White Castle

White Castle is where fast food begins. Walter Anderson and Billy Ingram opened the first one in Wichita, Kansas, in 1921, selling small square burgers for a nickel from a building made to look like a castle, a deliberate signal that the kitchen was clean at a time when Americans did not trust ground beef. It was the first hamburger chain in the country, and the Ingram family still owns it.

Nobody eats one slider. You buy them by the sack, often late at night, and there is a whole culture around it, from college road trips to a stoner comedy built around the craving. The menu has grown, but the core has barely changed in a century.

Around 300 restaurants, mostly in the Midwest and around New York. Still family-owned.

• Emmy Squared (United States, since 2016). The Detroit-style pizza chain from the Pizza Loves Emily family, home of Le Big Matt and the much-copied Emmy Burger. Also built on beef, cooked onions and cheese.
• Epic Burger (United States, since 2008). A Chicago smash-burger chain with Black Angus beef, local Turano buns and a Chicago accent. Also built on beef, cooked onions and cheese.
• Whataburger (United States, since 1950). A Texas institution with a burger too big for one hand. Also built on beef, cooked onions and cheese.
• Habit Burger & Grill (United States, since 1969). The chargrilled burger Consumer Reports once called the best in America. Also built on beef, cooked onions and cheese.