Big Buster
A big, very Zip’s build: two beef patties with cheese, bacon and ham, plus mayo, lettuce and tomato. Ham on a cheeseburger sounds excessive, and it is, but the extra saltiness works. Order it hungry.
The story
Robert Zuber opened the first Zip’s in Kennewick in 1953, feeding the workers and scientists pouring into the Tri-Cities for the Hanford nuclear site, under the motto Thrift and Swift. Two things mark the burgers as Inland Northwest: tartar sauce, which the region puts on far more than fish, and a slice of ham alongside the bacon. When drive-ins were dying across America in the 1970s, Zip’s owners built some of the first drive-thru lanes in the Northwest and came out the other side.
What’s inside
Make it at home
There is no copycat of the Big Buster yet. Until there is, these recipes on the site come closest to it, judged by what goes into the bun.
- Shares beef, bacon, cheese and a double stack
Peter’s Triple Bacon Burger - Shares pork, beef and bacon
Good Morning Burger - Shares pork, beef and cheese
The Mountain from Left at Albuquerque - Shares beef, bacon and cheese
TOP 3McDonald's Big Tasty (Copycat)
Similar burgers at other chains
Built around the same things as the Big Buster.- VICIO · pork, beef, cheese and a double stack
SignatureCheeseburger Ibérica - Jack's · beef, bacon, cheese and a double stack
Big Bacon - Bembos · beef, bacon, cheese and a double stack
Hamburguesa Extrema - The Food Truck Store · pork, beef, bacon and cheese
OMG
More from Zip's Drive-In
About Zip's Drive-In
Robert “Zip” Zuber opened the first Zip’s in Kennewick, Washington, in 1953, feeding the scientists and workers pouring into the Tri-Cities for jobs at the Hanford nuclear site. The motto was “Thrift and Swift”. A second restaurant near Gonzaga in Spokane became a student favourite, and the chain spread across the Inland Northwest.
About 40 restaurants in eastern Washington and northern Idaho, none of them franchised.
Not affiliated with Zip's Drive-In. Trademarks belong to their owners.