First off, I'm shocked at how low the rating is for this place. I've been hearing tons about Five Guys; how they're the new In-n-Out and everything's fresh and good. A lot had been made about it, and my dad had been dying to try it.
I can see the comparisons to In-n-out. It LOOKS like one with the red accents on white.Burgers and fries are fresh done. The comparisons end there.
Sticking with decor for a second, the place is absolutely wallpapered in reviews, magazine printouts and banners with blurbs from the east coast about how great this place is. This isn't uncommon in the restaurant business, but there's so many of them. They're in the bathrooms, and on the doors. Most are one liners and readers choice awards. It's great to be proud of your accomplishments, but none of these are local, and none speak of THIS store. Chains may have a continuity to them, but there's great McDonalds and crappy McDonalds, as an example. So it's a touch boastful.
If you're going to boast about your food, it better be good. As my rating shows, it is, but nothing extraordinary. I can't compare it to In-n-Out for a key reason, the price. While they offer a cheap single patty for a little under 4 bucks, that will get you a double WITH cheese at In-n-Out. We were limited in funds, so we got "Little Bacon Burgers" (we meant cheese burgers, but oh well) for $4.59. The regular Bacon Burger is two patties with cheese for a full 2.50 more. That basically places it closer to Fuddruckers in prices. So it's not quite Fast Food, but closer to sit down like Taxis or the Fudd. The cheap options keeping the "Best Bargain Burger" ad somewhat truthful.
I got my burger with lettuce, grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, ketchup and mustard. One thing that did impress me was the condiment selection. They ask you what you want on it, which is nice, and the selcetions include items places like Fudd's charges more for, like grilled mushrooms. Big plus there, even if there weren't too many of them. The bacon itself was crisp and not overcooked, and they covered the bottom bun in it. What struck me as odd was that it was precooked (one could see a bunch of it in baskets under the bun rack). Odd when everything else is cooked to order.
The burger itself was cooked through, and juicy, which represents its never frozen status. Flavor was mild, and I could imagine it being over powered by the BBQ sauce I dipped my fries in or even strong cheese. It didn't taste like a fast food burger, or even In-n-Outs (unlike Farmer Boys which tasted like a more expensive version with bacon and avocado). It was good, but again, nothing mind blowing . One patty was filling, though I also had plenty of free peanuts,
About the fries, I laud them for being fresh, but I have to give this one to In-n-Out. They are thick cut, not greasy, and decent. They're also not the starched to death, potatooey tasting monstrosities that's become of Burger Kings or Carl's Jr's fries. What they are though, are basically flavorless. Thinking the acclaim came from the Cajun flavoring, I got a side of it to sprinkle on. All that did was make my tongue burn mildly for three minutes. Ketchup or BBQ sauce is an absolute must. They even include malt vinegar for those of you thinking this is a fish and chip place.
Service was average. Our order taker was helpful and told use the size difference, which was nice as it took two minutes to get that answer from the other employees standing around a few minutes prior.There's a lot of people on staff, and none seem too quick to see to people standing by, trying to get their attention. They also lock up tight at 10pm, though a leaving employee was kind enough to show me to the door she was exiting from when I went out for a brief after dinner walk before rejoining my family
So a family of four had four Little Bacon Burgers and a large fry (which divided up nicely) for a little under 26 dollars. A decent value for what you get, but not exactly cheap, especially when we're getting their value size and they're considered fast food.
All in all, for a place that's been hyped to high heaven as a mecca of freshness and the slayer of the In-n-Out throne, they're pretty average. They don't even compare. It's silly really. You want to compare to In-n-Out, try Farmer Boys, as they actually taste the same for more cash. In-n-Outs a better value. For a few dollars more, you have more variety at Fudds, though go there for the exotics (the Dublin is best for it's pricey, but of so worth it, Kobe burger) or Red Robin.
Would I eat here again? Sure. Like I said, the burger was decent, and if you stick with the small version, the prices are good. The condiment selection rivals Fudds and they at least know how to pile on the bacon, even if it's still strangely precooked. I definitely wouldn't go out of my way for them, and they're no new favorite though. Despite what the walls may tell you Five Guys =/= Five Stars.
Did I mention the free Peanuts read more