Of all the culinary guilty pleasures that Americans enjoy, sliders are probably near the top of many lists. These mini burgers are served on an equally undersized bun, garnished with little more than pickles and grilled onions (and maybe mustard), and often consumed after sunset when gluttonous pursuits are better obscured under the cover of darkness.
Indeed, sliders are commonly served in restaurants that aren't necessarily where you were going, but instead where you ended up, and there's nothing wrong with that.
In fact, the titular inventors of the slider at White Castle have recently leaned into the chain's reputation as a late-night dining destination by cheekily rebranding the restaurant as "Night Castle" and sharing data that 83% of diners like to eat fast food at the end of a night out. Almost 70% of White Castle locations are open 24/7, while many of the remaining restaurants stay open past midnight on weeknights and around the clock on weekends.
Sliders are usually a volume purchase, often by the sackful or in larger quantities, ranging to White Castle's 100-slider "Crave Crate." So we know when you like them, and how much you like them, but the question is why you like them.
The reasons are many from the ease of purchasing in bulk, the fact that nobody really keeps count of your consumption after you've downed a couple, and the consistent flavor memory of the tangy burgers that might remind you of the debaucherous fun you had right before the last time you stopped for a 10-bagger.
Now larger restaurant chains, including Chili's and the Cheesecake Factory, have jumped on the slider bandwagon. T.G.I. Friday's sells its signature sliders in the freezer case of your local supermarket (albeit curiously not currently in its restaurants).
Other national chains have dabbled with adding sliders to their menus as specialty or limited-time offerings, including A&W, Sonic, Johnny Rockets, Applebee's, Buffalo Wild Wings, Ruby Tuesday, and Red Robin, although none of them are offering sliders as a regular item at the moment.
Personally, this is a good thing, because I recently accepted the challenge to try the sliders everywhere within driving distance of my home of Nashville, Tenn., and my gastroenterologist is grateful that I was limited to four options: two long-time slider emporia and two popular casual-dining chains better known for their full-size burgers plus other specialties. Follow along on my slider sojourn, as I rank them from my least favorite to the overall best.