivo" as a little late afternoon or pre-dinner snacky-snack.

I say, with rabid enthusiasm (the rabies here is purely metaphorical), bring it on!

Checking out Starbucks' current snack menu

I ventured out around 3 p.m. to a local Starbucks to see what was currently on the menu that would fill that late afternoon void in my soul. What did it already have, and what was missing in terms of "aperitivo"-type snacks?

I browsed the online menus for Starbucks in a few European countries to see what we're missing in the US. There's definitely some difference in the food among countries.

The UK has a lot of sandwich options we don't have, as well as a strange breakfast sandwich that appears to be just sausages on a bun (I am told this is a classic British delicacy). France has some way better-looking pastry items, like a "pistachio pyramid," but, interestingly, has no egg-based breakfast items. Italian Starbucks locations have cannoli (nice), a wide array of doughnuts, and a grain bowl.

Most intriguing to me: Spain has a bagel or multigrain toast you can order with oil, tomato, and salt. Frankly, that sounds amazing.

But browsing these menus, I wasn't clear on what the "aperitivos" were. The stuff that Niccols might want to bring to America to serve during the 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. hour. What is it about some of these items that makes them more appropriate for a late-day snack instead of a morning one?

My afternoon at Starbucks — with snacks!

So when I got to my local Starbucks, I tried to find what might be considered a proper late afternoon snack based on the current menu. The shop was packed with kids from the nearby middle school that just let out, getting colorful iced drinks.

I ordered a new drink from Starbucks' "spring selections menu" — a Blackberry Sage Lemonade Refresher. Gotta say, that was fantastic.

To sample some more of the afternoon fare, I asked for a brownie (sold out) and then the vanilla bean custard danish (also sold out). I asked the barista what the most popular afternoon treat was, and she said the chocolate chip cookie. I've had one of those already, so I got the baked apple croissant to try something new. It was great.

I was particularly hungry, so I ordered the turkey pesto sandwich, which I've also had before. After the other items, which were quite good, the sandwich was kind of a dud. I didn't finish it.

The thing I think most fits the bill for an afternoon snack was the new spicy falafel pocket, which is a small wrap with falafel mush inside. It was too small to be a full lunch or meal, but perfectly snack-sized. It scratched the itch for a savory snack that isn't packaged like chips.

Niccol, who led turnarounds at Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and Chipotle, has expressed his desire to get Starbucks back to its roots as a place people want to hang out and relax — not just a place to pick up a to-go order (or to use the bathroom).

Making Starbucks cool again

As a teen in the late 90s, I remember the days when Starbucks used to be a hangout. One of my first summer jobs was working at a Starbucks in Massachusetts. Even then, I was aware that it had a vibe problem: Its image in the popular consciousness at that time was as a pretentious chain that muscled out mom-and-pop coffee shops and forced customers to use ridiculous names for its sizes, like grande and venti.

The fast-food-ification of Starbucks in more recent years has helped it shed the image of a place that served oversized lattes to mean bosses — but it came at a price.

Starbucks is going through a bit of a rough patch. Sales fell 2% in the US last quarter. The new CEO has big plans to turn things around, including having baristas handwrite messages on cups, and possibly this new late-afternoon menu.

As I sat inside my local Starbucks, sipping my drink and eating a late-afternoon snack, it was really entirely pleasant. It was a sunny spring day, I was away from my computer. I typically don't linger in Starbucks often, but this … this was nice.

Did I aperitivo? Was I living a Continental lifestyle? Perhaps!

From calorie count to portion sizes, we wanted to find all the differences between Pringles in the US and Italy. This is "Food Wars."

"Food Wars" hosts Harry Kersh and Joe Avella rank every single McDonald's menu item. This is the "Food Wars" tier list.

From calorie count to portion sizes, we wanted to find all the differences between Subway in the US and Australia. This is "Food Wars."

We wanted to find all the differences between McDonald's in Mexico and the US, from calorie count to portion sizes. This is "Food Wars."

A Brit and an American swap places to try each other's Papa Johns. This is "Food Wars: Foreign Exchange."

British and American "Food Wars" hosts Harry Kersh and Joe Avella swapped places to try each other's Starbucks menu items and find all the differences between the two. This is "Food Wars: Foreign Exchange."

British and American "Food Wars" hosts Harry Kersh and Joe Avella swapped places to try each other's Pizza Hut menu items and find all the differences.

From exclusive items to portion sizes, we wanted to find all the differences between Shake Shack and In-N-Out. This is "Food Wars."

• McDonald's quarterly same-store sales fell to their lowest levels in five years.
• Diners are cutting back on visits to the chain, including at breakfast time.
• McDonald's has been trying to win over diners with a new value menu and its continued $5 meal deal.

McDonald's customers are visiting the chain less, even as the fast food giant tries to win over diners with a new value menu.

US same-store sales at McDonald's declined 3.6% during the first quarter, the restaurant said on Thursday. It was the biggest US decline since COVID lockdowns dampened foot traffic at McDonald's restaurants five years ago.

This time, a growing group of McDonald's patrons are visiting the Golden Arches less frequently, CEO Chris Kempczinski said on the company's earnings call on Thursday.

While low-income diners have been pulling back their spending over the past year, McDonald's saw more middle-income consumers do the same during its first quarter, Kempczinski said.

"People are just being more judicious in cutting back on visits," he said.

Diners have been spending less at McDonald's and other restaurant chains over the past year as worries about a potential recession have grown.

McDonald's has tried to win diners back with cheaper options. It unveiled a new value menu in January. The chain also launched a $5 value meal last year and has continued to offer it far beyond its initial one-month run time.

Despite the value offerings, diners haven't come back to McDonald's. Breakfast provides one example of the latest pullback.

For McDonald's, the meal is a "bellwether" of how diners are willing to spend, Kempczinski said. During the first quarter, the chain saw more customers look for alternatives to the chain's Egg McMuffin or Sausage Biscuit.

"You're seeing people are choosing either to skip breakfast or they're choosing to eat at home for breakfast," Kempczinski said.

The pullback wasn't unique to the US.

"In most of our major markets, we're seeing a similar story in regards to the challenging industry environment and softening consumer sentiment," CFO Ian Boden said during the company's earnings call.

Despite being one of the best-known American brands with a global presence, the chain's results weren't affected by pushback to US tariffs on foreign imports or other aspects of President Donald Trump's agenda, executives said.

"While there has been, I think, an uptick in general anti-American sentiment, that's had no impact on our business," Kempczinski said.

Correction: May 1, 2025 - An earlier version of this story misstated the quarter for the earnings report. The report is from the first quarter, not the second.

• Starbucks is investing in more hours for baristas in its latest turnaround effort.
• The chain is also rolling out an algorithm that sequences orders for store employees.
• The company's second-quarter earnings came in below analysts' expectations on Tuesday.

Starbucks is betting that people, not machines, might be the key to its turnaround.

The coffee chain is planning to hire more baristas and invest in hours for them to work at its stores, CEO Brian Niccol said after Starbucks reported its second-quarter earnings Tuesday. Starbucks is also using a new algorithm to determine the order in which store employees make drinks, avoiding long wait times.

Starbucks is planning to roll out the new approach, called the Green Apron Service model, starting next month. The goal is to have it in about a third of its US locations by the end of its 2025 fiscal year.

"We're finding that investments in labor rather than equipment are more effective" at getting customers their orders and growing sales, Niccol said.

Starbucks' shares were trading nearly 7% lower after hours on Tuesday after the company outlined its plans to invest in employee hours. The company reported second-quarter earnings that were slightly below analysts' estimates.

The investment in employee hours is a departure from Starbucks' approach to staffing stores over the last few years.

Before Niccol joined the company as CEO and chairman in September, the chain had cut hours, leading to understaffing at many Starbucks stores.

Instead, Starbucks added new equipment, such as faster blenders and dispensers that gave baristas just the right amount of an ingredient, such as ice or milk, instead of having them measure it out. It also implemented the Siren Craft System, which was meant to allocate employees to the most important tasks at busy times.

"Over the last couple of years, we've been removing labor from the stores, I think with the hope that equipment could offset the removal of the labor," Niccol said on Tuesday.

"That wasn't an accurate assumption with what played out," he added.

Last quarter, Starbucks ran a pilot at 700 of its stores that involved adding more labor hours at those locations.

At one store in downtown Chicago, for instance, the additional hours allowed store employees to tackle mobile orders and lots of walk-in customers at that location, Niccol said.

At a suburban store, meanwhile, more hours went to staffing the drive-thru.

Starbucks is also betting that a new order sequencing algorithm will leave store employees more time to interact with customers. Niccol has said that he wants Starbucks to be a comfortable place for customers to hang out.

The algorithm, which Starbucks is using in 400 stores, has cut down on customer wait times by improving the order in which baristas prepare drinks.

"It's a lot calmer," Niccol said of stores that use the algorithm. "There's the opportunity to provide great connection" between customers and baristas.

The changes are the latest Starbucks has made under Niccol. Others include asking patrons to make a purchase to hang out in-store and directing baristas to leave hand-written messages and doodles on to-go cups.

Do you work at Starbucks and have a story idea to share? Reach out to this reporter at [email protected].