We recently had some great restaurant burgers, and it set me to wondering: Why can't *I* make them like that?

There was nothing outwardly distinctive - a grilled 1/4# (I'm thinking) ground beef patty, thin, two very thin slices tomato, thinly sliced sweet onion and the pickle was a dill spear coarsely chopped.

To this I added ketchup and mustard. It was bundled on a normal sandwich-style bun, soft textured. It came wrapped in aluminum foil, so I thought maybe this is the secret - sort of "steaming" the burger before it got home and eaten.

However, I tried the same thing, and nope.

So, what are the tricks to making great hamburger sandwiches? Why are the restaurant ones so different from those you make at home, even though you're using the same basic ingredients?

Thanks for any advice! I'm a burger fan and would love to be able to make really good ones!