We've all got our favorite burger place. For some, it's a national chain they can find on just about any street corner. For others, it's a regional quick-serve or fast-casual restaurant that is big enough to have a decent brand - but is only found in a handful of select locations.

Then, there's the mom-and-pop, single-location restaurant that may (or may not) be a dive, or a hole-in-the-wall, but you just can't get enough of it, and so you keep going back for more - no matter where it’s located.

But, is one of these really better than the other two? Let’s take a quick look.

 Advantages and Disadvantages of National vs. Non National-Brand Burgers

It's true that national brands have an advantage when it comes to the ability to spend money in an effort to perfect their recipes for their customers. National brands often have a team of highly-paid chefs who are constantly looking for new and innovative recipes that are good - and (more importantly) recipes that can be replicated across hundreds, even thousands, of locations in a single country - or around the world.

However, this process can take time for large brands. And that can be a disadvantage. Many months can pass between a new burger concept and the first bite by a brand's fans in a real-world location. There will be meetings, focus groups, taste testing, refinement, supply chain planning...the list goes on and on.

But, a single-location burger joint can go through this process in a matter of days. Heck, if a single-location restaurant wants to, it can create a new burger in a matter of hours using ingredients they already have on-hand. Yes it’s a fast process, but if you’re only creating a burger for a handful of customers at one location, the process becomes less strict.

Regional Burger Chains – Somewhere in the Middle
Smaller, regional chains are somewhere in the middle. They're still small enough to be nimble, but often have the tools on-hand to research and experiment with some flavors to determine what customers are looking for.

There’s also far less management and fewer decision-makers between a burger idea and making that burger idea a reality. So there’s an emphasis on quality, yes, but there’s also a certain amount of agility that happens when a regional brand wants to bring a new burger to the market – and that often leads to some really delicious burgers.

The Burger Bottom-Line: What’s Better?
So, does a burger really taste better when it comes from a national chain?

Well, yes and no. It's really up to you to decide what burgers do, and don't, taste good. If that’s a national or global chain that’s close to you, great! If it’s a regional chain that serves up quality, but you only eat when you’re in the area, that’s cool too! If it’s a mom-and-pop burger restaurant that you swear by because the burgers are just “sooooo good.” that’s awesome!

Our point is this: find burgers that make you feel good. Then, don’t just eat them – enjoy them!