We had lunch at McD’s today, and for two people, the tab came to twelve bucks. Nothing special - just a couple hamburgers, fries and drinks. I regretted not going two blocks further down the road to 5G and spending five bucks more for better food.
For those of you in the NYC-area, I implore you to try the burger at Shake Shack. It blows away any of the local fast food burgers, as pretty much any gourmet burger that I’ve tried. I’ve tried several 5 Guys locations (decent), In N Out (better) and Fatburger (when I’m way out west).
But Shake Shack is by far the best. The problem is that they only have 2 locations in Manhattan, although a 3rd is opening up right by where I work. If you go to a Mets game, they also have one at Citi Field.
I quit ground beef in 2010, with the Shake Shack burger being the only exception.
Just wanted to add that a couple weeks after the closest Five Guys to me opened up, Smashburger opened up just down the road from them. So we decided to try it just days after we’d first sampled the deep burger goodness to be found at Five Guys. And it totally did not measure up, in any way. (Okay, that’s not quite true; the garlic fries were pretty tasty.) The wife and I both found our burgers to be dry and pretty flavorless, with the bun-to-meat ratio greatly favoring the bun. I hear that they have a decent Chicago-style dog (though I’m très skeptical 'bout that), so we might eventually go back. But we’re in no great hurry.
I’m not talking about McD’s though. I’m talking about independent burger joints with a Coke case up against the wall and those clip-on letter menu boards and things on the menu that leave you wondering if anyone ever actually orders them (“Jumbo perch dinner basket?”).
That’s the sort of place I mean when I say I can get a burger at least as good as Five Guys for a notably lower price. Your local burger joints may vary (they ain’t all good) but finding one better than Five Guys isn’t that hard around here.
Honestly? Ehh, they’re nothing special and I’ve tried all 3 around here. They only do well done which means they’ll probably over cook it again, making it tough. As for their fries personally I think they’re terrible. I mean when I saw them on a local food show a guy that worked for them said our fries taste like potatoes. All I though to myself “Of course they taste like potatoes, they’re f**king raw.” Actually come to think of it I can’t name a place that makes fries worse fries than they do. (No, dumping a few extra uncooked fries in the bag is not much of a bonus when they need to be cooked.)
What makes me sad is that they closed the local Flamers which does burger and fries far better than 5 guys does them.
Of course everybody’s taste differs but I wasn’t a fan. It was a lot like something I could make at home and the ones I make at home are nothing special.
And I’m not a big fan of those type of fries. Thick cut with skins.
My favorite burger chain burger that seems to be expanding is Smashburger.
Skinny fries and skinny smashfries (made with rosemary) and excellent burgers.
If you’re not a five-guys fan then Smashburger may be to your liking.
I reckon things must be more expensive in the big city, then. I picked up a menu flyer when I got lunch today, and around here you and your friend could have had lunch for $14.35 (before tax).
Since I’ve got the menu right here, the burgers at my local Five Guys range from $3.59 to $6.29 (before tax), with a median price of $4.82. Hot dogs are $3.39 to $4.69, median price of $4.04. The meatless sandwiches, which are what I always get, are cheaper – currently $2.39 for veggie, and $2.99 for veggie and cheese or just cheese. It used to be $2.39 for all of them, but the prices for the cheese sandwiches went up recently. Regular drinks are $1.99, regular fries are $2.59. Prices in other areas obviously vary.
There’s a place sort of like that in the same block as my store. I so desperately wish it was as good as Five Guys. The burgers are tasty but thin and their bread is awful. It’s probably a good thing because if I liked their burgers and cheesesteaks I’d probably weigh 300lbs instead of 200. I will say that their fries are outstanding.
While I wait for the fries I find myself wondering just who exactly is ordering the haddock sub.
This thread got me curious and I discovered there’s a Five Guys in North Little Rock. I may have to give it a try.
Usually, I go to Backyard Burger. A chain that started in Memphis.
We had one here in Akron about 3=6 years ago. Good eats. Miss them.
There are a small handful in GA. One closed down but was not put up for sale. 3 months or so later, it had a “Grand Opening”. I asked questions, and the cashiers didn’t seem to know anything about the checkered past.
Is it True? Is It True?
Do they serve Orange Soda*?
But yeah, I looked it up before I posted, wanted to make sure, one way or the other about it, before I commented on it.
*Perhaps not a fair question for ““Good Burger””, but if you know the reference, it fits.
I’m sure no one else cares, but I’m :smack:-ing myself over saying “median” here when I was actually calculating the mean.
True story: In-N-Out was the first meat my formerly vegetarian SO felt compelled to try. I offered him a taste, and before I could say “animal style” he’d finished half of it. :eek: He handed the burger back to me, only because he thought he’d get sick if he ate too much meat for the first time in one sitting.
Two days later, he ordered his own 
I envy those of you on the East Coast who have multiple tasty fast food burger options. Anyone from Pittsburgh in the thread? Is there anywhere but Five Guys where I can get a good, cheap fast food burger?
We greatly prefer Culver’s over Five Guys. (We also think In N Out is the best fast food burger, but here in the St Louis area, there are no In N Out’s.) I like Steak and Shake here also, but they remind me of a burger from Bob’s Big Boy, with that same relish. My husband doesn’t care for Steak and Shake at all.
If you do find a Culver’s, they have really good onion rings which are hard to find.
I went to a Five Guys once. I grill a better burger on my backyard grill, and it’s not a whole lot of work, either. But I’d say that about any burger place I’ve ever been to.
I understand the logic of grabbing a burger on the run at a fast-food joint, and I understand the logic of having a burger at a restaurant when you’re going out to eat with a bunch of other people anyway, and a burger happens to be what you’re in the mood for. I’ve often done both, because in neither instance has my expectation been that I’d get a great burger. Just like I don’t regard Taco Bell as real Mexican food, but enjoy it on its own terms, I don’t regard fast-food burgers as quality burgers, but accept them on their own terms.
But a burgers-only place as a destination restaurant - this I don’t understand at all. When I’m going to a place like that, I’d expect a really damned good burger, something to at least rival what I can grill quite easily for myself. I’ve yet to have that happen.
Interesting. I wouldn’t say I grill a better burger than Five Guys in my backyard but I would say it’s the equivalent of a Five Guys. Nothing all that special.
And like you if I’m going to destination burger place it better be something special that I can’t make at home. That’s why my preference is Smashburger. I can’t make a burger like that at home. It’s waaay better than what I make at home.
I guess I’ll have to give them another try. As I said above, the burgers my wife and I got there a couple months back were fairly bland and dry to the extreme. Plus, there was definitely too much bun for the size of the burger. Which didn’t help the dryness factor at all, naturally. Still, my father-in-law really likes it, and has eaten there more than once (and he’s nothing if not a worshipper at the Altar of Red Meat). And you seem to dig it. So what can it hurt, really? I think I’ll dine there this weekend and then report back with my findings, as I just know that everyone’s waiting with baited breath to hear my opinion on the matter.
The times (all two of them) I’ve eaten at one, my burger was juicy and tasty enough. The peanuts are a nice gimmick. Though of course with a peanut-allergic son, we can’t eat there as a family, and I’m rarely trolling for burgers when I’m on my own, so it’s a very rare thing.
Interestingly, the one near my office has a sign telling people they shouldn’t take peanuts out of the place. Not sure if this is a lawsuit-saving step (someone taking peanuts out and poisoning all the peanut allergic folks in the ZIP code), or to keep people from loading up on all the free peanuts and taking them home.
I’d say most likely the latter, but it certainly wouldn’t surprise me if it was the former. Or both.
So, in short, and to sum up: Yes.