While on a recent trip to my hometown of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, I paid a visit to an Alabama fast food institution: Milo's Hamburgers. With 15 locations, Milo's stands out as one of the unique fast food options available in the Yellowhammer state.
The restaurant's signature burgers and fries are supplemented by a unique menu that includes chicken tenders, "fried pies," a variety of original sauces, and sweet tea that is so beloved the company created a slushie version that's beginning to roll out in Alabama convenience stores.
With an exclusively regional presence and a devoted cult following, Milo's just might be worthy of being considered the In-N-Out Burger of the South. Following is a transcript of the video:
[We tried the "In-N-Out Burger" of Alabama]
[Tuscaloosa, Alabama]
[All 15 Milo's locations are in Alabama]
[The chain is famous for its burgers, crinkle-cut fries, a variety of sauces, chicken tenders, "fried pies," and its beloved sweet tea]
Milo's Employee: Thank you, sir!
Graham Flanagan: Appreciate it!
This is really important - the sauces that you get. They've got five sauces, five original sauces. Too much sauce? I don't think so.
I'm gonna start with the double cheeseburger. It's caked in this Milo's sauce, onions, pickles - it's kind of got that vibe of like, a barbecue cheeseburger. So good! There's something about that sauce with the burger.
Look at these fries. Beautiful. Crinkle-cut fries. Comparable to something you'd get at Shake Shack. Let's try that with the sauces. You know, they call me the "Big Dipper." Mix it up, baby!
This my cousin Jon.
Jon Tyler: Hello.
Flanagan: What makes Milo's unique?
Tyler: The chicken.
Flanagan: Look at that! Man! You're on chicken cam!
They also have what they call "fried pies." I'm just gonna take a bite out of it like a Pop-Tart. That is so delicious. Flaky and sweet. Today is my cheat day.
Milo's is famous for its sweet tea. People buy it by the gallon. It's a phenomenon. Just to give you an idea of how popular Milo's sweet tea is, there's a gas station sort of on the outskirts of Tuscaloosa that sells a Milo's slushie, but they call it a "Freezey." And this is the only place you can get it. Wow. It's already got lemon in it. It tastes like the tea, but it's a slushie. This is like the greatest invention of all time!
I bet a lot of Alabamians would be ready to take this up against In-N-Out Burger any day. I think the rest of the nation would be in luck if they ever decided to expand.