I tried the burger at Mark Wahlberg's family chain, and now I understand why fans can't get enough of the restaurant

Brothers Mark, Donnie, and Paul Wahlberg opened their first burger restaurant in 2011 in Hingham, Massachusetts.

In 2014, a documentary-style TV show called "Wahlburgers" aired on A&E. It followed the family as Paul Wahlberg, who is a chef, led them into the restaurant business. Viewers also got a look into the business in the HBO series "Wahl Street."

Following the A&E show, more franchise locations opened and the brand started making and selling merchandise called Wahlgear. According to the company, there are currently 52 open locations, with more on the way.

As a result of the show and documentary, I had been hearing about this family concept for a while, but I had never been able to try it before my road trip through Charleston, South Carolina; Savannah, Georgia; and Atlanta.

When I arrived in my final destination city, I saw that there was a Wahlburgers location just a block from my hotel. It was too close for me to not give it a try, so at the end of a busy day, I walked over to the bright-green sign ready to eat.

From family photos on the walls to merchandise set up at the entrance, I knew I was taking part in something that was more than just a humble eatery.

The bright-green color scheme and burger posters were reminiscent of Shake Shack, but the Wahlburgers "W" logo was intentionally plastered on every napkin, on the walls, and on the menus.

The team also found ways to work "Wahl" into different words, like "Wahlbrewski" for a beer advertisement and "Wahlgear" for the merch.

There were photos of the three men both with and without their mother, a seemingly random "The Gambler" movie poster with just Mark in the image, and their names were used throughout the menu to indicate which meal each brother would choose.

If you wanted to, you could eat just like Mark by ordering the Impossible burger. While I did want the full movie-star experience, I'm a meat-eater and was there to try the beef burger. So I went with Paul's choice: The Our Burger.

I ordered the classic burger on the menu, which cost $11.95 and included a beef patty, American cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, and Wahl Sauce (the chain's version of fast-food-classic pink sauce often called special sauce).

As soon as I bit into the burger, I noticed how juicy and flavorful the patty was. I'm a pickle lover myself, so I appreciated the thick-cut discs that were heavy on the dill flavor. There was a single slice of tomato on my burger, but it was just thick enough to offer both flavor and texture.

While I thought the cheese was nicely melted, it didn't give a satisfying stringy pull the way my usual Five Guys burger does.

I thought there was room for improvement when it came to lettuce — the greens on my burger were limp and slightly soggy.

The bread used for this sandwich was fluffy and had a somewhat sturdy outer shell that didn't break apart under the weight of my grip.

But equally as impressive was the inside surface, which was soaked in butter.

When I cut my burger in half, I saw the nearly 1/4-inch thick layer of yellow that had seeped up into the spongy bun. It was a layer of butter that was used to help grill the bread and create a sort of seal to keep the burger and topping juices between the bun halves rather than inside of them. It worked, and my bun never got soggy.

Wahlburgers serves up classic shoestring-style fries that I thought were perfectly fine. They had a slight crunch outside and were mostly soft inside. While the texture was nice, the flavor was on the bland side. The potatoes were reminiscent of Wendy's when it came to texture and Burger King's in terms of flavor.

Ultimately, I wasn't compelled to eat every last one like I typically am.

Half the restaurant looked like a regular fast-food-meets-casual-dining eatery while the other half featured a fully-stocked, square bar and high-top tables.

I chose to sit at the bar and order a beer because that's where the other diners were. It seemed like the adults' area whereas the lower seating looked like a kid-friendly section.

The result was a space that looked like a mashup of Shake Shack and an airport sports bar.

This meal didn't leave me feeling greasy. I didn't walk away overly stuffed or still hungry. I was satisfied and quickly honored my need for a burger and beer.

Would I walk into a Wahlburgers instead of McDonald's? Sure. But would I walk into a Wahlburgers instead of a bar? Probably not unless I was a massive fan of Mark.

The food was good and employees were helpful and friendly, but biting into a burger with the three Wahlberg brothers staring at me from their many perches on the wall was a little unsettling. I thought it felt more like an attraction at a celebrity-themed amusement park than a restaurant and bar.

But hey, if dining among your on-screen or on-stage heroes is up your alley, have at it!