P. Terry's

Patrick and Kathy Terry opened their first burger stand on 5 July 2005 at South Lamar and Barton Springs Road in Austin, right across from a McDonald’s. The name came from a party, where a guest said “Bye, P. Terry” to tell Patrick apart from the host, who was also called Patrick. The retro building was modelled on Mack Eplen’s, an old drive-in chain from Patrick’s hometown of Abilene.

Kathy had read Fast Food Nation, and the couple set out to run a fast-food stand that used better ingredients and treated staff better. The menu is short and cheap, Southern Living called it America’s best burger chain in 2018, and the Terrys once turned down a buyout after a line in the film The Intern convinced them nobody would care about the company the way they did.

Just under forty locations, all in Texas, in Austin, San Antonio and Houston.

• Crown Burgers (United States, since 1978). The Greek family burger joint that made the pastrami burger a Salt Lake City staple. Also built on beef, a special sauce, cheese and a double stack.
• McDonald's (United States, since 1940). Same golden arches, wildly different burgers in every country. Also built on beef, a special sauce, cheese and a double stack.
• In-N-Out Burger (United States, since 1948). Three burgers on the board and a secret menu everyone knows by heart. Also built on beef, cheese and a double stack.
• Shake Shack (United States, since 2004). A hot dog cart in a New York park that turned into a global burger chain. Also built on beef, a special sauce and cheese.