Drive Thru Turkey
August 17, 2009 8:56 PM   Subscribe

Is there a national fast food chain in the United States that sells a turkey-burger?
posted by ericthegardener to Food & Drink (26 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
Fatburger.
posted by Riki tiki at 9:00 PM on August 17, 2009


Fuddruckers
posted by csimpkins at 9:08 PM on August 17, 2009


Are either fatburger or Fuddrucker's national? They seem to be regional.
posted by dfriedman at 9:13 PM on August 17, 2009


I guess it depends on your definition of fast food. TGI Friday's, Red Robin, and Ruby Tuesday's all have turkey burgers.
posted by Bernt Pancreas at 9:13 PM on August 17, 2009


Red Robin
posted by ManInSuit at 9:13 PM on August 17, 2009


Ruby Tuesday
posted by ManInSuit at 9:14 PM on August 17, 2009


(Bernt, dammit!)
posted by ManInSuit at 9:14 PM on August 17, 2009


Ted's Montana Grill
posted by ManInSuit at 9:17 PM on August 17, 2009


Is there a standard definition of "national" versus "regional"? Fatburger has locations in 17 non-contiguous states, hardly a "region" but obviously you can't expect to find one off any given highway.
posted by Riki tiki at 9:18 PM on August 17, 2009


Best answer: It seems that - a few years back Jack in the box introduced a Turkey Burger, promoted as :the first turkey burger from a major quick-service chain.", but then discontinued it (saying it had been intended as a temporary promotion...)

http://www.starchefs.com/news/press_releases/html/newsdetails.php?news_id=298

http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-21300245_ITM
posted by ManInSuit at 9:25 PM on August 17, 2009


Response by poster: I'd prefer national chains (as in having outlets in most every state) but I don't mind getting regional answers as long as the chains aren't confined to one city.

More importantly though, when I say "fast-food", I mean places that have a drive-thru, not sit-down only places like TGI Friday's or Fuddruckers.

Bonus points for answers that have outlets in Texas.

Thanks!
posted by ericthegardener at 9:26 PM on August 17, 2009


Response by poster: ManinSuit, your answer makes me curious as to why the major chains like Burger King, McDonalds and the rest don't offer a turkey burger. Beef lobby?
posted by ericthegardener at 9:28 PM on August 17, 2009


Best answer: Bonus points for answers that have outlets in Texas.
Mooyah has turkey burgers.They aren't national, but they are a Texas chain.
posted by Bernt Pancreas at 9:41 PM on August 17, 2009


why the major chains like Burger King, McDonalds and the rest don't offer a turkey burger.

Really healthy people get salads. Healthy people who want a sandwich get grilled chicken. Other people get burgers. Would adding a turkey burger sell more product, or just cannibalize existing ones? Especially given the difficulty that the major chains have in introducing new products: they spend millions advertising them and they still mostly fail.
posted by smackfu at 9:45 PM on August 17, 2009


Burger King does have a VEGGIE burger (made of exactly what I don't know, and it's hidden way down in the bottom of the menu board), but not turkey.
posted by so_gracefully at 9:53 PM on August 17, 2009


why the major chains like Burger King, McDonalds and the rest don't offer a turkey burger.

I think that the answer to this is very simple. Turkey burgers don't taste very good. It's a lean meat that doesn't readily lend itself to being turned into a burger without having enough fat added to it to make it almost as unhealthy as beef.

I say this as a person who has probably had 1000 turkey burgers in the past 5 or so years. I just cannot find a good way to prepare them without them becoming dry. Turkey must be cooked to at least 165 F to be considered safe to eat, 5 degrees hotter than beef. At that temperature all the juiciness is gone. Combine that with the fact that, by the pound, ground turkey is more expensive than most ground beef, and there really is no draw for a fast food restaurant to offer a turkey burger.

Obviously the fact that a few restaurants offer them shows that a tasty turkey burger can be produced, but trust me, it's a pain in the ass to do, and they still don't taste as good as beef burgers.

I no longer eat turkey burgers.
posted by 517 at 10:40 PM on August 17, 2009


(made of exactly what I don't know

Vegetables, grains, and soy, basically.

Johnny Rockets also has turkey burgers (as well as veggie burgers), but they're not a drive-through type place.
posted by cmgonzalez at 10:44 PM on August 17, 2009


517 - the secret to moist turkey burgers is sweet peas and the freezer. Mash up sweet peas and blend into your ground turkey. Season at will, cook and eat. It makes an incredible difference. (if you want to go all out amazing, along with the peas, add black pepper and dehydrated onion. Form into patties, then freeze overnight. Pop the frozen patties on a grill, cook and enjoy the juicy goodness!
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 11:29 PM on August 17, 2009


If Cat Pie Hurts is correct--and the recipe sounds awesome, by the way--then I think we've got our answer. No fast food restaurant that plans to make any money will bother with such a process. Too expensive to mass produce and too time-intensive to prepare locally.
posted by valkyryn at 3:58 AM on August 18, 2009


Combine that with the fact that, by the pound, ground turkey is more expensive than most ground beef

Depends on where you live. Here, near the poultry capital of the universe the opposite is true.
posted by Pollomacho at 4:25 AM on August 18, 2009


BTW, if you're looking for a turkey burger as a healthy option...many turkey burgers have more fat and calories than lean ground beef burgers. Many restaurants use a ground turkey mix that includes skin...more flavor, more fat.

I often use Calorie King to check.
posted by JoanArkham at 5:36 AM on August 18, 2009


Re: veggie burgers, I'm pretty sure Burger King uses morning star burgers, and they're really pretty tasty.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 5:48 AM on August 18, 2009


The veggie burgers aren't vegan, but they're great if you're vegetarian and on the road. They're available at every Burger King, even in central Missouri (where I live).

Also, Subway has a veggie patty, but it's not available in every Subway.

But this wasn't the question you asked. I have not noticed turkey burgers at most of the drive-through-type restaurants that I've been to.
posted by aabbbiee at 6:23 AM on August 18, 2009


Response by poster: Thanks for all the great answers, especially Bernt Pancreas, I'll be trying Mooyah soon!

I actually prefer the taste of turkey burgers and I have no problem finding them at restaurants around town. I end up eating on the run a lot, hate most fast food and was hoping there was a drive thru that I had missed.

At least I have a better understanding as to why they're mostly not available at fast food places, though I would think all the reasons given here would also apply to the sit-down restaurants that serve turkey burgers without problem.

Thanks again!
posted by ericthegardener at 7:46 AM on August 18, 2009


Burgerville in the Pacific Northwest has turkey burgers too. Very tasty. Also try their seasonal anything. Always delish. God I miss Burgerville.
posted by whimsicalnymph at 10:44 AM on August 18, 2009


Response by poster: RedRobin was also a good suggestion ManinSuit. No drive thru but there is a location near me.
posted by ericthegardener at 11:11 AM on August 18, 2009


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