Five Guys Burgers

A branch of the Five Guys burger chain is going to open in St Albans.

I've heard good things about them, including from my best friend who says they do really good burgers, but a neighbour I was speaking to yesterday says the only good thing about them is their milkshakes.

What's the opinion from their homeland?

[Jenise]

Not impressed. We've been four or five times but are sorry afterward each time we've given them a chance. We find the burgers boring and expensive. (We order meat, cheese, lettuce, onion, and tomatoes--no sauce, no bacon, no other toppings. The plethora of options may be what attracts others.) We did enjoy the free peanuts though, and the fries are excellent.

I typically have fast food burgers maybe 3 or 4 times a year. Mostly, when I'm on the road and hungry. I typically got to Five Guys maybe once a month. For fast food, Five Guys hamburgers beats the rest of the competition. I usually get mine with mayo, mustard, ketchup, pickles, and lettuce. The shakes are OK. Stay away from the fries - way too greasy and soggy. The peanuts remind me of The Ground Round. I skip them.

[Jenise]

Dan, seems to be some variation. Fries in Kansa City were excellent--crunchy and nice, so were some about 100 miles south of us. But the ones here in Bellingham were greasy/soggy. Guess that makes four times I've been to a Five Guys.

For our tastes, Wendy's burgers are far better. AND they're a drive-thru. If I'm doing fast food it's gotta be faster than Five Guys.

I've been to Five Guys a few times. They will only cook burgers fully -- no medium rare for thee! -- but, to my amazement, they are still juicy and tender. You get a gigantic amount of fries in one order, and they're reasonably good. Free peanuts, which is nice if you happen to be a circus elephant.

I neither avoid nor seek them out.

I used to eat Wendy's burgers, like 25 years ago, but they turned into a cheap, greasy mess and I don't even consider them anymore. (That is, if you can even find a Wendy's anymore.)

[Jenise]

We live a ways out of town so shopping trips are never quick. When we're away over lunch and hungry, especially in pandemic times when we don't want to dine in, fast food becomes part of our day and will be tacos at Taco Time or Wendy's. Until I lived here I'd never even been to a Wendy's. Desperation (after the one really good local burger drive-thru closed) pushed the discovery and it turns out I like them a lot. The meat tastes good, the buns aren't sweet, the tomatoes and onions are ice cold and the lettuce is romaine, and when I say "hold the sauce" it comes out right. We never get fries or anything else, so those don't matter. Can't stand any of the other options (McD's, BK, etc). Are my home burgers better? Sure, but Wendy's is better than anything else available in our small market.

I'm glad most everyone likes Wendy's (I own stock), But I think 5 Guys is great. I also like the free peanuts in the shell while you're waiting. FWIW, 5 Guys is Pres. Obama's fave.

Thanks all.

20211015_Five-Guys.jpg

This branch won't be a drive thru. It in what we call 'the high street' meaning the main shopping street, there's no car parking in the street so it's all shopping on foot. McDonalds, Burger King, Pizza Hut and Baskin Robbins all had outlets there at one time, but they've all gone, McD moved to a nearby place where they do have a drive-thru.

Wendy's pulled out of the UK years ago, but I've recently read they are going to try again.

I can't see anything at Five Guys that attracts me. I've looked at the menu online; it seems that a double patty is standard which seems weird. We do have an independent burger place (Meating Room) and a new branch of a small chain (Honest Burger) who both make really good burgers, thick and medium cooked.. The latter own their own butchers to have complete control over the burger. Tho' both have restaurants I've not been to them, instead getting deliveries for dinner. (Where I can have decent wine

[Jenise]

I used to eat Wendy's burgers, like 25 years ago, but they turned into a cheap, greasy mess and I don't even consider them anymore. (That is, if you can even find a Wendy's anymore.)

My experience with them only dates back about four years and is strictly local. But greasy messes? No, not at all, or I'd hate them. Crisper, fresher, tastier than all the rest by a long shot.


Peter, all the Five Guys I've seen are walk-ins, and the one in our town is especially badly placed. You can see it from the street which is a main thoroughfare, essentially on the same lot as a Fred Meyer and across the street from Costco, on a main thoroughfare that has the airport one mile away to the west and a clump of very recently built airport hotels by all the big chains 1/4 to 1/2 a mile down the street in the easterly direction. Prime location, tons of exposure, but it's really weird to get to it, first in your car and then on foot. They have all these tables outside which look inviting, but I drive past there ALL the time and they're always empty. Whatever it is that Five Guys does right, it doesn't seem to be working here.

I used to eat Wendy's burgers, like 25 years ago, but they turned into a cheap, greasy mess and I don't even consider them anymore. (That is, if you can even find a Wendy's anymore.)

My experience with them only dates back about four years and is strictly local. But greasy messes? No, not at all, or I'd hate them. Crisper, fresher, tastier than all the rest by a long shot.

Sounds like the local franchisee is doing a good job.

[Jenise]

True. And there's two in town of which we have a distinct preference for one over the other.

Interesting, I enjoy the variety of toppings that Five Guys puts on their burgers, since like all fast food they're made with indifferent beef. In that sense I feel like they compete with midrange restaurants, which charge much higher prices for basically the same product. I doubt I could tell the difference, blind, between a Five Guys single patty with sauteed onions and mushrooms and the corresponding product from Chilis. But I may be a bit in left field since I would rather eat almost anything besides most other fast food burgers. Yes, including Wendy's and In-N-Out. Five Guys I like.

The fries are what really do it for me, though. As a kid we would visit the beach in Delaware every year, and one of the highlights was getting Thrasher's french fries. Yes, a shop that sells only fries (and soft drinks, apparently). There were two things that made them special. First, they were cut thick, thick enough that the designated person picking up lunch could make it back to the beach umbrella with a hot cup of fries. The second, as noted in red letters on the sign, is "We Serve No Ketchup". The sole condiment was malt vinegar. Splash some on, you get a tart, salty, half-crispy fry. The taste and mouthfeel (including a bit of beach sand) are with me still. Five Guys was clearly paying attention, and their fries are a fine attempt at emulating the Thrasher's ideal. And they have malt vinegar!

I was shocked the last time I was in Paris, pre-pandemic, that there was a Five Guys opening in Bercy, which is a solidly non-touristy area with a ton of great restaurants. Apparently there are five in the city now. Worth a visit for an American diner burger and fries, but not a repeat, in my opinion.

Thanks all.

20211015_Five-Guys.jpg

This branch won't be a drive thru. It in what we call 'the high street' meaning the main shopping street, there's no car parking in the street so it's all shopping on foot. McDonalds, Burger King, Pizza Hut and Baskin Robbins all had outlets there at one time, but they've all gone, McD moved to a nearby place where they do have a drive-thru.

Wendy's pulled out of the UK years ago, but I've recently read they are going to try again.

I can't see anything at Five Guys that attracts me. I've looked at the menu online; it seems that a double patty is standard which seems weird. We do have an independent burger place (Meating Room) and a new branch of a small chain (Honest Burger) who both make really good burgers, thick and medium cooked.. The latter own their own butchers to have complete control over the burger. Tho' both have restaurants I've not been to them, instead getting deliveries for dinner. (Where I can have decent wine

Well. it shouldn't be too expensive to try Five Guys just once to make up your own opinion. You might like it or not.

You are right, of course Larry...

But I cannot see anything about its menu that makes me want to try it.

Yet its imminent opening here has provoked more discussion than any other openings so I wanted to elicit the opinion of people who have experienced it to see if I'm missing something.

[Jenise]

I'm interested that Shake Shack hasn't come up, and In n' Out only just mentioned by Walt. I am a die-hard In n Out fan. If I could have In n' Out burgers with the best of the Five Guys fries I've had, I'd be in heaven.

The blase report:
- Shake Shack food is perfectly nice but rather too twee to have often.
- Five Guys is just plain. There is nothing to keep you coming back.
- I've only been to In 'n Out once. It rang no bells.