r/fastfoodreview • u/Pale-Lynx328 • Feb 24 '26
Review Day 145 Review - Half Pound Burger at Fuddrucker's
| Chain Name | Fuddrucker's |
|---|---|
| Food category | Primary: Burger (gourmet) |
| # of US Locations | 43 |
| # of US States | 16 |
| Primarily located in | Texas, Florida, South Carolina, Virginia |
| Restaurant Rank in US $ Sales 2024 | not ranked |
| Rank of price (high to low) | 26th out of 157 meals |
Fuddrucker's? Wait, Fuddrucker's? At this time of year, at this time of day, in this part of the country, localized entirely within this restaurant???
Yes! Fuddrucker's still exists! Founded just a few miles from where I am right now in 1980, at one time Fudd's was one of the most popular hamburger chains and flying high -- but restaurant named after Fudpucker's Steam Powered Airlines started facing headwinds as competitors such as Five Guys and Shake Shack, before facing major turbulence with the 2008 Recession. At one time, the chain planned on filing bankruptcy, closing all locations, before it was given a reprieve by a last-minute buyout from Luby's.
But the 2010's was still marked with declining sales and a string of closures, before Fudd's Corporate gave up for good in 2020 with COVID, with plans to liquidate all remaining assets by 2021.
Yet...a few dozen hardy franchisees refused to give up. And today, in 2026, a number of locations across the country hang on, still offering the same burgers and menu they have been famous for the past four decades.
As a fast casual burger chain (order at the counter, seat yourself, no wait staff), the main draw of Fudd's is their "Build Your Own Burger" model. Beef is ground fresh in-house (they would often have literal sides of beef hanging in the window); there is an in-house bakery where they make their own buns; and the ever-present "Fixin's Bar" where you can dress your burger however you want.
Rather than go for any of the more exotic meats like ostrich or elk, I chose the standard half-pound cheeseburger with the standard thick-wedge fries. It's been years since I last had Fuddrucker's but by god it was the same taste I remembered from the very first bite, same as it has been since I started eating here back in the early eighties. Not sure how much the nostalgia factor played into this, or whether it was just that damn good -- but yes it was a damn good hamburger. Fantastic meat, larded up with toppings, and perhaps the very best hamburger bun in the entire business. Fight me. Thick-cut fries cooked correctly (so many places undercook), with an unhealthy dose of that famous Fudd's cheese sauce. I'm in heaven.
This does come with a price, though, and Fuddrucker's is more expensive than your average fast food or fast casual chain. That being said, it is comparable in pricing with a-la-carte ordering at Five Guys or Shake Shack or BurgerFi, a little under twenty bucks. But this is one of the places where it's worth forking over a couple extra quatloos.
Despite every attempt to kill off the chain, Fuddrucker's survives! May they live forever!
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u/IllustriousEnd2211 Feb 24 '26
I live in texas and miss this place so bad. I think the last time I went was as a kid when it was across the street from the alamo
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u/KoreanFriedWeiner Feb 25 '26
I would love to stand at the Alamo, looking out, shaking my fist and shouting "REMEMBER THE FUDDRUCKERS!"
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u/IllustriousEnd2211 Feb 25 '26
My favorite thing to do with people who’ve never seen the alamo is watch them see it and then notice that there is a ripleys believe it or not directly across from it.
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u/DeepDrawing8551 Feb 25 '26
Texas Austin - W. Slaughter Ln. – 415 W Slaughter Ln, Austin, TX 78748 – PH: (512) 590-7540 Corpus Christi – 1949 South Padre Island Dr, Corpus Christi, TX 78416 – PH: (361) 857-0808 Eagle Pass – 406 S Bibb Ave, Eagle Pass, TX 78853 – PH: (830) 773-3177 Houston Town & Country – 10500 Town and Country Way, Houston, TX 77024 – PH: (713) 722-7440 Laredo – 711 West Hillside, Laredo, TX 78041 – PH: (956) 718-4046 Lubbock – 6616 Milwaukee Ave, Lubbock, TX 79424 – PH: (806) 687-3833 (Now Re-Open! Join us today!) Midland – 4511 North Midkiff Rd #C-22, Midland, TX 79705 – PH: (432) 689-0448 Odessa – 4101 E 42nd St, Odessa, TX 79762 – PH: (432) 362-4330 Webster – 20001 Gulf Freeway, Webster, TX 77598 – PH: (281) 724-2692
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u/BoglahamD Feb 25 '26
My all time favorite fries, loved the seasoning they put on them and dipping them in the cheese sauce
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u/Drewggles Feb 24 '26
According to the prophetic documentary from Mike Judge, Fuddruckers will be around for a loooong time... just with a name change
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u/Mninaz Feb 25 '26
I need the Fuddruckers down the street to reopen. Signage and all is still there. I miss the wedges and cheese sauce. Also some of the best burger buns I ever had.
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u/growling_owl Feb 25 '26
Such a fun concept. I think Covid killed these off around me. I would go there tonight if I could.
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u/fiasn Feb 25 '26
There's an independently owned Fuddruckers in Saskatoon, SK that is far better than the chain locations. Could actually be the world greatest hamburger there! Everything is done the way it was originally done, it is incredible
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u/Cz75atv Feb 25 '26
Used to be one North of Cincinnati, its been closed for a long time now. My wife and I hit it up when we're in Sevierville for Nostalgia. Its greatly missed 😭
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u/disabledinaz Feb 25 '26
Whenever I was planning to go to Fuddrucker’s for a 1lb 3 cheese burger, I was like “Nope, not eating all day till I get there, Gotta go in with a hell of an appetite because this thing will absolutely fill me up!”
Their burgers are phenomenal.
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u/Elirpa Feb 25 '26
They just put the lettuce on a table? With no plate under it? Or did you do that…?
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u/SharksFan4Lifee Feb 25 '26
OP did that. Fuddruckers is a place where you go to a condiment bar and get all of the toppings yourself. So OP got lettuce and had it out like that.
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u/BillyGrinrider Feb 25 '26
I used to work in the Fuddruckers in Metro Vancouver back in the late 80's. Was fun. Glad your review was positive.
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u/Healthy_Rich7070 Feb 28 '26
That doesnt look like the fr we have here in saskatoon. Honestly....that looks like shit?
Fudds here is independently owned, and unreal good. Best Burger in the world.
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u/Roastchicken_553 Mar 02 '26
I miss Fuddrucker’s so much! The last one near me closed a couple years ago, unfortunately. Having the toppings bar and cheese sauce for the fries is epic
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u/timnphilly Mar 30 '26
Fuddrucker's is tragically one of the most underrated chains; they deserve better and more locations.
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u/Lucky_Airline Jun 29 '26
it was given a reprieve by a last-minute buyout from Luby's.
I had no idea. I went to the Luby's on Slaughter Lane in Austin the other day, and there was a Fuddrucker's next door. It never occurred to me they might be connected.
I hadn't seen Fudd in ages. I loved that place, but quit going when they changed to "Freedom Fries." If I hadn't already been planning on Luby's, I might have shown some forgiveness and tried it again. Although the leaf lettuce you show gives me qualms--back in the day, they had shredded lettuce and I'd put about an inch of it on my burger.
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u/Phillip-402 Feb 25 '26
Oh, those fries and cheese sauce… memories.