Five Guys burgers: I just don't get it

Everything else
1

Let me start off by saying that yes, there are died in the wool fans of this place, if you are one of those, this is not meant as an insult to you.

Well, on the recomendation of a co-worker i decided to give the whole Five Guys experience a whirl. The place was clean, the workers were polite and smiley, and the place smelled amazing. To test the waters, I gave the standard bacon cheeseburger a go, and a regular house style fries as well. Bag in hand, I headed back to work, tried a few fries on the way back, and man were they awesome, tasty, crispy, and still had the skin on, lovely. I made it back, retrieved the burger and my hand was gleaming from all the peanut oil all over it, fair enough, it was covered in fries, and the bag was translucent. Upon unwrapping the burger, first impression kind of put me off, the sides were totally grease soaked and falling apart. The thing that really got me, was the taste, or lack there of, I’ve eaten loads of burgers in my time, and it’s safe to say I know what I like. The burgers are cooked to all hell, grey and tasteless, no seasonings to speak of, I’m not exagerating, brown on the outside, gray on the inside. McDonalds cheeseburgers had more taste oddly. A word on the bacon, beef jerkey, it was pretty bad.

I made it through half the burger, and in the trash it went, I gave it an honest go, but it just didn’t do anything for me in the least. Like I said, the fries were out of this world, but the overcooked burger was just plain bad. Mayve I’m jaded, maybe I just don’t “get it”. Am I insane? Maybe, but I think the hype surrounding this place may just be one of thos peer pressure things, because I mentioned it to a couple people around work, and they looked at me cross-eyed for throwing it out.

So, what do you all think, it this hype-induced let down, or is it possible that this place is just good and I’m biased?

2

You eat it there instead of taking it back.

You can get a bunch of toppings that are normally extra.

Yes, the meat is inferior to Culvers.

It is hype induced letdown, but it is also a result of you choosing a sub optimal set of circumstances in which to try it for the first time. In short, you let each other down.

3

I’ve never gone for the burgers either. I will specifically make a trip to 5 Guys for their cajun fries though. The regular size is fine, because they pile half the bag full of fries anyways. Enough to feed 3 people.

4

I don’t think Five Guys burgers really have that much longevity, and the bacon probably also compromised its hull’s integrity pretty badly. My experience with Five Guys does revolve around the fries rather than the burger though. No matter what build you try, it does end up being just a basic burger rather than something unique. It’s like a Subway for burgers, I’d say.

5

In my defense, I work 2 minutes down the street from the place, it’s not like a dragged tail across town. :)

6

Not everyone likes everything. I would say that taking it to go is probably a mistake but even the most hardcore, I will only eat burgers cooked medium, people I know really like 5 guys. I think their burgers are great. They are fast food style rather than gourmet style (or whatever you want to call thicker burgers like at Fuddruckers etc.).

I also order burgers, other than 5 guys, cooked medium. Getting this in before someone decides I only like well done burgers.

7

I really like Fuddruckers burgers. They have big 1/2 pounders, I can top it how I like it, and their bread is amazing.

8

I wasn’t impressed by 5 guys when I lived in northern virginia 10 years ago, and I wasn’t impressed when I tried their new NYC franchise a couple of weeks ago. The burgers are entirely unexceptional. Their fries are pretty good, but not destination-worthy. The shake shack, on the other hand, makes an amazing fast-food style burger.

9

Shake Shack in front of the FlatIron building? Yeah that was pretty damn good.

10

Agreed on the Fuddrucker’s thing, they are really good. Also, agreed on the Xaroc medium cooked thing too, personally I’m a meduin-rare guy, but I do enjoy well done as long as it is tasty and not dry. Another thing, I’ve brought burgers from places up to 25 minutes away and they held up just fine, it’s pretty pitiful that in a 2 minute drive this thing turned into a soggy mess.

11

Funny I was gonna start a thread over the weekend about how good the burger I had on Saturday was from there. They added one in B’ham about a year and a half or 2 ago and I love it. A regular burger has a ton of delicious and fresh ground beef and they give you 10 times the amount of fries you would expect that are also frsf and delicious. I still prefer beef BBQ as my mostest favoritist lunch, but as far as a quick burger place goes, I love it.

Oh and I have the pallet of a 7 year old so all I get is ketchup and A-1 sauce on mine.

Now where is that fish oil pill.

12

I know I’m thinking about this too much, but I think I nailed the burger patty thing. There is nothing on it, nothing, ground beef, smash, throw on grill. A little pinch of salt and pepper would do wonders to bring out the taste, seriously, amazing.

13

Count me in the “I think it’s so-so” category. For taste I actually prefer Hardees, which ends up being cheaper. For what it’s worth though, the folks I work with that really like it seem to fall into two categories:

  1. They LOVE steak cut fries.
  2. They LOVE a gazillion different toppings on their burgers.

It’s close by, so we go frequently, I just overall don’t think it’s a superstar burger. It’s rather bland, and tastes about like what I would get in a dime-a-dozen backyard hamburger meal.

14

The preparation and seasoning coould vary from one franchise location to the next because you guys are not describing my beloved burger.

15

Take the extra five minutes to drive down 280 to the Colonade and go to Baha Burger. Much better burgers IMO.

Their standard burger is Angus beef with pepperjack cheese, Tabasco sauce, & a grilled pineapple. It’s awesome. Plus sweet potato fries!

In the alternative get a turkey burger: lettuce, blue cheese, & peach chutney!

16

5-Guys burgers have become my wife’s most requested pregnancy food, and its a craving I am happy to support whenever she has it. We usually take friends there when they come to visit, and when they come back, they usually request to go again.

That said, its not a $20 burger or anything. We tend to view 5-Guys as a replacement for fast food, not as a replacement for a nicer restaurant.

Also, I eat there all the time, and I dont think I have ever not eaten the burger right away in the restaurant, so that could be part of the problem. If you get a bacon cheeseburger, there’s a lot of grease there that could get everything a little soggy.

17

Alright, I thought maybe it’s possible that I couldn’t really remember if my last five guys burger was well seasoned, but trash talking backyard hamburger meals? Backyard hamburger barbecues are/can be delicious.

5 guys only does well done burgers, and I’m pretty sure they publicize that fact, so you shouldn’t be too disappointed if you really wanted a burger à point. I’ve never had one fall apart on me due to excessive grease, but I do skip the bacon and they’re definitely better in the store. And, at least in my recollection, the meat is fresh tasting and, well, beefy. Like a homemade hamburger. Plus the toppings. Mostly a burger, for me, is an excuse to eat more condiments.

18

Five Guys is all about the buns. They make the burger. They have good bacon too.

19

Fatburgers ftw. A lot of people out here love In N Out, but not me.

20

In N Out is my favorite. I find that native Californian’s hate it, and folks from anywhere else love it.