Fast food maps: Watch 'em metastasize!

[Robin Garr]

A new website called Fast Food Maps is an intriguing use of Google Maps to plot the location of major fast food restaurants in the US.

The site displays locations for 10 popular chains: McDonald's (with 13,642 locations shown), Burger King, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Wendy's, KFC, Jack in the Box, Hardee's, Carl's Jr., and In-N-Out Burger.

The site is navigated by selecting a state and then city in the upper-right corner of the screen. You can then navigate the map using the standard Google Maps controls (dragging the map and zooming in and out). The 'screen stats' at the lower right show the restaurant totals for the area shown on the map screen. Here's a direct link to the map of greater Louisville, showing 206 fast-food eateries.

There's also a static US map that shows the density of all or selected restaurant chains across the entire US.

God I wish In-and-Out came this far east. Haven't been anywhere near one in about three years.

I had a Monster Burger yesterday in Shelbyville at the Hardees...The Low Carb one....minus the bun. I was surprised at how good it was. I forgot that they Charbroil there burgers...That makes a big difference in the taste when you are not eating the bun and no catsup or mayo....It was very tasty and they have one of the cleanest Hardees that I have been to in a long time....even have table service....no tipping...

[Robin Garr]

God I wish In-and-Out came this far east. Haven't been anywhere near one in about three years.

I generally make a pilgrimage when I'm on the Left Coast, and enjoyed a fine "steak" dinner at the Santa Barbara In-and-Out last year. But you know, when you really come down to it, it's still fast food. Me, I'm craving that Boss Burger Wrap at Karem's in Norton Commons. I'll have to eat a few more for the sake of research - I may have caught them on a day of rare excellence - but that was some of the best burger meat I <i>ever</i> ate.

God I wish In-and-Out came this far east.

I enjoyed a fine "steak" dinner at the Santa Barbara In-and-Out last year. ...Me, I'm craving that Boss Burger Wrap at Karem's in Norton Commons.

To tell the truth, I would love a Rogers Ice Cream, an old-fashioned burger joint! It is in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, where I used to live, and the guy who opened it used to manage an In-and-Out. In fact it said "In" on one side of the building and "Out" on the other, until they were made to paint over it because of trademark issues. Their hamburgers are the best I've ever tasted! My husband travels to California and recently ate at an In-and-Out and he said Rogers was BETTER! So if you are ever in Couer d'Alene, Idaho between April and September, you've got to try it (they are only open seasonally). They also have killer homemade huckleberry jam! And no, they don't grow potatoes in that part of Idaho...it is a destination resort on a glacier lake!

But now I MUST go try that Boss burger wrap...I might wait to see if your second experience is as memorable as your first !

When did Hardees get de-emphasized around here? There seem to be fairly few around the metro, and there are obvious signs of other restaurants (Moby Dick) being in several of their prior locations. Did the the company close their own stores or did a franchisee go belly up? It seems like they don't have enough critical mass here to afford market-wide advertising for so few locations.

The Thickburgers, for being a $4-5 fast food burger, are often a fantastic value at that price. Saved the company in 2003-2004. Back home in WV, they seem to be often the sole fast food spot and restaurant of last resort in most small (under 10K population) communities. Probably the same way in some rural parts of Kentucky.

It seems that the Hardees that are in Louisville are not very clean...The one in Shelbyville is spotless as is the one in Bardstown.....I wish that they would build a new Hardees here in Northeast Jefferson County....They do make a great burger along with the Hot Ham and Cheese along with the morning menu.....They were one of the first or maybe the first to start the morning Bisquit craze....

[Robin Garr]

It seems that the Hardees that are in Louisville are not very clean...

Do you have information about their health inspection ratings? As far as I know, they earned their A rating, which might make a statement like that a little bit sketchy from a liability standpoint ...

While they might have recieved an "A" rating...The apperance of the facility needs some major improvement. The Hardees that is in J Town is in one of the original buildings for Hardees and really needs to improve...Next time you are in Shelbyville stop by the one there and see the difference...I guess that if they did get an 'A' rating health wise they must be ok but the eye appeal is a "D".

I generally make a pilgrimage when I'm on the Left Coast, and enjoyed a fine "steak" dinner at the Santa Barbara In-and-Out last year. But you know, when you really come down to it, it's still fast food.

Yeah, but not all fast food is created equal, and sometimes it's just what the doctor ordered.

[Robin Garr]

Yeah, but not all fast food is created equal, and sometimes it's just what the doctor ordered.

Absolutely! I'm thinking about going over to git me a veggie club from Jimmy John's today!