In the U.S., what does ordering a "plain hamburger" mean where you live?
Jul 12, 2009 | 12:45 am
#16
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That's true. In some burger joints that's exactly what their 'special sauce' is. It's funny though, the burger tastes completely different if it has mayo and ketchup on it separately instead of mixed, like BK among others.
Jul 12, 2009 | 12:59 am
#17
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Exactly! You can't put ketchup on one side of the bun and mayo on the other side. Those condiments must be mixed. I would say the proportion should be 2/3 ketchup, 1/3 mayo.
Jul 13, 2009 | 2:15 am
#20
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Not to worry, they were replaced.
mmm...(you can guess which one the burger is)
And its served 'plain'... with only cheese... the condiments (including ketchup, mustard, relish and mayo!) are in a side pack, with a knife & napkin as it can get rather messy!
Jul 15, 2009 | 11:26 am
#24
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When I was serving up hamburgers for Jack in the Box (my high-school job) "plain" meant a hamburger patty sandwiched between a dry hamburger bun, but the term we were trained to use when a customer ordered it that wasy was "AB", meaning absolutely bare. This was standard throughout Foodmaker, and many other burger places. This was in San Diego, BTW.
FWIW:
"Royal" meant "with everything" (sauce, and pickles on either a hamburger or cheeseburger; sauce, pickles, tomatoes, onions, lettuce, on a hamburger or cheeseburger deluxe).
"DP", for "divided portion" if you wanted the sandwich cut in half.
One could always tell when a Jack in the Box employee or former employee was ordering at the drive through because the order would be punctuated with code and special requests. At our store, special requests weren't considered a pain, it was a departure from the routine and those items tended to be fresher because they were usually prepared to order.
The best restaurant food codes and/or slang come from short-order cooks and waiters/waitresses who work in diners/coffee shops.
FWIW:
"Royal" meant "with everything" (sauce, and pickles on either a hamburger or cheeseburger; sauce, pickles, tomatoes, onions, lettuce, on a hamburger or cheeseburger deluxe).
"DP", for "divided portion" if you wanted the sandwich cut in half.
One could always tell when a Jack in the Box employee or former employee was ordering at the drive through because the order would be punctuated with code and special requests. At our store, special requests weren't considered a pain, it was a departure from the routine and those items tended to be fresher because they were usually prepared to order.
The best restaurant food codes and/or slang come from short-order cooks and waiters/waitresses who work in diners/coffee shops.
Last edited by youreadyfreddie; Jul 15, 2009 at 11:32 am
Jul 19, 2009 | 5:04 pm
#25
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I recall many times ordering a plain cheeseburger for my son at McDonald's and receiving bun and meat and asking where the cheese was and te response was always you said "plain" and then I would explain that if I did not want cheese I would have ordered a hamburger not a cheeseburger. This occurred mutiple times until, thankfully, my son grew tired of McDonald's.
This is a guy who has been ordering plain burgers for about 30 years. Mostly in the midwest and east coast, but I have eaten burgers from Tokyo to Moscow.
Depends on the burger. So for me, plain excludes anything that doesn't change the base definition of the burger you are ordering. In other words, if it isn't in the name, don't put it on the burger.
If I order a hamburger at McDonald's, plain should mean bun + meat. If I order a plain cheeseburger, then you get bun + meat + cheese. To get a cheeseburger without cheese is a hamburger and therefore upsets the definition of the item.
If you go to TGI Fridays and order a bacon cheeseburger, plain should be bun + meat + cheese + bacon. After all, if I didn't want the bacon or the cheese, I could get a regular hamburger or cheeseburger.
I often have ordered a plain burger and received everything but that appears to be a mistake rather than a misunderstanding of the definition of plain. I once ordered a plain burger in Budapest (in Hungarian) and received two pieces of bread and a cheese. That was puzzling. However, when ordering in the United States or Canada, I have never ordered a plain burger where the person took plain to mean anything but bun + meat + cheese.
Depends on the burger. So for me, plain excludes anything that doesn't change the base definition of the burger you are ordering. In other words, if it isn't in the name, don't put it on the burger.
If I order a hamburger at McDonald's, plain should mean bun + meat. If I order a plain cheeseburger, then you get bun + meat + cheese. To get a cheeseburger without cheese is a hamburger and therefore upsets the definition of the item.
If you go to TGI Fridays and order a bacon cheeseburger, plain should be bun + meat + cheese + bacon. After all, if I didn't want the bacon or the cheese, I could get a regular hamburger or cheeseburger.
I often have ordered a plain burger and received everything but that appears to be a mistake rather than a misunderstanding of the definition of plain. I once ordered a plain burger in Budapest (in Hungarian) and received two pieces of bread and a cheese. That was puzzling. However, when ordering in the United States or Canada, I have never ordered a plain burger where the person took plain to mean anything but bun + meat + cheese.
Jul 19, 2009 | 5:28 pm
#26
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Plain hamburger - devoid of everything except meat and bun
Plain cheeseburger - devoid of everything except meat, bun and cheese
Plain bacon cheeseburger - devoid of everything except meat, bun, cheese, and bacon
If I think there is any question that the person behind the counter doesn't understand what "plain" means, I will tell them to hold everything except the meat, bun, and cheese. That usually gets the point across
Plain cheeseburger - devoid of everything except meat, bun and cheese
Plain bacon cheeseburger - devoid of everything except meat, bun, cheese, and bacon
If I think there is any question that the person behind the counter doesn't understand what "plain" means, I will tell them to hold everything except the meat, bun, and cheese. That usually gets the point across
Jul 19, 2009 | 9:12 pm
#27
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Jul 19, 2009 | 9:18 pm
#30
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This is like the regional variations for coffee.
When I moved from Minnesota to the East Coast to attend graduate school, I encountered the concept of "regular" coffee.
At a Midwestern restaurant or lunch counter, the default option is black coffee, so the first time a waitress in a diner in an Eastern city asked whether I wanted my coffee "regular," I said, "Sure."
Imagine my puzzlement when she presented me with a cup of coffee that had been dosed with cream and sugar.
I also had to learn that a "chocolate soda" has chocolate ice cream in the Northeast and that to get vanilla ice cream, you have to ask for a "black and white soda."
On the other hand, I grew up with the Minnesota notion of a "California hamburger," which is a hamburger with lettuce and tomato. To me, a plain hamburger is a meat patty on a buttered bun, period.
In the Pacific Northwest, I encountered the practice of snacking on JoJo potatoes (big, fat French fries) with ranch dressing.
When I moved from Minnesota to the East Coast to attend graduate school, I encountered the concept of "regular" coffee.
At a Midwestern restaurant or lunch counter, the default option is black coffee, so the first time a waitress in a diner in an Eastern city asked whether I wanted my coffee "regular," I said, "Sure."
Imagine my puzzlement when she presented me with a cup of coffee that had been dosed with cream and sugar.
I also had to learn that a "chocolate soda" has chocolate ice cream in the Northeast and that to get vanilla ice cream, you have to ask for a "black and white soda."
On the other hand, I grew up with the Minnesota notion of a "California hamburger," which is a hamburger with lettuce and tomato. To me, a plain hamburger is a meat patty on a buttered bun, period.
In the Pacific Northwest, I encountered the practice of snacking on JoJo potatoes (big, fat French fries) with ranch dressing.