Deals for National Cheeseburger Day: a 50-cent double, or a $35 (!) combo with wine?
Take your pick for National Cheeseburger Day:
50 cents for a double-double,
Or $35 for a cheeseburger, fries and red wine.
Those are the extremes Sept. 18 as Americans rally around the noble cheeseburger, preferably cheap or even free by using a smartphone rewards app.
There is no question who's offering the best bargain.
The 40 million Americans punching in the orders on the McDonald's rewards app can order a double meat-double cheeseburger for 50 cents.
That's the usual burger with pickle and onion. For about $1.50, stack one up with lettuce and tomato. Or for about $4.50, stack it four-deep with meat and cheese, or add bacon.
Secret: If you order fries on the app with no salt, they'll be fresh.
More drive-through deals
If you're a drive-through burger regular — go ahead, admit it — Jack in the Box is offering the best deal overall.
A full-size Jumbo Jack cheeseburger with everything on it is free with any $5 app rewards order. That order can be the seasonal junk food delight, Monster Tacos.
Burger King, Carl's Jr., Dairy Queen and Wendy's each have some sort of deal. Check the rewards app of your choice.
Taco Casa isn't running a special, but the taco-meat cheeseburgers are a throwback to the days of Taco Bell's taco burgers,
Whataburger is offering rewards customers a chance to win free cheeseburgers for a year — to be exact, one of 100 gift books with 52 coupons for free burgers.
You have to use the website or app and buy a full-size cheese Whataburger, sweet-spicy bacon cheeseburger or patty melt Wednesday. No discount.
Yes, this is really a $35 burger combo
At the top end of the scale, Capital Grille locations are offering a $35 combo plate.
It features their first-rate mushroom-Swiss or blue cheese-black truffle burgers, matched with fries and a glass of cabernet, merlot or pinot noir.
The burger and fries alone usually sell for $23 at lunch. That used to seem expensive, but a lot of lunches sell for $23 these days.
Capital Grille, a prime steakhouse owned by Florida-based Olive Garden, has locations at 800 Main St. in Fort Worth and 1201 Texas 114 East in Southlake.
Cheeseburgers without the guilt
Hopdoddy is also offering a chance to win free cheeseburgers for a year.
But that's not the biggest news.
Hopdoddy is now the best-known major chain with a fully vegan option.
The vegan El Bandito Veggie burger comes with a black bean-corn patty, vegan Gouda, vegan mayo and your choice of toppings. Or order any burger with the veggie patty.
Hopdoddy has locations at 2300 W. Seventh St. or 3101 Heritage Trace Parkway in Fort Worth, or 1200 Chisholm Trail in Euless.
Other local favorites like Fuego Burger, Tommy's Hamburgers and Old Neighborhood Grill offer good garden or vegan burgers. Or try the burgers at vegan-Mex Belenty's Love near TCU.
Then get rested up for Oct. 26.
That's Texas Chicken-Fried Steak Day.
This story was originally published September 18, 2024, 5:30 AM.
