Rather than settle for a sub-optimal burger-topping-fry combo, Serious Eats editors Carey Jones, Erin Zimmer, and I went straight into the heart of the Burger Zone (the official name for the area of downtown Brooklyn that now houses a Shake Shack, a Smashburger, and a Five Guys all within a five-minute walkable radius). Once we reached the epicenter of the three restaurants, we split up and headed out to pick up a topped burger and side of fries from each restaurant. The idea was that we'd use the different components to assemble The Ultimate Burger and Fries Combo, a high end fast-food meal so epic that it requires the use of capital letters. More

This month ROC United (Restaurant Opportunities Centers United) released the National Diners' Guide 2012: A Consumers Guide on the Working Conditions of America's Restaurants (PDF), a guide that outlines how well employees are treated at 150 restaurants/chains around the country in regards to wages for tipped and non-tipped workers, whether there are paid sick days, and whether there are opportunities for advancement. More

In-N-Out, Five Guys, and Shake Shack all have devout followings, but who really makes the best burger? It's a question that's debated far and wide on the internet and beyond, so we here at A Hamburger Today decided to take it upon ourselves to find the answer and declare an official King of the High Quality Fast Food Burger. More

From social media consultant Jason Falls comes this chart illustrating reception of major burger brands in social media based on volume of conversation, sentiment, and passion, using data pulled by ConsumerBase. In-N-Out had the most volume, but came in second for positive chatter right behind Five Guys. White Castle was the most polarizing between love and hate, and Wendy's was most disliked, although not passionately so. Read more at Falls' site, Social Media Explorer. More

Happy In-N-Out burger, sad McDonald's cheeseburger. [Photographs: Robyn Lee] The October issue of Consumer Reports features the results of a fast food burger poll taken by 28,000 of their readers. Out of 18 restaurants, In-N-Out and Five Guys tied... More

Photograph: Robyn Lee Five Guy's Burgers and Fries has bested McDonald's, Burger King and the rest of the fast food industry in the 2010 Xtreme Eating Awards. The rather dubious honor, awarded by the consumer watch dog group Center... More

On Friday we noted that President Barack Obama made a burger run to Five Guys with NBC's Brian Williams. Last night NBC aired footage of the most recent Obama Burger Run as part of the special report Inside the... More

Right now: President Obama orders Five Guys for lunch. Burger for himself and food for NBC's Brian Williams. No word on whether POTUS ordered it medium-well with Dijon. Follow @InsideObamaWH for further developments. [via @Gordoneats] Update: He ordered a cheeseburger... More

A Midtown Lunch reader reports that the Five Guys in Midtown raised their prices for the second time in the last year—80 cents for fries and 30 to 40 cents for burgers. "Burger and Fries now is $12 (including tax)... More