For many fast food lovers, it doesn't get better than Five Guys. But how much do you
really know about this famed food chain? I still have dreams about this burger. Beautiful, haunting dreams. I wake up at night screaming
get out of my head, burgers! From food hacks you'll want to know to secrets you might wish you don't
this is the tasty truth of Five Guys. We all know that a Five Guys burger is amazing, but what exactly makes it so good? Let's talk
about the secrets of some of the best burgers around. Five Guys won the Harris Pulls Burger Brand of the Year Award in 2017 and 2018, beating
In-N-Out Burger both years, which is no easy feat considering how passionate people are
about In-N-Out Burger. In-N-Out, In-N-Out, that's what a hamburger is all about
They've also come out on top of 17 other burger chains, including the usual suspects like
McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, and Carl's Jr., and even the more posh burger spots Whataburger
and Shake Shack. And that speaks volumes about their legions of fans
In-N-Out may have regained the title in 2019, but holding that honor for two years is something
to be proud of, and it shows just how much people love Five Guys. Why do we love them so much
Five Guys is known for two things, burgers and fries. Five Guys doesn't serve chicken sandwiches or filet-o-fish sandwiches or rib sandwiches
or fancy salads. It's burgers and fries. They focus on making those things great, and they're clearly succeeding
As of 2013, Americans were eating about 50 billion burgers a year, which equals out to
about three juicy hamburgers per person per week. I would like to buy a hamburger
I would like to buy a hamburger. About 60% of all sandwiches purchased worldwide are actually hamburgers
and that just shows Five Guys has some serious critics to please. To co-opt another slogan from another burger chain
you can definitely have it your way at Five Guys because they offer 15 different toppings
to choose from. These include mayo, ketchup, mustard, A1 sauce, barbecue sauce, hot sauce, lettuce
tomatoes, pickles, onions, relish, grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, green peppers, and jalapeno peppers. You can choose as many of these toppings as you want, for free. And heck
you can stick all 15 of them in your burger if that's what you're into. Compare this to the standard burger you can order at Burger King, which comes with ketchup
mustard, and pickles. Or the McDonald's hamburger, which offers the same condiments as BK
with the addition of a few chopped onions. Sure, there's something to be said for the simplicity of a burger with just ketchup and mustard, but having the option to add
as many as 15 toppings to the situation is one of the things that makes Five Guys Burgers so
delicious and crave-worthy. I want one. And thanks to those 15 toppings, there are a whole lot of ways that customers can satisfy
whatever their cravings are. The combinations are basically endless, and it doesn't matter
how big of a fan you are, you're just never going to get to try them all. Sorry, that's because
there are more than 250,000 ways to customize a burger. It's no surprise that fans of this fast
food joint are pretty passionate about their favorite combos. In fact, just thinking about
them is enough to make you grab your car keys and head to your local Five Guys to explore some of
these crazy delicious-sounding options. I want one. Sure, you can order 15 different toppings and customize your burger about 250,000 ways
but that doesn't mean all those toppings are going to be piled on all willy-nilly
That would be chaos, and yes, the order really does matter when it comes to quality
Five Guys has a specific way of placing add-ons onto your burger for the ultimate yum factor
Onions and bacon go underneath the patty, while tomatoes and pickles go on top of it
Burger aficionados have many different opinions on what the actual correct placement of condiments
and toppings on a burger are, but it appears that Five Guys does it so the warm toppings stay with
the warm toppings, and the cool toppings mingle together separately. There's also a lot of
speculation about why Five Guys puts your french fry order on top of your burger in the brown bag
it comes in. When this question was posted on Reddit, a commenter responded
I always thought this was so that the burger just gets a little bit warmer, the cheese melts a little more, the bun gets a little steamy and soft
Even though you can customize your burger at Five Guys a gazillion different ways
there's one way you can't customize it — how much it's cooked. No, you can't get it bloody or still
mooing or even medium rare, because every burger cooked at Five Guys is prepared well done
But that's a good thing. Five Guys hasn't officially explained the reasoning behind this policy, but it's likely that safety is one of the concerns. There are some major
health risks associated with eating raw meat, including the consumption of bacteria like
E. coli and salmonella. Because of these risks, the FDA advises that ground beef be cooked to a
a minimum internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit. And even if you opt for making your burger a little differently at home, well, you should
be grateful Five Guys goes a little further with theirs. No one wants a side of salmonella with their burger
The hamburger buns used for Five Guys burgers are the perfect vehicle to get that juicy
slab of meat into your mouth. They're soft, fluffy, and perfectly toasted on the grill
Five Guys doesn't use a standard bun toaster because it doesn't give you that caramelized
taste that cooking them directly on the grill does. Can you imagine a Five Guys burger without that slight char in the bun
Perfect toastiness aside, the buns only contain a few ingredients, and they're basically the
same ingredients that are in your average cake. They also contain twice as many eggs as normal buns, which explains their dreamy texture
On Ink, founder Jerry Murrell explains where these magical buns come from. We make the same bun we started with
We hired the old guy who used to bake our bread for the first store and one of his partners
My bakery was two doors from the restaurant, and I went in and told them they needed a
bed of bread. They work in the Virginia Bakery. We have 10 bakeries scattered around the nation
Our bread is baked daily, picked up by 3 p.m., and put on a truck or plane so every store
gets fresh bread every morning, even if they are 400 miles away from the nearest bakery
As they say, if it's not broke, don't fix it. Did you know that the Green Bay Packers have an official bacon
Well, they do, and it happens to be the same kind of bacon that Five Guys uses on all of
their burger offerings with bacon. If it's good enough for the Packers, it's good enough for you
Just what makes it so special? Five Guys bacon is applewood smoked, and that's important
right? It's all about the flavor." "...Nothing burps better than bacon." Bacon Today had this to say about what makes Applewood smoked bacon incredible
Applewood chips result in bacon that is mildly sweet and smoky. It is the second most popular
wood used after hickory, as it results in bacon that is perfectly balanced between smoky
and sweet. You can definitely taste that perfectly balanced flavor on each and every one of Five
Guys' Bacon Burgers, and if you haven't yet, try out one of the Bacon Burgers on your next
visit. Or if you want to skip the burger altogether, you can also simply order a BLT
with extra bacon because it's the good stuff. Not that other stuff
Would you like to sample our vegan bacon? 100% meatless. Yes, please
One of the coolest things about the burgers at Five Guys and why their burgers are such
a great value is that their standard burger isn't even a burger at all. It's two burgers
That's a lot of beef for your buck. There's two of them! If you just can't deal with that much beef, you can request a little burger
which is a single patty. But let's be honest, it's a double every time, right
As with all good things, there's a catch. All this delicious cow comes at a hefty nutritional
price point. If you opt for that little burger, you're going to be getting a meal clocking in at
542 calories and 26 grams of fat — numbers that will, of course, vary with whatever toppings you
decide to layer on. Upgrade that to a bacon cheeseburger and you're looking at 1,064 calories
and 62 grams of fat. Plus, again, all those toppings you'll pick. If you're one of those
For those that likes mayo on your burger, you can add another 100 calories to that total
And just in case a double isn't enough, you can definitely pile on another patty or two
for just a tad bit extra, if that's the way you roll. You only live once, after all
Oh, that's too much? Order your burger in a bowl and cut out the bun altogether Any way you slice it that still a huge amount of calories for just one meal But isn that a huge part of what makes something taste oh so good Tomorrow another day right This is definitely what I having on my cheat day
Considering the fact that your burger is made from scratch, Five Guys does a great job of getting you fed rather quickly
Sure, it may take a few minutes longer than ordering a burger from a place with the clown
as their mascot, but Five Guys is more of a fast-casual restaurant than a fast food joint
They hand-form all the patties, they grill the bun, They also don't use any timers in their restaurants, and that's because they always say their cooks
aren't good enough to know when a burger is just the right amount of done. Your burger will be served fresh to you when it's done, and it won't sit under some heat
lamp waiting for anyone to come in and order it, and that's a good thing. No, Five Guys won't take as long as a sit-down restaurant with silverware and cloth napkins
but if the restaurant is busy, you can expect to wait a bit. "'Anybody want a peanut?' "'Yeah!
That's what all of those free peanuts are there for, so you can chow down while you
wait for your burger to be prepared. Five Guys has two important things going for it — excellent customer service and happy employees
Both of those things make any meal more enjoyable, and it's impossible to stress just how much
better a burger tastes when it's handed to you by someone who's smiling. And according to those who have worked there, it's not just an act
One former employee took to Reddit to talk about just what it was like to work at Five Guys, saying
"...fun for the most part due to the fact that it's an open kitchen, the employees are encouraged to joke around and have fun, even to the point of all-out dancing, as long as
you can keep on track with the job you're doing." If your food is prepared with happiness, it's just going to taste better
No one wants a burger made by some angry dude who hates their job. Five Guys fans are serious about their love
They must be serving up some epic burgers then, right? If you're curious about just what's on the plate at Five Guys, here are some things you
should know before you head there. No one in their right minds suggests heading to Five Guys if you're looking for a healthy
lunch option. According to their nutritional information, their bun alone is a whopping 260 calories
and 9 grams of fat. Have no fear, there are a few healthier options that'll still give you your burger fix, like
their veggie sandwich. It's not a veggie burger, but it's their vegetable toppings served on a bun
You can also order a bunless little hamburger. Skip the mayo and bacon, but stack on some of their other toppings like tomatoes, onions
lettuce, and jalapeno peppers, and you'll get your Five Guys fix with far less carb guilt
You probably know someone with a peanut allergy, and it can be deadly
According to the Peanut Institute, around 4 percent of people have severe food allergies
and tree nuts, including peanuts, account for about 90 percent of those allergies
If I eat a peanut I could die. Wow. Cases have steadily risen since at least 1997, making it surprising that not only does Five
Guys continue to offer guests peanuts to snack on while they wait, but they exclusively use
peanut oil. That goes for everything, especially frying up all those crispy, hand-cut fries
Five Guys says they have no intention of changing any of their practices, as it would negatively
impact the brand they've been building for several decades. Instead, they say they make
sure there are plenty of signs posted warning people who have a problem with peanuts to
stay away. They also say the potential for an allergic reaction is why they don't allow
peanuts outside. If you had to say McDonald's, you know how much you're going to spend on your usual before
you get there. That's not the case with Five Guys, and Morel is pretty straightforward
about the fact that the prices of their burgers can and will change. It all comes down to
fluctuations in the market value of ingredients and a dedication to maintaining quality. That
That outlook started when tomato prices skyrocketed after hurricanes severely damaged that year's
crop, and some of his franchises wanted to stop using them. Morel even suggested cutting back, but his son said they'd rather raise the price than
compromise on quality. Pricing according to the market is great from a business point of view, but it's not always
popular with customers. When Belfast, Ireland got its first Five Guys, the guest reaction was that it was a decent
burger, but it shouldn't be priced several dollars more than the same burger in America
But some of their American customers have been voicing similar thoughts and claiming they're just too expensive. Millennials in particular have been quoted as saying their
burgers just weren't worth the price. But value is in the eye of the beholder. To their
fans, they're absolutely worth it. If you really want to make the most out of your trip to Five Guys, you need to make sure
you don't mess up your order. Take note of these mistakes everyone makes when ordering
a burger at Five Guys so you can avoid making them yourself
A big part of what makes Five Guys stand out from the competition is the almost unlimited
options for burger customization. Five Guys customers have more than 250,000 ways to top
a burger, so it comes out just to their specifications. That gives you no excuse not to get creative
when it comes to designing your ideal burger. When I come back tomorrow, there better be a friggin' burger on that board. You hear me, Bob
Yeah. The best part is, with few exceptions, all of the toppings you can choose from on the
menu are free. They range from the classics ketchup, mustard, relish, onions, to more
unusual choices. Hot sauce, grilled mushrooms, jalapeno peppers. While it might be tempting to
order the same thing every time you go to Five Guys, the smart cookies take advantage of all
the topping options you can't get anywhere else. There are several sacred things in this world
that you don't ever mess with. One of them happens to be another man's fries. The fries at Five Guys
are super fresh. You may even see bags of potatoes around the store. The chain doesn't use frozen
pre-slice fries. They make them fresh in the store from real potatoes. Yes, the very ones in those
bags. Fresh French fries just taste better, which is already a reason to love Five Guys
But this chain takes its fry game to an even higher level by loading customers up with a ton
of potatoey goodness. A board shows where the spuds come from each day
Five Guys will give you the standard scoop in a fry container, but then they'll put a second scoop
in your bag just so you feel like you're getting more. While most customers are happy to get more
of the good stuff, not everyone wants that many fries, nor the greasy bag that goes hand-in-hand
with all those extras. In most cases, a small order is enough fries for two people to gorge
themselves on, and a large order can easily feed a table of four. Don't make the mistake of paying
for everyone in your party to get their own order of fries, or at least half of them will end up in
the trash. Don't want to waste? You can always ask the staff to leave out your extra scoop
Five Guys added hand-spun milkshakes to its menu back in 2014. These aren't just your basic milkshakes, either. If you want to take your classic
vanilla milkshake up a notch, you can also get flavors like coffee, salted caramel, and even
bacon. Which may sound strange, but might just be the best item on the menu if you love a good
sweet and salty mix. Here's some bad news, though. You won't be able to find the milkshakes at every
location. The online menu stipulates that milkshakes are only available at participating
locations around the country. So before going into your local Five Guys, assuming you'll be
walking out with a milkshake, make sure your location carries them. A lot of people wouldn't consider any burger joint to be an eco-friendly option
considering how much beef production contributes to climate change. But Five Guys seems to double down on its eco-unfriendliness. When you buy a meal there
it's going to come out as a to-go order no matter what, even if you choose to dine in
That means it comes with a paper bag with extra napkins, and your burger will be wrapped up in
foil. This policy creates a lot of unnecessary waste, especially when you consider all the
customers that just carry all that packaging to a table a few feet away. As you can imagine
this isn't a popular policy with many of Five Guys' customers. A move-on petition was created
to encourage the fast food chain to recycle and cut down on its waste. Luckily, word has it that
Five Guys is now studying how it can reduce waste in its stores. Calling all influencers
If you want a signal boost, Five Guys might be the place to start. The brand works with influencers
but it also shares pictures from everyday customers who submit their photos. From the ability to
submit your Five Guys photo to the company website to your chance to participate in hashtag challenges on Instagram the chain really goes above and beyond when it comes to customer engagement So the next time you out of Five Guys enjoying your meal don forget to snap a picture or two
Share it with the company online using the Five Guys Fans hashtag, and you may just see
yourself on the Five Guys social media pages. Burgers and fries are about as unpretentious as food can get
The coupling may not be fancy, but it is delicious. Fast food burger chains like McDonald's have boosted the narrative of affordable American
hamburger and fries considerably. Where else can you reliably order from a dollar menu
But Five Guys hasn't quite adopted the same strategy. Five Guys is often downright expensive for a burger joint, and many customers aren't having it
There's a good chance that this is a big reason why Five Guys isn't expanding as fast as other
burger chains across the country. Yes, the quality of the food may be better than the stuff you'd find at a typical fast
food chain, but places like In-N-Out offer comparable quality for a lower price
That said, Five Guys still has a loyal following, and there are no signs that these diehard
fans are going anywhere anytime soon, even with the higher-than-average prices. "...I want it. Pay anything.
Five Guys Unlimited Free Toppings policy has led to the birth of a secret menu, with creative
recipes dreamed up by its very own fans. These tasty items go way beyond the standard burger
combinations and stretch their topping menu to its limits. "...Where's my sandwich?
Or get a boring ol' hamburger bun. The double-grilled cheeseburger takes two beef patties
and tucks it snugly between two individual grilled cheese sandwiches. Ordering this one is simple
Simply ask for two grilled cheese sandwiches and a bun-less hamburger. As with all Five Guy Burgers, the bun-less burger patties will be hand-shaped from never-frozen
chuck and sirloin, while the exterior grilled cheeses will come with melted Kraft American cheese
The buns will be served upside down and come out toasted until golden brown
Top the burger patty to your heart's content with fixins of your choosing
If you have a bolder palate, you may want to add some jalapenos or a squirt of hot sauce
One fateful afternoon in 2009, President Barack Obama walked into a Five Guys
The former commander-in-chief's healthy eating habits have been well-documented, but he is also known to have a weakness for a good burger
On this particular day, Obama had a hankering for Five Guys. He placed several orders for his staff and placed his own order
a cheeseburger with lettuce, tomatoes, jalapenos, and mustard, thus making secret menu history forever
Today, you can order Obama's favorite burger, a.k.a. the presidential, at any Five Guys location
Of course, the staff may or may not know the details of Obama's order off the top of their
head, so you may instead want to specify that you want a cheeseburger with the aforementioned toppings
A cheeseburger with lettuce, tomatoes, jalapenos, and mustard may not run off the tongue as
smoothly as the presidential, but the delicious Obama-beloved burger is worth the additional
verbal exercise. A burger joint is only as good as its fries
Five Guys happily excels in the French fry department. Fries are crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, and doled out in huge, heaping portions
According to the menu, Five Guys offers fries two ways — traditional Five Guys style, or
Cajun style. But word on the street is that select Five Guys locations will also serve your fries
nacho-style, or covered in melted cheese, upon request. Take things a step further and throw on some bacon or jalapeno slices
Note that while most Five Guys toppings are free, adding cheese to your fries might set
you back 50 cents or so, depending on the location. Still, totally worth it
Here's another cool thing about Five Guys, they're a burger joint that serves hot dogs
And not just any hot dogs, these are all-beef, kosher, premium franks from Hebrew National
The official Five Guys menu offers four varieties, including kosher style — cheese, bacon
and bacon cheese. But fans have gotten imaginative with the toppings and come up with some pretty tasty
secret menu hot dog alternatives. Notably, Food Network celebrity chef Justin Warner dreamed up the Breaking Windy City
Dog, which puts a Cajun twist on a classic Chicago-style dog. Like a classic Chicago hot dog, the BWCD tops a Frankfurter with pickles, tomatoes, relish
green peppers, and mustard. The chef adds hot sauce and a sprinkle of Cajun seasoning
To order, ask for a kosher-style dog with all the aforementioned ingredients
Ask for Cajun seasoning on the side so you can sprinkle it on yourself
The Five Guys patty melt is poignant in its simplicity. Like a traditional patty melt, the secret menu favorite takes a mild-mannered burger
and transforms it into a sandwich. But while a conventional patty melt calls for Swiss cheese
caramelized onions, and griddled rye bread, the Five Guys patty melt diverges
The Five Guys secret menu version is essentially a grilled cheese sandwich with a burger patty
inside. Sources report that the staff will have no qualms grilling one up special for you
To request a patty melt at Five Guys, order a grilled cheese sandwich with a burger patty
onions, and your choice of toppings. The melt masterpiece will come served with two slices of
grilled, inside-out hamburger buns and melted Kraft cheese, delivering a crunchy punch on the
outside and a gooey interior. For all its charms, Five Guys isn't exactly the most diet-friendly
restaurant. That said, there are low-carb-friendly options at Five Guys for health-conscious fans
with a bit of resourcefulness. Take the Burger Bowl, for instance, beloved by fitness-minded
Five Guys loving bloggers and Instagrammers. To score this secret menu item, ask for a bun-less
little bacon cheeseburger with pickles, grilled onions, and green peppers. Steer clear of ketchup
which is loaded with carbs, and go for mayo, mustard, and or hot sauce on top
The Five Guys Little Bacon Cheeseburger Bowl should set you back less than 500 calories and
two net carbs. In-N-Out, another burger chain with a cult following has a fairly extensive
secret menu of its own. Among the most beloved are the not-so-secret animal-style fries and burgers
An animal-style burger includes mustard grilled directly into the patty, in addition to lettuce, tomato, grilled onions, and special sauce. Similarly
animal-style fries come showered in melted cheese, grilled onions, and special sauce
It may be that other chain's invention, but you can order In-N-Out animal-style burgers
and fries at Five Guys, too. To order an animal-style-inspired burger, ask for a cheeseburger
topped with an extra slice of cheese, grilled onions, tomatoes, and pickles. You can try
and ask if they'll grill mustard into the patty, but past attempts have reportedly been
unsuccessful. For animal-style fries, order fries topped with cheese and grilled onions
To DIY In-N-Out's special sauce, mix mayo, ketchup, and relish together, then douse your
burger or fries in the heavenly mixture. You can have the staffers top your burger or fries with mayo, ketchup, and relish themselves
but we recommend ordering the sauces separately and mixing them up yourself to get the consistency right
Though Five Guys' official menu only offers a traditional BLT, crafty vegetarians can hack
the menu to order a BLT without any meat. Like vegetarian chef Rich Landau, Five Guys knows that the rich, meaty texture and taste
of mushrooms makes them a suitable substitute for bacon. Of course, the chef's recipe calls for fancy, thin-sliced wild mushrooms, but the grilled
white button mushrooms used by Five Guys work nicely, too. To order a vegetarian BLT from Five Guys, start by requesting a traditional BLT, which
comes with six strips of American smokehouse bacon, two fresh tomato slices, mayo, and
hand-torn lettuce on a bun. But ask them to hold the bacon and replace it with grilled mushrooms
To replace the crunch of the bacon, ask your cashier to throw in some jalapeno peppers into
the sandwich for good measure. For a bit of protein, go wild and request a slice of melted cheese
Beloved by Brits, the English chip buddy, also known as a chip sandwich or chip cob
is essentially a french fry sandwich. The carby concoction is traditionally made by serving
french fries on white bread with a generous slathering of cold butter. But different variations
may also call for ketchup or malt vinegar. If you find yourself craving a french fry
sandwich Five Guys can make it for you To order a Five Guys chip buddy ask for a little order of french fries inside of an untoasted bun and try to ignore any perplexed looks from other customers
You can top your chip buddy with plenty of ketchup to break up what is otherwise just
a plain old white pile of starch, and there's plenty of malt vinegar right there on the table
Wrapped in bacon and stuffed with cream cheese, jalapeno poppers are an irresistible Tex-Mex
appetizer. The secret menu jalapeno popper and grilled cheese from Five Guys delivers
everyone's favorite fiery appetizer in sandwich form. You can try the jalapeno popper sandwich yourself the next time you pop by the burger joint
by ordering a grilled cheese sandwich. But instead of stopping there, ask if your sandwich can also be topped with extra cheese
bacon, and jalapenos. The applewood-smoked bacon will give your grilled, Kraft singles a nice crunch, while
the fresh jalapenos add a bite. Fair warning, the fresh jalapenos can pack some heat
If you have timid or taste buds, we suggest pairing it with our next subject
In addition to custom burgers, dogs, and fries, Five Guys lets you design your very own milkshakes
Shakes are hand-spun from vanilla ice cream and served with your choice of unlimited mix-ins
Choose from yummy ingredients like cherries, peanut butter, strawberries, bananas, chocolate, sea-salted caramel, and bacon
That's right — crumbled, applewood-smoked, bona fide bacon. For a creamy treat that is packed with protein, go for the extra-chunky peanut butter bacon milkshake
Secret Menu Heavy Protein Shake blends savory peanut butter, real peanuts, and bacon with
sweet honey chocolate and vanilla ice cream. The extra chunky creation requires a little legwork on your part to make, so get ready
Start by ordering milkshake with peanut butter, chocolate, and bacon. For the extra chunky part, grab a handful of complimentary peanuts from the bin, crack
them out of their shells, and crush them up inside a paper bag. Sprinkle the crushed peanuts atop your milkshake and enjoy
Here's another one from the imagination of madman-slash-genius chef Justin Warner, a
Five Guys Thai-style lettuce wrap, or as he calls it, the probably-not-worth-the-work-or-weird-looks
Thai lettuce wrap. This Thai lettuce wrap draws inspiration from the common Thai restaurant appetizer, which
in turn, is an adaptation of the traditional Southeast Asian larb salad
Fair warning, as its title suggests, this Five Guys secret menu item does require some
effort and a bit of bravery. To try the Five Guys-ified version of the Southeast Asian larb salad, start by ordering
a bun-less hamburger in a lettuce wrap. In place of hoisin and chili sauces, ask that
the patty be topped with steak sauce and jalapenos. Next, grab a handful of peanuts from the complimentary
bin, crack them open, and crumble them onto the meat. Use the lettuce as a kind of tortilla-like
vessel to shove the delicious fillings into your face and decide for yourself if it's worth
the weird looks. While its origins are up for debate, the sloppy joe found its way into the American mainstream
in the 20th century. It reached its heyday in the late 60s, when the Manwich, essentially
canned Sloppy Joe sauce, was released into grocery stores nationwide. Though the popularity of the Sloppy Joe has waned, you can still reminisce over the flavors
of the classic ground beef sandwich at Five Guys. Just order a burger with grilled green
peppers, grilled onions, ketchup, and barbecue sauce. The combination of ground chuck and
tomato-based sauces tastes exactly like a Sloppy Joe. While burgers and fries are great on their own, nothing is better than burgers, fries
and a milkshake, and Five Guys makes some of the most delicious milkshakes around
Here's what makes the Five Guys milkshake different from other fast food frozen treats
Five Guys proudly advertises that its milkshakes are hand-spun, which is the kind of phrase
we're used to seeing on menus and signs. But what does it actually mean
The answer is pretty straightforward. a hand-spun milkshake is made by a human being who puts ingredients into a container and blends them
While this might seem like the obvious approach to crafting any milkshake, many fast food chains don't actually do it that way. At McDonald's, for example
the milkshakes are machine-made from shake syrup, which almost makes them a different
thing altogether. While Five Guys isn't the only chain that has hand-spun milkshakes
there are other qualities that set the Five Guys version apart from the crowd
As is the case with most works of art, a great milkshake starts with a great foundation
At Five Guys, rather than messing with multiple ice cream flavors or a bunch of flavored syrups
to create different milkshake variations, the restaurant starts with a consistent base that
will always taste great — vanilla. Widely considered to be one of the world's favorite
flavors, vanilla is anything but basic. At its very best, vanilla is fragrant and complex
while still providing a relatively blank canvas for the layering of other flavors
Because one of the big draws of the Five Guys Hand Spun Milkshake is the fact that it is fully
customizable, starting with an expertly crafted vanilla base means that you're pretty likely to
end up with something that tastes good whether you choose to add one topping or ten toppings
or go with a classic vanilla shake with nothing but a little bit of whipped cream to add some oomph
All Five Guys Milkshakes start as vanilla, but if you're looking for something a little
more interesting, it's hard to beat the customization that this burger joint offers
There are 10 individual mix-ins — bacon, cherries, Oreo cookies, peanut butter, bananas
coffee, chocolate, malted milk, and strawberries. Whether you choose one, two, or all 10
the base price of the milkshake will remain the same, which is a serious incentive for experimentation
We truly believe that bacon should be added to basically any milkshake you order at Five Guys
especially the popular Elvis-inspired milkshake made with peanut butter, bacon, and banana. Even if you're not a meat-eater, there are a ton of other
creative combinations to choose from — over 40,000, to be exact. In other words
they're so good because there's bound to be something that'll fit your own unique tastes
If the milkshakes at Five Guys are so good, it makes perfect sense to wonder
why it took the chain almost 30 years to roll them out. The answer lies in one of the foundational
policies that helped make Five Guys synonymous with high-quality, fresh-tasting burgers and
fries — the no-freezer rule. To make absolutely sure that no frozen items could make their way into the kitchens at
Five Guys, ingredients that need to be kept extra cold are actually kept in coolers rather
than freezers. The founders knew this would prevent them from serving popular items like milkshakes
and ice cream, but it was a hit that, for a long time, they were willing to take
In an interview with Inc., founder Jerry Morrell came right out and said
"...if we put one frozen thing in our restaurant, we'd be done. That's why we won't do milkshakes
For years, people have been asking for them, but we'd have to do real ice cream and real milk.
Thankfully, he finally caved and agreed to allow freezers for this one item
When it comes to awesomely good french fries, the fried spuds at Five Guys are among the best
Guys makes their fries from whole potatoes, so that's one reason why they taste so good
Here's everything else you need to know about how Five Guys' fries get made
For Five Guys, french fries have been his signature food at the chain from the very start
As Chad Morrell, son of founder Jerry Morrell, explained to Food Republic
"...fries are our passion. They are the hardest thing we have to do, but people think that it's the easiest. If you don't do them right, they're still kind
of good and people don't complain. But that doesn't cut it with us." Perhaps that's why, while other fast food burger spots put the emphasis in their name
squarely on the burgers, Five Guys put fries on an equal footing by calling it Five Guys
Burgers, and Fries. And what would a fast food burger be without a side of fries
You can do a million things with potatoes, but french fries? What's not to love about french fries
Potatoes are an amazingly versatile route. It's believed that they originally came from Peru and
have been a part of people's diet in the region for 8,000 years. Today, the International Potato
Center states that there are more than 4,000 types of potato, the vast majority of which are so
regional that you will never taste them. Some have more starch, while others are waxy and only grow
at a certain altitude. Only a very specific set of potatoes make it to the Five Guys restaurant
locations, though. Hold the phone. These are not just any potatoes we're talking about here
In a Facebook post, the Five Guys marketing team explained that most of its potatoes come from
Idaho above the 42nd parallel. Potatoes are sourced from Washington in the few months of
the year that Idaho potatoes are too soft, according to Yahoo. In explaining how Five
Guys chooses their potatoes in an interview with Inc., Jerry Morrell had this to say
"'Potatoes are like oak trees. The slower they grow, the more solid they are. We like
northern potatoes because they grow in the daytime when it's warm, but then they stop
at night when it cools down.'" A Five Guys location can go through about 500 pounds of potatoes a day, one employee
told Destination America. That's a lot of whole potatoes that need to be cut down to
size. For that, employees use what's called the monster cutter. It's essentially a crank that
squeezes a potato through a grate with holes that are perfect french fry size. Workers pull the
lever to hand-cut each potato. Other quality fast food chains have tried the fresh potato method to
little success. Shake Shack, for one, had a short fresh potato run before returning to pre-cut and
frozen crinkle-cut fries. While it's not like Five Guys employees are sitting in the kitchen with a
knife and meticulously hand-chopping each french fry, this fresh-cut method is much more involved
than ordering a bag of pre-cut frozen potatoes. It also keeps the fry line moving
The Five Guys sourcing policy of sticking to farms above the 40-second parallel and the laborious
fresh-cut process isn't the only thing that sets Five Guys french fries apart. There's a number of
other steps that employees have to take before overstuffing your bag with fries as well
Chad Morrell told Food Republic that the chopped potatoes are blanched, which means they're cooked in really hot water for three minutes
Doing so reduces the starchiness on the outside of the potatoes and makes the cut-up spuds cook
more evenly. Then the fries are pre-cooked before being fried when the customer orders
Water, it turns out, is an important factor in cooking the ultimate Five Guys French fries
As Jerry Morrell explained to Ink, We actually soak our fries in water. When we pre-fry them, the water boils, forcing steam
out of the fry, and a seal is formed so that when they get fried a second time
they don't absorb any oil and they're not greasy. According to NBC, every location in the Five Guys
chain has no timers in the kitchens because good cooks learn to recognize when food's ready
This forces employees to learn how to cook by sight and feel for every item on the menu
you including the fries While this is a lot harder than say setting a timer and forgetting it until you hear beeping the processes that Five Guys put in place ensures employees learn to recognize a consistent fry
texture and taste. Still, it's not like the cooks are flying blind. The quality would be all over
the map if employees didn't have at least some sort of method to make sure each fry at each
location turns out the same. When Five Guys was featured on Destination America, an employee
described the smush test as the way to make sure the batch is good to go. After the first cook
if you push down on the fry and it sticks together, then it's a good cook. If it snaps
that's no good. Then for the final cooking section, which takes between two and two and a half minutes
workers know the French fries are ready to take out of the oil when the fries float to the top
of the basket and the bubbles go away. In the end, each fry has a golden crunchy outside and
the texture of a baked potato on the inside. Other than the sacks of potatoes all over each Five Guys location, one of the most noticeable
things a customer interacts with are the free peanuts. By some accounts, those peanuts are
there to distract customers as the food cooks, since making food from scratch takes a little
longer than your typical fast food joint. Yet, those aren't the only place you'll find
a peanut product. It turns out the fries rely on peanuts as well
In September 2014, Five Guys tweeted this, "...we use 100% refined peanut oil because it does a great job of sealing in flavor.
This sounds like a bummer for the millions of people in the United States who are allergic
to peanuts, but peanut oil is on the safer side because of how it's processed. Essentially
refined peanut oil lacks the stuff that gives people an allergic reaction. There's nothing
to be done about all those free peanuts, however, so maybe having someone go in to order takeout
for you is the best option. According to Taste of Home, Five Guys fries are the most unhealthy fries in America
Case in point, a small fry has 528 calories and a large has 1,314
As Taste of Home points out, that's as many calories as a Five Guys hamburger patty
bun, and milkshake combined. And then there's the fat and salt, 57 grams of fat and 1,327
milligrams of sodium. That's not to say that the fries are necessarily worse for you than your
average fry. It's more about the amount of fries you get every time you receive an order
The people in charge of Five Guys are well aware of how the extra fries impact the restaurant's
healthiness rating. Here's what Jerry Morrell had to say to Food Republic. Every time they do a calorie count on us, it looks pretty bad
Free peanuts, free toppings, and massive fry portions. There's a lot to love about Five Guys
but is the company really as good as it makes itself out to be? You won't believe the things Five Guys has tried to make us believe
Perhaps Jerry Morell should have thought twice before naming his restaurant after the number of people in his family business
who happen to have a Y chromosome in their genetic makeup. Why? Because families change and grow
Five Guys used to represent Morell and his four sons, Jim, Matt, Chad, and Ben
The name suited the growing restaurant quite well or at least it did until little Tyler showed up His appearance turned the Five Guys into Six Running business with your family has tremendous advantages if they all get into it
Could Five Guys really change their name to Six Guys Burgers and Fries
If they did, it would be like Burger King switching over to Burger Prince
or Habit Burger Grill becoming Hamburger Choices. Six Guys arguably wouldn't garner as much attention as the more catchy Five Guys Burgers and Fries
At any rate, Morell can claim that it's all about his five sons now, even if that's not what he initially meant
Now, it's sort of true that Five Guys does not advertise, but it's not that they don't have the funding for it
Instead, it's more that they want to stay true to their roots and let the food and experience do the talking
In an interview with Retail and Hospitality Hub, Five Guys senior director of global logistics Jason Lee confirms the chain's refusal to engage in standard advertising
He said, However, many argue that this is itself a form of advertising
One former employee on Quora takes it a step further by divulging the following ad strategy implemented by Five Guys, that greasy brown paper bag
They said, heart of word-of-mouth advertising. That greasy brown paper bag sans logo is meant to set Five
Guys apart from other fast casual dining establishments. One employee wrote, One of the most fascinating things I ever learned about Five Guys was their advertising techniques
They also don't use a bag with their logo on it because they feel like they don't have to
Isn't it sweet that Five Guys is so invested in curbing your hunger? While you're forced to wait the practically unbearable stretch of 10 minutes
as your order is being prepared, you can at least snack on handy bins of peanuts
though you'll have to shell them yourself. It seems like they've thought of everything
but are these complimentary legumes really just because Five Guys is worried you might experience tummy grumbles
Maybe, but according to a former employee who spilled the peanuts on Reddit
those treats are actually meant for the comfort of the employees. No one likes a nosy Nancy staring them down while they're trying to properly prepare fast food
But if Looky Lou customers are distracted by the free snacks all around them, employees can hopefully work in peace
Nothing in life is free. Neither are fast food toppings, even at Five Guys
Restaurant owners go to great lengths to calculate the cost of food, labor, and other important factors when operating a dining establishment
It's worth remembering that condiments, in general, aren't too expensive. though they could seemingly break the bank at Five Guys
That's because the chain is dedicated to using premium ingredients like fresh burger meat
according to Insider. But free still isn't exactly right when we're talking about Five Guys toppings
That's because things like those apparent freebies are calculated into the overall price of the food
They just labeled free because it sounds good People like a good deal It makes customers feel special and it all comes off as a clever marketing tactic This is also one of the reasons why Five Guys prices are a bit higher than the standard fast casual restaurant
You're getting what you pay for, which sure includes fresh premium products
but you're also paying for what you don't necessarily get. So next time you go to Five
Guys, get all the toppings you want and then some, because you're already paying for them
whether you want to or not. While it might be one of the fastest-growing restaurant chains in the
world, according to Forbes, the decision to franchise while maintaining high-quality food
is what fueled their expansion, enabling them to sell more than 300 options for units in 18 months
Of course, the public's need for crispy, seemingly endless french fries was also helpful
If you've ever been to a Five Guys restaurant, then you know that regardless of what size you
order, there's always a topper, which is that extra scoop of fries piled into the bottom
of the bag." The idea behind giving customers so many extra fries is that the guests think they're getting
a great deal. The extra fries, however, are factored into the menu pricing, so it really
is just an illusion of receiving more than your money's worth. According to Reader's Digest, the founder of the restaurant, Jerry Morell, it's better
for customers to feel that their serving of fries was too large. As he explained to Food Republic
People complain that they get too many fries. I just tell them to make hash browns with the
leftovers. I teach my managers that if people aren't complaining, then you're not giving them
enough. Whether you're hungry or just need those extra fries in the bag to dip in a thick and
creamy milkshake, there should never be a shortage when you eat here. While some people complain that
the brand creates too much waste by only serving food in to-go fashion, this is also what allows
them to provide those extra fries. Without the paper bag, there would only be a cup of fries
and no topper. While the topper might be a clever marketing ploy, you can always continue to think
the Five Guys employees are simply treating you to some extra fries for being awesome
If you are someone who values the crispiest fries in the bag above the rest, then you can order all
of the fries that crisp at Five Guys. To get an order of perfectly crisp fries, though, ask for
them to be extra well done. This should yield a cup and a topper of nothing but incredibly
crunchy french fries made for munching and dipping. Other customizable ideas include making
your own sauce or mixing in Cajun seasoning. The menu offers mayo, ketchup, mustard, barbecue sauce
A1 sauce, and hot sauce as a part of their free toppings. This means you can mix any of your
favorite sauces for your own signature dipping sauce. Don't forget that it can be combined with
their Cajun fries, too, for an extra kick. Most fast food, quick service, and coffee shops have
a secret menu these days, and Five Guys certainly does as well. One employee suggests trying confetti
fries, which have barbecue sauce, mayo, and Cajun spices added on top before being tossed in the bag
to lightly coat the crispy potatoes. Another secret menu item is cheese fries. Just ask for a bit of
cheese on your fries when you order. With so many options, all of those extra fries might be even
more tempting than before