Five Guys

Somehow or other, calling this place a "hole-in-the-wall hamburger shack" is disingenuous at best. This is a chain that stretches from Florida to Connecticut. Five guys has a total of 81 stores open, plus 18 more set to open.

I agree, not a hole in the wall shack at all. A very well run operation that turns out a very good product. They keep it simple and up to the standards originally set.

But a hole in the wall? Not at all.

I've been to the one in Alexandria that is pictured there. In fact, it's the ONLY Five Guys I've been to. And it is indeed a hole in the wall sort of place.

I'm sure they do. But the one in Alexandria, which I went to on a couple Saturdays around noon, is a sort of a whole in the wall, with peanut shells all over the floor (they have peanuts as a snack while you wait for your food), and only a small eating area around the corner from the order counter. Most customers were getting take-out.

wooops....wait a minute: the hole in the wall Five Guys I went to was on N. Beauregard in Alexandria on the border with Arlington (West of 395). Corner of N. Beauregard and King Street, right near NoVa-Alexandria Campus.

THAT's the hole in the wall. I guess these two locations have something in common.

And, on some level, I'd almost rather the place was a little more spotless.

quote:

Originally posted by Scorereader

wooops....wait a minute: the hole in the wall Five Guys I went to was on N. Beauregard in Alexandria on the border with Arlington (West of 395). Corner of N. Beauregard and King Street, right near NoVa-Alexandria Campus.

THAT's the hole in the wall. I guess these two locations have something in common.

And, on some level, I'd almost rather the place was a little more spotless.

I've been to that 5 guys (off King Street - not too far from where I live) - it is a hole in the wall that could use a good cleaning - but GREAT burgers & fries! OH YUM!

I think we need to rethink the definition of a "hole in the wall." Five Guys will probably be heading towards being a nationwide chain in 10 years (based on the growth of the past couple of years). As a chain I think Five Guys loses its hole in the wall personality, but maybe we can say the original location can still be called a hole in the wall cause it still has a holey (not in the spiritual sense) type of feeling. By the way I agree with Prettykitties, even with the chain expansion the burgers are still great.

The older sites in Alexandria, Arlington, and around are definately "holey".

The older expansions in that area are also mostly (all?) in recycled space and may also qualify. The newer expansions are often in some really fancy looking new purpose built buildings.

The burgers and fries are good in all that I have tried (and my wife likes their hot dogs), though some of the places are really busy at meal time and the wait is a little longer than McD/BK/Wendy type places. They do still produce them pretty much on order, no warming bins or microwaves. I haven't tried one outside the general DC area yet.

I tried Five Guys yesterday and found it average.Their fries werent that hot either.I can do a better burger at home at two oclock in the morning.A burger fry and a Drink close to nine bucks.

Does anyone know where Five Guys is located in Florida?

Paul

http://www.fiveguys.com/


Altamonte Springs, FL Coming Soon
229 E. Altamonte Drive
Altamonte Springs, FL 32701

Jacksonville, FL
4413 Town Center Parkway
Jacksonville, FL 32246
tel. 904-996-6900
fax 904-998-0044

Orlando, FL
W Sand Lake Road & S John Young Parkway
Orlando, FL 32819
tel. 407-352-8899
fax 407-352-8010

Orlando, FL
7512 Dr. Phillips Blvd
Orlando, FL 32819
tel. 407-226-9888
fax 407-226-9899

Palm Beach Gardens, FL Coming Soon
11320 Legacy Ave
Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410

Tampa, FL Coming Soon
3841 West Kennedy Blvd
Tampa, FL 33609

West Palm Beach, FL Coming Soon
871 Village Blvd
West Palm Beach, FL 33409

Maybe they have changed with the new openings. The ones I have been to in Raleigh and Wilmington, NC are new, busy, bright and shiny. The one in Raleigh is at an upscale new mall with outside tables.

I guess with all this talk, I gotta go check the one out here.....
And throw my 2 cents in..
(where the hell is the "cent's" key?.. There is a dollar sign key..Sheesh)

I ate at the one in Wimington yesterday as a follow up.It was good and the burger was the hottest Ive ever had.The place was clean and shiny and I will go back.

OKAY! Here’s MY two cents!

We have a “Five Guys” here in Maryland . . . perched upon some mighty expensive real estate!

The Baltimore Sun reviewed the joint here: (http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/dining/106411,0,7360650.venue)

I, being asemi-professional “Burger Aficionado”, decided that I would go see what all the fuss was about.

I won’t resort to calling the joint names, BUT, on the other hand, I certainly will NOT get my drawers in a wad over their burgers!

They’re okay. That’s it . . . OKAY. Nothing more.

There are LOTS of burgers out there a WHOLE LOT BETTER than "Five Guys."

GEEZ!

I recently had a chance to visit the one in Orange Ct. Being from San Diego I am a big In N Out fan. I liked 5 guys better. The burger is much thicker and had more flavor. The have a sign that they cook all buger well done so I asked for it to be done medium and it was very good. The choice of toppings sold my wife on the burger.

quote:

Originally posted by ctrueder

OKAY! Here’s MY two cents!

We have a “Five Guys” here in Maryland . . . perched upon some mighty expensive real estate!

The Baltimore Sun reviewed the joint here: (http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/dining/106411,0,7360650.venue)

I, being a semi-professional “Burger Aficionado”, decided that I would go see what all the fuss was about.

I won’t resort to calling the joint names, BUT, on the other hand, I certainly will NOT get my drawers in a wad over their burgers!

They’re okay. That’s it . . . OKAY. Nothing more.

There are LOTS of burgers out there a WHOLE LOT BETTER than "Five Guys."

GEEZ!

Kinda a whole lot of built up excitement, just to be let down?
I hate when that happens.....
But still, I will check them out. They are relatively new here in Myrtle Beach....

I'm not exactly sure when Five Guys went into the expansion/chain mode, but I frequent the place often enough to consider myself somewhat of an expert.

Twenty years ago there was one Five Guys and it was the best damn burger and fries money could buy in the DC/NOVA area. Took them quite awhile to add additional locations in the metro area, and even longer to expand....given the mixed opions in this thread I guess like most other hole in the wall joints Five Guys has failed to carry that feel over to their franchises.

I've never had a bad experience here in the DC Metro area though. Always good, and if you enjoy bacon on your burger, Five Guys is always fried crisp....not wimpy and limp like most other places. Fries are excellent when they are hot and fresh.

One of my co-workers just got back from a trip to Virginia and ate at a Five Guys while he was down there. He said it was the best burger he has ever had and actually ate there three times while he was there. Hmmm....even though I wouldn't call this guy a burger expert, I generally trust his opinion. I will definitely go out of my way to try one next time I have the opportunity.

A Five Guys store is being built right now on DE 1 in Lewes,DE.It will be in the new Ocean Sands strip center.So far havent seen an opening date or even a sign.It will be on the southbound side (which is under construction the next 2 years) just south of the intersection of US 9.

Went to the one in Acworth, GA last week. Pretty good burger, but next time, I'm going to order it plain - they overloaded the ketchup and relish and ruined the taste. Also, the hot dog was superb for this area, but was overly priced.

I'm still trying to figure out why this chain has not been moved to the fast food, franchise, chain, whatever section. It is a chain,and it is a fast food chain, and it is probably a franchised fast food chain. But even if it is not franchised it is definitely a fast food chain.

Agreed, MH.

The Five Guys thread and the Red Robin thread both should be in the FFF/chain section.

Agreed, MH.

The Five Guys thread and the Red Robin thread both should be in the FFF/chain section.

If you are in the Northern Virginia area, I stumbled on a new hamburger joint vastly superior to Five Guys!! It's called Elevation Burger, and only serves Kobe beef burgers from a farm in Warrenton, VA. The fries are great -- skinny but cooked in olive oil. It's on South Washington Street in Falls Church (Route 29 = next to a monument for Tinner Hill) -- also they have two types of veg burgers and great ice cream shakes.

quote:

Originally posted by long dog

Agreed, MH.

The Five Guys thread and the Red Robin thread both should be in the FFF/chain section.

well, since Five Guys was reviewed on this site, it's allowed to remain here. See recent thread on roadfood definition.

Close to 10 "Five Guys" have opened up almost overnight, in metro Atlanta. I was amazed how limited the menu is. I plan on giving it a try.

I was curious about their descriptions, with "burgers" and then "little burgers

Also, what's with the fries Cajun sounds great, but they also have "Five Guys" style listed.

What kinda prices are we looking at

quote:

Originally posted by ULVER
I was curious about their descriptions, with "burgers" and then "little burgers

Also, what's with the fries Cajun sounds great, but they also have "Five Guys" style listed.

What kinda prices are we looking at

A Five Guys Burger has two patties, a Little Burger has one patty. They're pretty big, especially when you load them up with toppings - a Little Burger's enough for me.

Cajun fries are dusted with spices after they come out of the fryer. Regular fries aren't. The fries are well above average for an FF joint, but maybe not quite up to the raves you see everywhere (definitely worth trying, though.)

Working from my memory here, a few weeks ago the Newtown, CT branch wanted ~3.50 for a Little Burger, and just under five for a Burger. Cheese and Bacon are the only add-ons they charge for (about 50-75 cents apiece, I think.) Small Fries somewhere between 2 and 3 bucks. Soda (including birch beer!) and iced tea are just under two bucks and come with unlimited refills.

Count on dropping about 8 bux for a little burger plus fries and a drink. This is a HUGE bang for the buck compared to the going rate for your typical blah FF value meal.

The "small" fries will easily feed 2 adults.

I've been going to 5guys since the original location in Arlington, VA over 20 years ago. They haven't lost much since the franchising began. You can no longer get a med-rare burger there, but that's due to the health police, not franchising.

Like I've said before 5 guys is my 2nd favorite behind In n Out burger.

MikeS.