Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

J. Alexander's has, by far, the best burger I have ever eaten. They grind their own Certified Angus Chuck in-house. They test it to make sure it has the proper fat percentage mandated by their corporate cookbook. Then they grill the burger on a wood-fire grill. It is served with leaf lettice, cirspy red onion, tomato, and pickles (3). Tillamook cheddar is the cheese of choice, but monterrey jack and swiss are also available. The chain operates only 28 restaurants, and might be considered upscale by comparison to your other burger restaurant selections; however, TGI Fridays charges $10.99 for a burger, J. Alexander's charges $10. I urge you to try it!

I don't know if anyone mentioned The VORTEX Bar and Grill in Atlanta. They claim to have the best burger in ATL. And my husband and I DO love their burgers. The two locations have a biker/goth atomsphere and its awesome. Please try "The Vortex" if you're in the ATL area.

I also love Fuddruckers, but it seems like it tasted a lil better in NM. Its got that Southwestern taste and the green chili burger, YUM! And try to review the In-and-Out Burgers (I wish we had one here). I"m craving an In and Out burger right now!

Dude, forget those above, they suck. Seriously though Ruby Tuesday's is the only chain burger that I have eaten that will not only serve it rare, the way meat was intended to be eaten. but it is also Prime. They also have one of the best salad bars I have seen.
If you ever make it out to western Montana try a place in Hamilton called Naps, they will also serve your burger rare. One of the best I have had.

When you survey the remaining restaurants be sure to include Chili's! Chili's has excellent burgers! I can honestly say I've never had a bad burger at Chili's. Unfortunately Ruby Tuesday's depends on the location.........not very consistent between restaurants. I loved the food in Bessemer AL at Ruby Tuesday's but it was HORRIBLE at the one near Loudon TN.........
For fast food, Wendy's seems to be the best. For sit-down dining Chili's is my top pick........

I don't know if there is one nearby, but oddly enough I think Logan's Roadhouse (it's a steakhouse) has excellent burgers. Ofcourse I don't think they would cook it MR, but I think they still kick toosh.

I too recommend Fuddruckers. I am not sure if this franchise is back east but Hamburger Hamlet is also a Red Robin level burger place.

I think its also important to add that at Red Robin you can order your burger Protein Style. They serve this as a low carb option (no bun wrapped in lettuce) and with a salad instead of fries.