12 Florida Burger Chains With Beef That Keeps Locals Coming Back
Florida has always been more than beaches and theme parks. Tucked between the strip malls and highway exits, burger chains across the state are quietly building loyal followings, one juicy patty at a time.
Locals know which drive-thrus stay open past midnight, which griddles turn out the crispiest edges, and where to find beef that actually tastes like beef.
These twelve chains have earned their place in Florida’s fast-food landscape not through flashy marketing, but through consistent quality, bold flavors, and the kind of burgers that make you plan your route home around them.
1. Culver’s – Midwestern ButterBurgers Under Florida Palms
On a humid Florida evening, the blue awnings of Culver’s feel like a little portal to the Midwest.
Inside, everyone from snowbird grandparents to high-school baseball teams lines up for ButterBurgers seared to order and custard that melts faster than you can eat it.
Culver’s builds its burgers from fresh, never-frozen beef made from three prized cuts, pressed onto the grill only after you order and tucked into a lightly buttered, toasted bun.
Rich, beefy, and just a bit indulgent, the ButterBurger delivers that just-off-the-grill-at-home taste every single time.
Florida has dozens of Culver’s locations scattered all over, especially in Central and North Florida towns and suburbs, and the chain is still expanding across the state.
2. Checkers – Florida’s Own Double Drive-Thru Fix
Roll down the window and the smell of seasoned fries hits you before you even speak into the drive-thru speaker.
Checkers is a Florida-based chain headquartered in Tampa, built on the idea that burgers should be loud, messy, and big on flavor.
Their signature Big Buford stacks beef, cheese, lettuce, tomato and sauce into a two-hand, drive-thru feast, backed up by those famous, heavily seasoned fries.
Late-night hours, bold flavors, and the nostalgia of a true old-school double drive-thru keep locals circling back.
Checkers and sister brand Rally’s operate hundreds of locations in 28 states, with Florida as a home base and stronghold.
3. Whataburger – Panhandle Icon Turned Florida Habit
In North Florida, that orange-and-white A-frame is as much a roadside landmark as any beach sign. Whataburger might be Texas-born, but Florida has fully adopted it.
The state now boasts around 45 to 47 locations, especially across the Panhandle and up through Jacksonville and St. Augustine, with more on the way.
The signature Whataburger is still built around never-frozen beef on an oversized toasted bun, piled with classic toppings and wrapped in simple orange paper that smells like late-night road trips.
Many spots offer 24-hour drive-thrus, big two-hand burgers, and a deep well of Southern nostalgia that keeps customers coming back for more.
4. Sonic Drive-In – Burgers With a Side of Carhop Nostalgia
At Sonic, the burger arrives on a tray clipped to your car window, and suddenly it feels like 1965 again.
Sonic has around 99 locations in Florida, dotted all across the state’s suburbs and small towns, especially along busy commuter corridors.
The Sonic Cheeseburger keeps things classic: a 100 percent pure seasoned beef patty with melty American cheese, pickles, ketchup, onions, mayo, lettuce and tomato on a golden toasted bun.
Simple on paper, but that combination of hot burger, cold shake and a tray full of tots is exactly why families keep circling back.
Affordable burger deals and retro carhop service make every visit feel like a mini celebration.
5. Steak ‘n Shake – Thin Steakburgers and Beef-Tallow Fries
Steak ‘n Shake feels like the halfway point between a diner and a fast-food stand: checkerboard tiles, stainless steel, and burgers that arrive on real plates next to towering milkshakes.
The chain continues to operate across multiple states and still lists Florida among its active markets.
Its calling card is the ultra-thin steakburger patty: seared hard for crispy edges but still juicy, layered up in classics like the Western BBQ and Bacon Steakburger.
Recent buzz has even centered on Steak ‘n Shake switching its fries to 100 percent beef tallow, making the burger-and-fries combo richer and more old-school than ever.
6. Krystal – Tiny Sliders With a Big Southern Following
In North Florida, Krystal is the place you end up when you tell yourself you’ll just grab a couple of sliders and suddenly there’s an empty cardboard carton in front of you.
The Southern chain operates about 30 locations in Florida, including Daytona Beach, Gainesville, Jacksonville, Lake City, and more.
The Original Krystal is a little flavor bomb: a petite square patty topped with diced onions, mustard and a dill pickle slice, all on a soft steamed bun.
It’s the kind of burger you don’t so much eat as stack in twos and threes, which is exactly what night-shift workers and road-trippers have been doing for decades.
7. Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers – Thin, Crispy-Edged Classics
Freddy’s feels like the burger shack your grandparents would have taken you to, if it had digital kiosks and a modern drive-thru.
The chain continues expanding nationwide, and Florida locations, including Orlando, appear in current directories and review sites.
Freddy’s steakburgers are pressed thin on the grill until the edges go lacy and crisp, seasoned with the chain’s famous Steakburger and Fry Seasoning.
Layer on cheese, mustard, onion and pickle, and you get that crispy-edge, juicy-center contrast that burger nerds obsess over.
The frozen custard, especially in concrete form, turns a quick burger stop into a full-on ritual that locals can’t resist.
8. Shake Shack – ShackBurgers in Theme-Park Country
Shake Shack started as a New York City hot-dog cart, but in Florida, it feels right at home between palm trees and outlet malls.
The chain now runs multiple locations in the state, including Orlando’s I-Drive and Florida Mall, Midtown Tampa, and Aventura Mall, with more expansion planned, including a Naples location in the works.
The ShackBurger is the star: a griddled Angus beef patty on a squishy potato bun with cheese, lettuce, tomato and that tangy ShackSauce that somehow tastes like every good burger memory at once.
Consistently high-quality smash-style burgers, creative Shack specials, and a vibe that feels more like a modern café than a drive-thru keep locals coming back.
9. The Habit Burger Grill – Chargrilled Smoke in the Florida Heat
On a Florida summer night, the smell of The Habit’s open-flame grill cuts right through the humidity.
The California-born chain has grown to about a dozen locations in Florida, including Delray Beach, Miami and the Tampa Bay area.
Their signature Charburger with Cheese is simple but dialed-in: fresh ground beef chargrilled over an open flame, topped with caramelized onions, lettuce, tomato, pickles, mayo and cheese on a toasted bun.
Food writers have singled out The Habit’s burgers as some of the best in the fast-food world.
Florida fans quietly love that they don’t have to fly to California to get one, and that unmistakable char-grilled flavor keeps them returning.
10. Wayback Burgers – Hand-Made Patties and Classic Diner Energy
Wayback Burgers feels like walking into a modernized 1950s burger joint: black-and-white tile, stainless-steel accents, and burgers stacked tall on real plates.
The chain’s location map lists multiple Florida spots, including Daytona Beach and Orlando, with current listings backing up active stores.
The Classic signature burger keeps things true to its name: two beef patties, American cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles, onions, mustard and ketchup, all made to order.
It’s not trying to reinvent the wheel, just make the wheel as juicy, cheesy and satisfying as possible, often alongside thick shakes and cheesy tater-tot sides.
Freshly made burgers taste like a proper sit-down meal, not a rushed drive-thru snack.
11. MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes – Certified Angus Beef and Custom Builds
In Florida’s MOOYAH locations, including Boca Raton, Ocala, Orlando, and Winter Park, you’ll usually see a line of people staring at the menu like they’re drafting their dream car.
That’s because MOOYAH is all about customization: Certified Angus Beef burgers, hand-cut fries and thick shakes built exactly the way you want them.
The brand leans hard into quality: 100 percent Certified Angus Beef patties, often never frozen, plus buns baked in-house and toppings stacked to order.
The result is a burger that feels more like a chef’s build than something from a drive-thru window, and that’s exactly why locals keep coming back.
12. Sickies Garage Burgers & Brews – 50 Burgers, 50 Brews on I-Drive
Right off Orlando’s I-Drive, Sickies looks like a hot-rod garage crossed with a sports bar: neon signs, chrome, and TVs showing every game under the sun.
The North Dakota-born chain has planted firm roots in Central Florida, with locations in Orlando and Kissimmee listed as active on the company’s official site and third-party platforms.
The hook here is simple and wild: 50 different burgers. The menu runs from the straightforward Garage Burger to award-winning oddities like glazed-doughnut burgers and supercharged stacks loaded with bacon, onion rings and specialty sauces.
Patty choices range from half-pound ground beef to Wagyu and chicken, so there’s a version of burger night for almost everyone.