Five Guys - A Virginia Chain That Has Become The McDonald's Of The Fast-Casual Burger World

[Walrus]

To answer a question posted upthread, I like the burger at Harry's Tap Room -- I had the turkey burger last time we were there, and it was a delight. The turkey (all breast meat) was moist, hot, and nicely spiced, and the bun and fries were lovely.

My latest, most favorite "fast food" burger place is Elevation Burger -- they spent 3 years perfecting their products and their business model before opening this restaurant, and it really shows. They love their food, they love their customers, and we love them right back! I think I know what my dinner will be tonight...mmmm...

[jparrott]

Just returning from the Gainesville 5G's. About as good as the other franchisers, not as good as the originals. This place needs a "spread." and to have sliced fried onions that stay on the sandwich. And if that makes me sound nostalgic for In-n-Out, so be it.

[tastedc]

Hey, back to the well done vs you choose doneness burgers - I think it's unfair to even put them in the same category! So Fudd's competes with made to order burgers, 5G's competes with McD's and other well-done only food producers - Apple to Apples so to speak. Having said that, 5G's does pretty well, but the Georgetown location's issue is staff, and frankly, that's another thread, so I'll leave it alone...

But when it comes to choose your doneness burgers (CYDB's!), my preference, not necessarily in order is:

-Grilled even charred outside,

-Medium-rare - if I die, I die, I plan to eat Fugu at some point as well...

-Sesame seed bun, brioche or an "airy" yeasty style bread (not dense, I want something to sponge the delicious grease and fat!) - the bun should be grilled,

-80-85% lean or FATTIER beef, and if it's leaner, it's acceptable to add fat to the pre-cooked burger!

-NEVER squeeze the juices out of the burger when it's grilling, MUST retain significant portion of grease!

Condiments - OK, I LOVE ketchup, Heinz for me, or BBQ Sauce, NO STEAK SAUCE, who came up with that?? Onions (fried, fresh or both), lettuce and tomato are good, BUT tomato must be ripe, none of those rubbery bouncing tomatoes designed for Supermarkets, yuck! and Jalapenos or other hot peppers are fine, pickle should be of the sour variety, but sweet's OK too!

Cheese - Either way, but NEVER a cheese spread, I prefer firm cheddar, but shredded is fine

Experience:

-Grease must drip down my chin, this is de rigeur and part of the experience,

-Cheese should stretch out a bit, BTW, the cheese is the salt for my dish,

-Good chew - not grissle so much, as meat that has some beefy firmness..

I'm so hungry, I can't type anymore, I'll continue this later!!

[bilrus]

Hey, back to the well done vs you choose doneness burgers - I think it's unfair to even put them in the same category!  So Fudd's competes with made to order burgers, 5G's competes with McD's and other well-done only food producers - Apple to Apples so to speak.

Thank you. I've gone on this rant a number of times so I felt obliged to let it be this time around.

[hm212]

Five Guys had rapid franchise expansion.

There are good franchisees and not as good franchisees and there are terrible franchisees. Unfortunately, people tend to blame the entire brand for the weak franchisees. Remember as franchise is only as good as the on site manager.

The Germantown and Kentlands Five Guys in Maryland are very good. I have heard the the same people that own Mama Lucia's pizza on Rockville Pike are operating those two outlets.

Great Pizza and Great Burgers.

Maybe they just need to be more picky who they let represent them in the other areas.

[Sthitch]

Edit to remove the text that I reposed to the Roy's thread.

Edited October 28, 2005 by Sthitch

[johnb]

Removed to RR thread

Edited October 28, 2005 by johnb

[Giancarlo Buonarotti]

A trip out to Bowie to get an oil change (near the office, cheaper than in DC, blah blah blah) led me to an outpost of Five Guys in this small but rapidly expanding DC Burb. Yes, this was my first time at a Five Guys. Evaluation? Not going back.

Where was the ketchup I asked for? Why use thinly sliced jalapenos with no heat and less flavor? What the heck was that seasoning on my "cajun" fries (and why can't you just hire a consultant from Thrashers?)? What sort of mad scientist concocted this thing you call "cheese"? Why did my bun have the consistency of soggy kleenex?

One of the few -- very few -- things that can be said about chain-i-fication is that it brings about a general consistency between branches of a restaurant. And if Five Guys is headed (and with a store in Bowie, it seems like it) into becoming a widespread local chain, I'm sure not going back to any of them. Maybe I'm missing something; when I posted something on DCist about Palena's burger certain commenters were all over me for being an effete snob and not mentioning Five Guys. Maybe the commute down Rt 50 to Bowie results in drastic quality reduction. But I'm thinking the allure is nostalgia.

Oh, and memo to Mr. Mellencamp and other enthusiasts: The chili dogs at Tastee Freeze suck now too.

I hear they are trying a new roll? Would a newbutcher be in order?

[Sthitch]

Clarendon/Court House is getting a branch. It is right across the street from Singh Thai on Wilson.

[Giancarlo Buonarotti]

Clarendon/Court House is getting a branch.  It is right across the street from Singh Thai on Wilson.

Thanks for the warning.

[JLK]

Five Guys has made it to Scranton, PA. There's no Starbucks, and yet, there IS a Five Guys. That says a lot.

In case any of you are passing by, it's just off Route 81 by Viewmont Mall (Route 6 exit).

[Pool Boy]

The Five Guys is Reisterstown is not bad. Their fries are better than the burgers, though, IMO and that is why I go there from time to time. But honestly, between Que Rico and EParaiso right next door (more or less), my trips to Fuve Guys are becoming fewer and fewer.

[JPW]

This just in.

Five Guys now has an outpost in Lynchburg VA.

Don't know where that is?

Click here

[Bob Wells]

This just in.

Five Guys now has an outpost in Lynchburg VA.

Don't know where that is?

Click here

While driving out US 29 (soon to be renamed Five Guys Highway), which will indeed take you to Lynchburg, last week, I saw Five Guys in Gainesville and Warrenton. I suspect Culpeper has or is getting one too. There's a Starbucks in the same strip center as both Five Guys. (N.B. the Starbucks on 29 just outside Warrenton near Joe Jacoby Ford is a drive-thru.)

[goldenticket]

(today's foie gras burger at lunch reminded me that I'd had another burger recently - of course, while it wasn't bad, it was nowhere near the same league as JohnyRooks' burger and frites!)

There was no foie gras on the board at Five Guys (Old Town location) the other night ...although the burger seemed a bit more, um, - organized, for lack of a better word. The meat held together better than I remember it doing before and seemed to be more 'preformed' than the sloppy, hand shaped burgers of previous visits. I got a little cheeseburger, but the patty seemed much bigger than they used to be - the whole thing just seemed different. The bun was larger, so there wasn't the usual mess of stuff sliding out and off the burger. I'm not sure if that was an improvement or not...I kind of like picking the scraps of sauteed onions and mushrooms and melted cheese from the foil wrapper. Tasted pretty good, as did the fries which were crispy and hot.

[JPW]

This just in.

Five Guys now has an outpost in Lynchburg VA.

Don't know where that is?

Click here

Check that. There are now two.

[Walrus]

Ha -- there are OVER 900 locations on the East Coast. Pah.

http://www.thecharlotteweekly.com/Culinary...17/Feb%2017.pdf

Still can't hold a candle to Elevation Burger is all I can say!

[Sthitch]

The burger they show is one of the reasons why I don't like them. They over garnish them, so much so that you can't even tell that there is meat on the bun.

I do have to admit that I like their Dogs, and the one further down in the article looks damn appetizing.

[bilrus]

I do have to admit that I like their Dogs, and the one further down in the article looks damn appetizing.

The bacon cheese dog with onions is the first thing I order there.

[Meaghan]

So, the Five Guys by Courthouse is finally open now. Not even talking burgers, I tried their fries for the first time and they licked duct-leech nut.

What's the deal with so much peanut oil? Between the choice of lubercant and the bushels of shelled nuts, there's a strong message to those allergic: Die.

[CrescentFresh]

I tried their fries for the first time and they licked duct-leech nut.

If they made the fries tableside, it'd be full scale ventworm, right?

You're so right. Their fries bite. Next time I'm gonna get two burgers and skip the fries.

[Meaghan]

If they made the fries tableside, it'd be full scale ventworm, right?

You're so right.  Their fries bite.  Next time I'm gonna get two burgers and skip the fries.

Exactly right!!

[CoreyKeith]

Monday's Post has an article covering the Five Guys expansion. Of interest is the level of detail in the franchise agreement although evidence in this forum indicates wider variablity in quality than desired by the Murrells. One hundred new east coast locations next year and 1,000 more being phased in.

[Stretch]

"One Thousand One Hundred And Eighty Seven Guys" is going to be hard to screenprint onto the souvenir baseball caps.

[qwertyy]

Do you think Five Guys and In-N-Out expansions will spark an East Coast/West Coast burger war? Biggie and Tupac would be so proud...

[Sthitch]

Do you think Five Guys and In-N-Out expansions will spark an East Coast/West Coast burger war? Biggie and Tupac would be so proud...

No! 5 Guys is a joke compared to In-N-Out. The food at 5 Guys has never been close to what you can get at In-N-Out. Plus, In-N-Out is not franchised, and is much more consistent than 5 Guys has ever been.

[qwertyy]

No!  5 Guys is a joke compared to In-N-Out.  The food at 5 Guys has never been close to what you can get at In-N-Out.  Plus, In-N-Out is not franchised, and is much more consistent than 5 Guys has ever been.

Well, um, I was joking.

But clearly the vitriol is there for a bicoastal burger brawl!

[Drive-by Critic]

We were eager to try Five Guys several years ago, before they showed up in Maryland. We happened to drive past one in Virginia, made a quick u-turn.

What on earth is all the fuss about? We had a greasy burger with very little flavor, and limp, soggy fries. We didn't finish the burger or the fries.

This place is barely mediocre.

Ellen

[mdt]

We were eager to try Five Guys several years ago, before they showed up in Maryland. We happened to drive past one in Virginia, made a quick u-turn.

What on earth is all the fuss about? We had a greasy burger with very little flavor, and limp, soggy fries. We didn't finish the burger or the fries.

This place is barely mediocre.

Ellen

I don't think anyone is claiming that they are the greatest burger. Merely a decent option if you are in the mood for a regular burger. I tend to get good fries at the Springfield location, but that is only 7 out of 10 times.

Out of curiosity which location did you go to? It unfortunately makes a difference.

[johnb]

We were eager to try Five Guys several years ago, before they showed up in Maryland. We happened to drive past one in Virginia, made a quick u-turn.

What on earth is all the fuss about? We had a greasy burger with very little flavor, and limp, soggy fries. We didn't finish the burger or the fries.

This place is barely mediocre.

Ellen

Whose burger are you comparing it with?

BTW, speaking for myself, greasy is good. The opposite is dry.

[Meaghan]

Five Guys is awful!

[johnb]

No!  5 Guys is a joke compared to In-N-Out.  The food at 5 Guys has never been close to what you can get at In-N-Out.  Plus, In-N-Out is not franchised, and is much more consistent than 5 Guys has ever been.

I think that's a cheap shot. You can argue that In-N-Out is better if you want, and having eaten at both of them plenty of times I might even generally agree, but the difference simply doesn't justify that kind of comparison. 5 Guys puts out a very decent product. And I've had some excellent burgers at some of the new locations.

IMO this adulation of In-N-Out has as much to do with distance as with inherent quality. They have a good product but other folks have a good product too. In-N-Out is not the be all and end all of hamburgers (Apologies to Joe H, who will cringe when he reads this, as well as my sister who is an even bigger fan of In-N-Out than he is if that's possible).

It reminds me of the old definition of an expert: a regular guy who comes from far away.

And there are plenty of burger fans on the West Coast who prefer other places, including big chains, as even a cursory glance at other boards will quickly show.

[DonRocks]

[Not to anticipate-nitpick, but please limit discussion of In-N-Out on this thread to comparisions/contrasts with Five Guys (which, by the way, everyone has so far!) Cheers, Rocks.]

[ScotteeM]

I used to get burgers and fries from the Springfield location, back before the franchising started. It was always a treat. I understood having to wait 10-15 minutes for mine to be done, because there were usually at least a dozen people waiting ahead of me.

Last Thursday, I found myself at the Merrifield franchise. With no one ahead of me, I couldn't understand the 10-15 minutes I had to wait for my little bacon cheeseburger and regular fries to be done. The burger was OK, but not as good as I remember. The "sauteed" mushrooms did not have the appearance of having seen any recent heat source, saute pan or otherwise. The fries were as greasy as I remember, and pretty good.

I perceive some slippage, and I was prepared to say how bad my meal was last week, until a friend took me to lunch today at one of those delis one finds in office buildings. Some of those can be quite good, but today's was not. The fries were crisp and freshly fried just for me--good for frozen product. The burger was a grey flat disk, moistened with a dab of mayonnaise (I didn't think to say "no mayo" because I didn't know people put mayo on burgers--my bad). Yech. Now Five Guys seems pretty good, after all.

[Joe H]

I think that's a cheap shot. You can argue that In-N-Out is better if you want, and having eaten at both of them plenty of times I might even generally agree, but the difference simply doesn't justify that kind of comparison.  5 Guys puts out a very decent product.  And I've had some excellent burgers at some of the new locations. 

IMO this adulation of In-N-Out has as much to do with distance as with inherent quality.  They have a good product but other folks have a good product too.  In-N-Out is not the be all and end all of hamburgers (Apologies to Joe H, who will cringe when he reads this, as well as my sister who is an even bigger fan of In-N-Out than he is if that's possible).

It reminds me of the old definition of an expert:  a regular guy who comes from far away.

And there are plenty of burger fans on the West Coast who prefer other places, including big chains, as even a cursory glance at other boards will quickly show.

Five Guys succeeds because most people have forgotten what a good hamburger and french fries SHOULD taste like. In 'n Out remembers because they haven't changed. But from day one Five Guys was a Baileys Cross Roads rip off of Ocean City's enormously successful Thrasher's which is still the benchmark for thick cut french fries in America. No, In 'n Out's french fries cannot compare to Thrasher's. But a Double Double Animal Style is better, I think much better than anything at Five Guys. And, yes, it is legitimately delicious on its own-not because it's from the West Coast. It's also better than the Apple Pan, Tommy's or Cassell's or any other SoCal burger place-take a look at Zagat's Southern California hamburger ratings although I hesitate to mention this. In 'n Out is still number one. I happen to have a particular opinion on Tommy's Double Chili Cheese: this was the first "meal" that Carol and I had after we were married in Malibu. Off the hood of a rental LeBaron convertible we both said we should have gone to In' n Out!

By the way, Carol and I both agree on this: our first bite of a Double Double Animal Style tasted EXACTLY like a Mighty Mo did in the late 1950's when we first had one. Part of my love of In 'n Out is the nostalgia of what Hot Shoppes and the Mighty Mo Drive Inns (Takoma Park, Queenstown and District Heights) once tasted like. In 'n Out, to a great extent, recaptures the exact taste!

Still, with the absolute lack of competition Five Guys will continue to expand.

[Chris Cunningham]

In/out is in California and if the current litigation regarding franchising continues it could end up here as well. However, since one can only go to California for In/Out its kind of pointless to compare something that people living and working in DC can't readily have. As for Five guys- its ok once in a while. I personally don't like my meat cooked to a nuclear degree and they will cook it med rare if I ask them 3 times while I'm watching, but their MOD is well done-which I think is a waste of meat. As for the fries, Ive never liked that style FF. I like Mcdonalds a few times a year right out of the fryer with a fountain coke_heaven. As for ripping off Thrashers or anyone else for that matter- no one is reinventing the wheel here. Different strokes for different folks. You think you can do better-Go for it. They are successful because they are putting out an affordable product that most everyone eats daily, and if you don't like 5 Guys their are usually 5 other choices within a 4 block radius. I personnally don't see the rave over 5 Guys, but I might have one twice a year just for variety.

[johnb]

In/out is in California and if the current litigation regarding franchising continues it could end up here as well. However, since one can only go to California for In/Out its kind of pointless to compare something that people living and working in DC can't readily have. As for Five guys- its ok once in a while. I personally don't like my meat cooked to a nuclear degree and they will cook it med rare if I ask them 3 times while I'm watching, but their MOD is well done-which I think is a waste of meat. As for the fries, Ive never liked that style FF. I like Mcdonalds a few times a year right out of the fryer with a fountain coke_heaven. As for ripping off Thrashers or anyone else for that matter- no one is reinventing the wheel here. Different strokes for different folks. You think you can do better-Go for it. They are successful because they are putting out an affordable product that most everyone eats daily, and if you don't like 5 Guys their are usually 5 other choices within a 4 block radius. I personnally don't see the rave over 5 Guys, but I might have one twice a year just for variety.

Until three days ago, I would have agreed with the complaint about 5 guys overcooking (although in my dim memory I believe In-N-Out does pretty much the same). But I had a medium rare burger on Friday (I had ordered medium, but oh well...) at a well-regarded local single-location restaurant, and as a result spent the weekend on, as Tony Bourdain calls it, the thunder bucket; a totally wasted weekend and NO FUN. I have learned my lesson. There is a very good reason why ground meat should be cooked well, and I will not be eating any squishy ground beef in the future. Period.

[Note: I won't say where it was, except that it wasn't Elevation]

This discussion of 5 Guys vs. In-N-Out is like so many others. It is easy to pontificate when you know what you are eating before you put it in your mouth. I would love to see a double blind tasting of these things, and many wines, olive oils, cheeses, pizzas, etc etc etc. Short of that, what people write here, including me, is mostly pre-formed opinions and personal preferences. Take it for what it's worth, which in my advanced age I find is, in the end, limited at best.

Judge for yourself, and stick with what you like.

[JPW]

[Hi, I'm pretending to be Rocks by using brackets. We did an olive oil tasting at the last picnic -- here]

[jparrott]

But a Double Double Animal Style is better, I think much better than anything at Five Guys. 

And this goes right to the core criticisms of the 5G way. The fried onions are cold and don't melt into the sandwich. And no spread! I've been trying various combinations of ketchup/mustard/relish/mayonnaise to try to mimic a spread-like substance, but it's that spread that really puts life back into In-n-Outs (also well-done) burgers.

[DLB]

Come on folks Five Guys is not that bad! I really hate when places that are providing a good product gets bashed on this board! The greasy burger has it's place. It makes no sense to compare Five Guys with IN and Out, as they do not exist in this region. Some people are expecting too much. You are not going to get your burger cooked to a specific temperature at Five Guys, or at most burger joints like this.

They just opened a Five Guys across from my place in the courthouse area of Arlington, and it has been packed every night. They are doing something right; it is not a place to go everyday, but once in a while its good for a greasy burger fix.

[Meaghan]

[Not to anticipate-nitpick, but please limit discussion of In-N-Out on this thread to comparisions/contrasts with Five Guys (which, by the way, everyone has so far!)  Cheers, Rocks.]

[it was more a preemptive-nitpick ...and it failed to work. But still: You got the axe.]

PS: The 1/2 price (Thursdays) burger at Kitty O'Shea's is probably better. See you next Thursday?

[CrescentFresh]

Come on folks Five Guys is not that bad! I really hate when places that are providing a good product gets bashed on this board! The greasy burger has it's place.

I'm definitely not bashing them. I love them!

[Antonio Burrell]

No discussion here since the springtime big burger debate....Being slow like I am, I finally made it out to Elevation Burger and the Five Guys on Gallows next to Peking Village. The EB was earlier this month and the FG burger was last night. Let me say that the EB burger and FG burger were equals in my opinion. The fries were better at EB and the decor, selection is better but based on burger to burger analysis, they were equal. Having said that, the FG combo I had last night was superlative to any FG experience I've had in the last two years baring one trip I made to the King Street store, which was awesome. Last night my burger was juicy, not arid, appropriately greasy, seasoned for a change and quick. The fries were crisp and greasless?!?! and seasoned well with the cajun seasoning. I will quible that I like my raw onions in rings not diced but whatever. It was a much better experience than the Georgetown store. It was clean, bright, well run and did I mention clean.....It was, for me, last night, an experience that mirrored my original experience with FG on King Street. It may have been a flash in the pan, who knows but it was good, right on I'd say, last night.

[jm chen]

The bacon cheese dog with onions is the first thing I order there.

I had one of these at the Charlotteville location recently and it was a triumph. You never know what the bacon-dog-cheese configuration is going to be at a place you haven't tried before (wrapped? stuffed? laid alongside?) but Five Guys did it up right: a big dog split down the middle and filled with cooked crumbled bacon, with American cheese. Now, I hate American cheese, but on this it was perfect. And the onions topped it off just right. Writing about it makes me hungry again.

[MBK]

Some days, the crankiness can't be beat by an extra cup of morning coffee. It takes a bacon cheeseburger, fries, and a coke from Five Guys. Food for what ails ya. (And a chuckle at the fact that you can buy a cup of fat from the burrito shop next door - hey, at least my day's not that bad.)

And for the days when even that doesn't work, there's always internet shopping. Is it Friday yet?

[Monica Bhide]

I have never tried EB but I really enjoy the burgers at Five Guys. YUM! We go to the one on Gallows road.

[edenman]

New location in International Square (downstairs between 18th-19th on K, south side). Like I need a Five Guys closer to the office. Better go schedule some more time at the gym.

[Joshua Grinnell]

I am so excited that people take their burgers seriously here.

I've been pondering over the "expansion is bad" thread and I'd like to address an angle of it- what if every individual Five Guys was able to achieve the perfect franchise dream and have the food be the exact burgers that I remember getting from the roadside shack-ish place on Columbia Pike 10 years ago? I would still be a little let down that the "pilgrimage" aspect had been removed.

Before I left to study abroad in England, my parents took me to Five Guys because I sure as hell wasn't going to have an ol' blighty mad hamburger and I wanted my favorite to be burned into my tongue so that it would carry all the way across the ocean and back. I had a compass that always pointed in the direction of Five Guys so that no matter where in the world I was I knew which direction to drool fondly in.

Now there's a Five Guys that's a five minute walk from my apartment and I still haven't been there. I think it's been open for months now. I have five guys gift certificates that my parents gave me (because now there's one in Fredericksburg, too) and I haven't used them.

Perhaps this is a gourmet thing and not a foodie thing- a gourmet wants the nigh unattainable, the grape leaves rolled on the thighs of Athena herself, while the foodie knows that with the right hot sauce you can make Kraft products taste good. I'm really not sure. I still haven't had In-N-Out, but I recognize what's going on in the minds of its partisans: they're very good burgers, but they're also VERY FAR away. Your burger compass points to the west coast. That's where your golden city lies.

This is why my jury is still out on Elevation vs. Five Guys. If I try to remove that feeling of Elevation as a Special Treat because there's only one and it requires actually getting in a car and heading in a direction that I have no other reason to go in... Elevation and Five Guys burgers appeal to me about the same. Elevation has better fries, though I would sing the song that ends the world if they would stuff a sack full of them like Five Guys does. If Five Guys went back to two or three locations, would we who take their burgers seriously be happier?

[Destruya]

The food at the Tysons branch is, I'll agree, awful. Then again, it's a mall location, so the amount of business being done necessitates SOME cutting corners.

The Gallows Road location has always been alright - in fact, there's sometimes an issue of them taking TOO long to prepare orders (either because they're short-staffed on certain days or take their time, I don't know). But when I want a burger and don't want to deal with the gastrointestinal nightmares Wendy's and McDonald's can wreak, I go to Five Guys (or EB if I can be reasonably sure I'll be able to park).

There's also another place on Gallows that's been "opening soon" for going on a good half-year now in the same micro-strip-mall that has the Carvel/Cinnabon in it called "Dad's Backyard Burgers" right down the way from the Gallows 5G across from the Merrifield Garden Center.

God only knows WHEN it'll open, though - if ever at this point.

[DameEdna]

A new Five Guys, International Square, in DC. Long lines for lunch. I had a bacon burger and fries. As the sign on the

wall says "all meat cooked well done." That probably means you won't get E. Coli. It also means that completely gray

and overcooked is the standard. Better than most fast food, but not great. The fries were limp and greasy. Not a

very good experience.