Chain Restaurant Sliders Ranked Worst To Best, According To Consumers

It's not quite a finger food, but not quite a full-sized dish, either. It's a slider — a miniaturized version of a juicy beef burger, a fried chicken sandwich, or a crispy fish toastie. While often served as an appetizer prior to a larger meal, sliders in and of themselves can also be served as entrées ... especially if multiple are piled onto a plate all at once.

Sliders, interestingly, are a distinctly American treat. The very first variants were developed at White Castle in 1921, and since then, handfuls of restaurants across the United States have recreated their own versions of condensed sandwiches for their menus. That being said, sliders can be a difficult thing to get right. Seeing as their small size leaves for only a few bites in total, there is less room for mistakes. Each slider's flavor, moisture level, and condiment ratio must be acceptable in order for it to be considered a worthy snack. Some restaurant chain's tiny burgers have managed to achieve this title of delicious ... others, however, have proved nothing but a disappointment to those who've bitten into them. Before you go in search of your next small but dignitary bite, take a look at our list of chain restaurant sliders ranked worst to best, according to consumers.

Given that Savvy Sliders, a Michigan-based burger chain with 41 current locations under its belt has the term 'slider' built into its name, you would aptly expect the long and varied assortment of mini-burgers listed on its menu to be top-notch. But according to many consumers who've sampled them, Savvy's sliders are not, in fact, so savvy after all.

Despite the creative and mouth-watering names of the chain's miniature delicacies, such as the Classic Angus Beef, the Boomin' Chicken, or the Spicy Falafel, biting into one is consistently described as a less-than-exciting experience by eaters. "Mediocre and over-priced," reads a comment on Reddit, giving voice to the overall consumer feel regarding the franchise's products. "Burgers are fine," noted another on a separate Reddit thread, "nothing to really write home about. [...] But they are too pricey for what you get." Expensive and average is not the greatest combination in the world, so if you want a slider that's affordable and tastes better than simply passable, there may be better options than Savvy Sliders to get your fix.

Sonic is known for its massive and varied menu, so the fact that it has a slider available on its extra-long food lineup is hardly a surprise. Sonic has tried its hand at a few different slider-style sandwiches over the years, such as the now-discontinued Signature Slinger cheeseburger, which was crafted using both beef and mushrooms. Its cousin, however, the Chicken Slinger, survived the chopping block and is still on the drive-in restaurant's menu to this day. One crispy cutlet of chicken is slid inside a little Brioche bun spread with mayo and pickles, and voilà — you have a yummy-looking snack perfect for a quick bite at lunch.

The problem with this poultry-forward mini sandwich? It harbors some seriously inconsistent reviews. Some eaters love it, others absolutely hate it, while some still place it somewhere right in the middle. Whether it's an issue with the product itself or simply a problem of consistency in its cook and construction between restaurants, the fact that this one harbors opinions all over the map earns it a spot right in the center of our list. If you do go for it, we sure hope that you are handed a slider that is on the satisfactory side.

Although there has been a slew of now-discontinued sliders on Arby's menu over the years, there are currently four up for grabs: the regular Chicken, Buffalo Chicken, regular Roast Beef, and Jalapeño Roast Beef. There are two major flavor profiles here: chicken, and roast beef. And when it comes to enjoyability, the two options providing more of a kick — the Buffalo and Jalapeño — are apparently the way to go.

Many eaters conclude that the Jalapeño Roast Beef and the Buffalo Chicken slider offer a much more flavorful bite than the standard Chicken or Roast Beef variants, thanks to the simple but powerful additions of sauce and spice. The two milder sliders are often referred to as a bit bland — giving the Arby's sliders a mere 50% positivity rating. In addition, the chain's sliders also get a few points knocked down for what many call questionable size. "The chicken sliders use small strips which are a practical mismatch to the roll anyways. It's like serving up a hot dog on a hamburger bun. At least ⅓ of your bite is basically chewing just bread and sauce," said an alleged employee on Reddit. All in all, if you're going to go for it with a slider at Arby's, we have to recommend the Buffalo or the Jalapeno based on the positive flavor feedback — just be prepared for the possibility of a disappointing bread-to-meat ratio.

From the Original Krystal sliders composed of beef, mustard, and pickles to the line of poultry-based Chik sliders and the recently-added Krabbycake tiny fish sandwich, the fast-casual chain known as Krystal certainly has its share of miniature sandwiches to choose from. And when it comes to the chain's Original Krystal beef sliders, which are often compared in both appearance and style to the White Castle variants, Krystal's has a pretty tasty tiny sandwich under its belt.

Both the Krystal and White Castle standard sliders maintain the same square meat patty, the same square bun, and the same onion and pickle condiments. The only obvious difference between the two compositions, in fact, is that the Krystal sliders come with mustard as part of the typical sandwich recipe. Given this striking similarity in concept, it makes sense that the two versions are pegged against one another on taste ... and though it's a close call, the majority of consumer opinion seems to put the Krystal sliders just slightly on top. "Krystal All the way!" says a consumer in a comparison video on YouTube, illustrating the commonly shared viewpoint. "[...] They have other items to try as well ... Corn pups, Krystal chic, hot dogs .... Yummy! I always found White Castle buns to be dry and not as fresh as Krystal buns." Regardless of where you personally stand on the White Castle vs. Krystal debate, objectively speaking, we have to place Krystal one step ahead in our ranking.

Hopdoddy Burger Bar is a sports bar-style restaurant chain with a heavy presence in the Southern United States. Not only does the casual dining franchise sport incredible cocktails, alcohol-infused milkshakes, spicy fried chicken sandwiches, and massive burgers with creative condiments, but it also sports some delectable little sliders as part of its special happy hour menu.

Between the hours of 3-6 p.m. (otherwise known as 'Hoppy Hour') at Hopdoddy locations, consumers can snag a plateful of delicious sliders alongside their fresh brew or margarita. The franchise's sliders are relatively basic in their makeup, featuring nothing but onions, melted American cheese, and a signature sauce on top of a beef patty, but it is the beef itself that elevates this particular chain's miniature sandwich. All of the meat used in Hopdoddy's house-made burgers is regenerative; meaning, it is drawn from grass-fed, pasture-raised, healthy cows. It's these happy-cattle patties that really make the quality — and therefore the taste — of Hopdoddy's sliders pop. Oh, and did we mention the buns used to encase them are delectable King's Hawaiian sweet rolls? If these facts alone don't sell you on giving the sliders a try, perhaps the fact that online consumers are trying to emulate the sandwiches will. "Sliders at Hopdoddy?" reads the title of a Reddit post, on which a consumer asks for the coveted recipe. It's official: these ones are worth a try. 

In order to create the ultimate ranking of chain restaurant sliders, online consumer reviews across platforms such as Reddit, Yelp, Tripadvisor, YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, and personal blogs were scrupulously consulted. The writer's own taste experiences were taken into account as applicable, as well, and all of these aspects contributed to what we believe to be a fair and accurate categorization. However, taste is subjective, and is important to note that individual preferences and experiences may vary.