Big Buford
The burger the chain is known for, and a lot of burger for the money. Two quarter-pound beef patties with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, ketchup and mayo on a toasted bun. It is not refined, but it is fresh-tasting and enormous, the kind of double cheeseburger you eat in a parked car with the seasoned fries on the passenger seat.
The story
The Big Buford dates from the early years of Checkers, the double drive-thru chain Jim Mattei founded in Mobile, Alabama, in 1986. By 2009 it had been on the menu for more than twenty years, and Checkers & Rally’s relaunched it that year with a third more meat, on a bakery-style bun, with two slices of cheese and freshly cut toppings. The Triple Big Buford later pushed the same build to three patties.
What’s inside
Make it at home
There is no copycat of the Big Buford yet. Until there is, these recipes on the site come closest to it, judged by what goes into the bun.
- Shares beef, cheese and a double stack
Whopper (Copycat) - Shares beef, cheese and a double stack
The Mr. Smiley Burger - Shares beef, cheese and a double stack
McDonald's Daily Double (Copycat) - Shares beef, cheese and a double stack
Big Beef Blopper
Similar burgers at other chains
Built around the same things as the Big Buford.- Wendy's · beef, cheese and a double stack
Dave’s Double - Dairy Queen · beef, cheese and a double stack
Two Cheese Deluxe Stackburger - Sonic Drive-In · beef, cheese and a double stack
SignatureSuperSONIC Double Cheeseburger - Jack's · beef, cheese and a double stack
SignatureBig Jack
More from Checkers & Rally's
About Checkers & Rally's
These are two chains that grew up with the same idea and eventually merged. Rally’s opened in Nashville in 1985, Checkers in Mobile, Alabama, in 1986, and both built tiny buildings with two drive-thru lanes and a walk-up window but no dining room. They merged in 1999 and still run under both names, with an identical menu.
Hundreds of double drive-thrus across the US. Checkers in the east and south, Rally’s in the Midwest and west.
Not affiliated with Checkers & Rally's. Trademarks belong to their owners.