To me, it means bun and meat. I'm in California.

I really loved that Alaska Air Burger and was disappointed when it wasn't offered on another AS Flight. That burger from AS is the best buy-on-board meal I have ever had.^

When I lived part-time in L.A. couple of years ago, ordering a plain means just the meat and the bun. No cheese, no pickles, no lettuce, etc.

When I used to order a plain burger it meant no cheese. I would always add lettuce and ketchup to it.

I have no answer to the OP's question.

Why on earth would you go across the U.S., ordering a "plain burger," without telling them what you want on it?

I don't know the answer to your question either. And I don't know why someone would do as you describe.

Per the thread title, I am interested in what "plain" means in reference to hamburgers in various parts of the country, and have appreciated the answers upstream.

Was just a question based on what you said you've discovered:

They served them in economy class also. I had one DEN-DFW back in '95. A little too greasy for me, but who could complain - a burger in economy on a short flight!

For me the best burger is what I make at home where I can control every aspect of its preparation to my taste. It is one of the few things I almost never order out because I like my own better.

It wouldn't even occur to me that a plain hamburger would be any different to just the meat and the bun. Guess I live and learn!

I did have a bad habit of ordering a McDonalds cheeseburger with just the lettuce, cheese, tomato, onion and mayo - hold the meat, hold the gerkin, hold the ketchup! I'd say they got it correct around 40% of the time. I tried ordering it so many different ways, didn't seem to matter!

Plain to me has always meant just burger and bun. I've never been delivered anything else except when it hasn't been properly keyed in. Back in the 80s when I was the only one on the planet who wanted a plain burger (that's what Mickey's D's would have had you believe anyway), you had to wait forever to get your food. I'm glad most places are more "cooked to order" these days. I hated waiting at the table while everyone else had their food already.

Where I live, McDonalds cheesburgers dont come with lettuce, tomato, or mayo. Or onions really either... just those reconsituted onion bits.

^^ Those make the best onion ring processed product too. Mmmm.

Eww...that explains when last time I asked for extra onions, it just made the burger extra gummy. :eek:

I've never ordered a "plain" burger, so I don't know, but I've ordered fast food burgers "only ketchup" or "only ketchup and pickles" and never had it arrive either (A) without a bun, or (B) with anything undesired.

At restaurants, I'll sometimes order "just meat and cheese," and once got asked "do you want a bun?" but I'm pretty sure it was waiter humor (like reading your order back with "and extra mayo" instead of "no mayo") and not an assumption that I was low-carbing it.

Like others have mentioned, I like the "you dress it yourself" approach to burgers; unlike at least one of the others here, I was not too impressed with the burgers at Fuddruckers.

For that head to Inn N Out and order the Atkins - a patty between 2 pieces of lettuce

More usually called "protein style," but yeah, I've known people to do it. Or "flying dutchman" without anything around it. Neither of while would be to my taste: my point was the opposite, which is most places if you say "just meat and cheese" the bun is still assumed.

Not so sure it was a joke. There's been a lot more recognition of low carbohydrate diets in the past few years. Some restaurants have no-bun options listed on the menu, and plenty of others understand exactly what you mean when you ask for it without a bun.

Regarding the OP: I expect that "plain hamburger" means meat and bun anywhere in the USA. Though a bit of conversational context is important. For example, when the cashier asks, "Would you like to add cheese or sauteed mushrooms?" and the customer responds, "No, I'd like it plain," that's ambiguous. Probably the customer is simply saying no to the cheese and mushrooms.

That seems more or less the case - except where "plain" includes nasty "burger sauce" (as is the case in two areas where I've lived)

Certainly; in this particular case it was quite a while ago and a tone of voice thing, but you never know.

:D:D:D

(bump given the recent mention in another thread)

ive given up..my requests often turn out the opposite of what i asked so no mustard will be extra mustard lol

id expect plain to be just meat and a bun , BUT id follow up and say just meat and a bun right

Meat and bun or meat, cheese and bun if a cheeseburger. It's how my partner orders it, but he always adds, "Meat and cheese, nothing else on it."

(And don't yell at me for bumping. It was linked in another thread to update. :))

I like his style. My phrase is always "Meat, cheese, bun. Nothing else. Yellow mustard on the side. No dijon mustard."

I always wonder when I order a plain cheeseburger at the server who asks, "Do you want cheese on that?" Would I have ordered a cheeseburger if I didn't? (In-N-Out seems to get that; I can order a plain cheeseburger and not get interrogated about the cheese.) Regardless, the "meat, cheese, bun; nothing else" approach seems like a good one for future use.

Reminds me, though, of a time I ordered a specialty burger of some sort at Burger King sans sauce, and they said, "We can't make it without the sauce." I asked the clerk, "I thought it was 'Your way, right away?' here." Still a bit baffled at how a special menu item "required" the sauce. Maybe it came prepackaged, frozen, sauce and all... but that seems odd, particularly from a food prep standpoint (reheating without separating the bun from the patty and the toppings seems a bad idea in particular).

Growing up in a small midwestern town, we had a quaint phrase "everything but" which mean everything except onions. You didn't need to travel too far away to get puzzled looks when you gave that order.

Look at those crazy people in England who bring you a sandwich or a cake when you order a tea !:p

Easiest just to say what you want and not leave these things to chance.

At least they ask. I've ordered plenty of "plain cheeseburgers" and had them served without cheese. It doesn't seem to occur to them that I would have ordered a hamburger if I didn't want cheese, but alas...

I get the opposite. I order a hamburger and get asked "do you want cheese on that?" If I wanted cheese on my burger, I'd order a cheeseburger.

Interesting experiences. Once in a McDonalds I ordered a quarter pounder "just the sandwich" indicating I didn't want the meal, and got just meat + cheese + bun without the usual accoutrements

There are parts of Pennsylvania I have visited where you ask for a "lager" and you will get a Yeungling, no questions asked. I tried that elsewhere once, probably somewhere in the southeast, where Yeungling was on tap. The response was "Okay, which lager?". I guess the tap handle came without instructions.

More and more local restaurants, chains included, don't have hamburgers listed on the menu. Just cheeseburgers of various sorts. I am forever ordering a cheeseburger without cheese. Occasionally they subtract something from the price. But not often.

Same here. My single biggest problem when ordering a hamburger is getting cheese on it even when I specifically order it WITHOUT cheese. Even happens when there are both hamburger and cheeseburger listed, I order hamburger, employee asks if I want cheese on it :rolleyes:, and I say NO.

NYC here
Regular coffee is just coffee. Decaf is decaffeinated coffee. a "coffee, regular" is regular coffee with milk and sugar. Black coffee is just "coffee, black"
A "burger, plain is just meat and bun. A "burger" is whatever they normally put on it.

If they don't reduce the price you should ask them for some of that free cheese (for your cat, maybe) :p

Ordering it with "cheese on the side" is an intriguing concept and I wonder if places would go for that. I can't see why not, and while I am a big fan of cheeseburgers a few places I can think of that over-melt it and stuff the bun on too soon (gluing the burger together) where just dropping the cheddar/american slice on myself after it reaches the table would be a plus.

I'll bet you could get that. Unless it was that diner in "Five Easy Pieces". :p