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Five Guys

I went to Five Guys for the first time yesterday. I live in the Northwest but am visiting South Carolina on business.

I must say that this may be the quintisential American eatery. When you walk into Five Guys there should be no doubt in your mind what you are going to eat. The only question should be what you will get on your hamburger. For me, I got a cheeseburger with: mayo, lettuce, tomato, pickle, and grilled onions. The burger was perfect. The patty was hot, the cheese was melted and the bun was warm. The lettuce was crisp, the tomato was flavorful, and the pickle chip offered a crisp and sour finish. It was the perfect hamburger.

The fries are legendary. These are not McDonalds French fries. They are not individually quick frozen with a sodium coating. They are potatoes dropped in peanut oil then seasoned with salt.

My one gripe about this place is that the regular order of fries is huge. I would have rather paid a little less and received half the fries. But, I was dining solo. If there had been another person with me we could have easily shared an order of fries and it would have been a little cheaper.

Basically, what I am saying is: if you don't like Five Guys you are communist.

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  1. *grins* I fully agree with this post. I had the pleasure of eating at Five Guys twice during my short time living in DC, and both times probably rank as the highest experiences I've ever had with fast food: delicious, juicy burgers done just right, and ridiculously generous portions of mouth watering fries. I rarely crave fast food, but just the thought of Five Guys has me salivating.

    5 Replies
    1. re: vorpal

      I agree. I love Five Guys and don't understand all of the negative posts about them. It's almost as if the people who don't like the burgers are eating at another place.

      1. re: hotdoglover

        I assume that being a hot dog lover that you have tried the Five Guys hot dog. Is it good or should I stick to the burger?

        1. re: jpc8015

          The hot dog is good, but I would stick to the burger. I go to Five Guys for the burgers and fries. The hot dog is above average; it's a Hebrew National that is split and griddled. If I am in the mood to go out for a dog, I get a natural casing frank (Hebrew National is skinless) and usually one of the few brands that I prefer to Hebrew National.

          1. re: jpc8015

            My family is a HUGE fan of their hot dogs....we get the bacon cheese dog with mustard and diced onion.....awesome!!! We like them better than the burgers...they are split and grilled on the flat top!!

          2. re: hotdoglover

            Five Guys just opened in our area recently and we go there once a week. It seems they don't get a lot of love here because they don't have fast food fries and they don't have a dollar menu. We eat there for around $15 for both which seems reasonable. I could eat some of those hot fries with malt vinegar right now. *drool

        2. Not all 5 Guys created equally...A new one opened near us (Melbourne, FL), so we tried it for lunch. The guy cooking the fries got way ahead of the group cooking/putting together the burgers. As a result, our fries spent way too long a time sitting in that styrofoam cup before they were bagged and delivered to us with the rest of our order. We immediately dumped them out of the cup, but it was too late. Saying that they were soggy was a gross understatement. This chain may be growing too quickly to maintain quality control..

          1 Reply
          1. re: cavandre

            I had a problem the first time I went to the Dallas location (lower deck of the Galleria) and sent them a message via my blackberry to their corporate offices just to let them know since the manager was not to be found. The food was sent out the moment it was made, but the meat was dry beyond compare, and the bun saturated in grease. Inedible.

            To 5 Guys credit, before I was home an hour later, I had an email back from the manager of that location apologizing and offering a replacement meal. I did go back, and it was superb. Far from the best I have had, but I do 'get it' now.

          2. I like 'em too. I live two blocks from one of the early locations and it has been consistently good over the years. I am sure there are better burgers out there somewhere but for reasonably priced, reliably delicious burgers and fries, 5 Guys works for me. In fact, we had it for dinner Saturday night. There were left over fries forcing me to arise early on Sunday to heat them up in a lightly oiled cast iron skillet with 2 eggs sunny side up and eat before the rest of the household arose. #2 son was pissed.

            1. Hotdoglover: I respect your opinion, and agree that the dog here is good, if not VERY overpriced. ($3.50) The other flaw is the really low quality mustard and relish. If I ever went again I would bring my own packets of Gulden's.

              12 Replies
              1. re: menton1

                taking in account franchise fees and other nasty costs, and desiring something of a profit, what would you charge?

                1. re: menton1

                  I never tried their relish, but the mustard they use is yellow; probably French's or Plochman's. I prefer brown mustard on a beef hot dog.

                  1. re: menton1

                    Hmmm... $3.50 doesn't sound unreasonable for a hot dog to me. I guess to each his own.

                    1. re: vorpal

                      The average price of a hot dog in Northern NJ is about $2. In New York we have Papaya King and Gray's, under $2. And their hotdogs are much better than 5 Guys!

                      So much for NY being expensive!

                      1. re: menton1

                        I think the gold standard for hot dogs is the Costco food court. For $1.50 you get a big all beef dog and a fountain drink. Hard to beat.

                        1. re: jpc8015

                          Membership has its privileges. The Kirkland hot dogs they use now are a step (or three) below what they had previously, though. Still, yeah, that is a deal. A steal.

                          1. re: Fibber McGee

                            I don't think you need to be a member to buy a hot dog or pizza at the outdoor food court.

                            1. re: Servorg

                              Ah. The ones I've been to only have an indoor food court.Thus, member or guest of member or pass for access.

                              1. re: Fibber McGee


                                Walk in the exit and walk up to the counter. They don't ask for your membership at either spot.


                                1. re: Davwud

                                  Costco dogs are steamed. Not a cooking method to my liking when it comes to hot dogs. Grilled, yeah!

                                  1. re: menton1

                                    I'm good with the Costco dogs but don't love 'em the way others do.


                    2. I agree. I love 5 Guys. I can't wait for them to open up in TO.

                      They've starting to pop up out in western Canada. I'm wondering if it's due to an anticipated influx of American's for the Olympics.