The Main Difference Between A Hamburger And A Steakburger (And The Chain That Made Them Popular)

You know the difference between fast food and fast casual — hopefully, anyway. Now, for another stumper, how about the difference between a hamburger and a steakburger? You may have seen the latter name on menus and wondered what the fuss was about ... if there was even a fuss to be had. Is a steakburger better than a hamburger? What's it made of? What gives?

Plainly put, while the phrase "steakburger" usually connotes higher quality in the restaurant world, the simplest distinction is that a steakburger is made of beef ground from a single cut of beef as opposed to a possible mixture of meat from all over the cow, like a plain hamburger. There are many different cuts of beef, as you know, but a steakburger limits its content to one cut. There are Wagyu and sirloin steakburgers, obviously, but there are also affordable steak cuts that can make a fine steakburger. A premium product is generally implied, although not a given. In restaurant parlance, a steakburger may have extra toppings that give it character. Again, however, the big difference is what part of the animal the burger is sourced from.

Today, several chains sell steakburgers, including Culver's, which Reddit reviews dubbed the best fast food burger. To get to the origins of steakburgers, or, at least, the chain that caused them to soar in popularity, you need to turn to another fast food giant: Steak 'n Shake.

In 1934, Edith and Gus Belt were facing a conundrum. They'd made their living owning gas stations, then pivoted to running a small family restaurant during the Great Depression. People loved the chicken and beer that were their specialties, but the Belts' hometown of Normal, Indiana was getting ready to prohibit alcohol sales. To keep their restaurant viable, Gus Belt switched gears yet again and started making burgers out of steaks. A born showman, he would grind whole T-bones and ribeyes where his customers could see him doing it, which led to one of Steak 'n Shake's eventual first slogans, "In Sight, It Must Be Right." It proved successful, and, by the end of the decade, the first Steak 'n Shake franchises opened. Today, Steak 'n Shake claims that it invented the steakburger, but many others have come after it.

Is a steakburger actually any better than a regular hamburger? It depends on who you ask. It may be the case that the quality of any burger, steak or otherwise, hinges mostly on how the meat is cooked and presented. A dry, gray patty made of high-end steak mince isn't going to taste very good, while a greasy, juicy quarter pound of hot, fresh 80/20 is likely to be an absolute delight. Likewise, piling a burger high with LTO, cheese, and mayo is going to impart a different quality of mouthfeel and flavor than a handheld dressed with just ketchup and mustard. As a consumer, it's up to you to separate hype from worthiness when it comes to burgers, no matter what they're called.