This poll is only for those of you who enjoy a Five Guys Burger.  How do you typically order your burger at other restaurants (not Five Guys, because they only do well-done)?

I prefer my burger rare, which explains that I am not alone in my opinion of Five Guys.

Stephen Rushmore Jr.


I prefer my burger rare, which explains that I am not alone in my opinion of Five Guys.

I would like a rare or medium rare burger but I have always been afraid to do that.  E Coli has always scared me.
 
Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Stephen - To be fair to Five Guys (I'm no fan either), it is difficult to find a place that will cook a burger to anything less than "Medium," which usually means "Medium Well" or worse. 

Join us at Fred's some time, they are not afraid of serving still-red ground meat.

Jim

JRPfeff


Stephen - To be fair to Five Guys (I'm no fan either), it is difficult to find a place that will cook a burger to anything less than "Medium," which usually means "Medium Well" or worse. 

Join us at Fred's some time, they are not afraid of serving still-red ground meat.

Jim

I've never been refused a rare or medium rare burger at a Waffle House, although about six years ago they went through a short period of having you sign your name on the check indicating that you asked for it to be cooked that way.

MR - "Having it your way" at a Chilis is not going to happen.  It's medium or more well done.  They are my personal poster boy for not getting it your way.  But, of course, they are not alone.  I just recall them being one of the very first to adopt the "no pink" policy after the e-coli scare several years ago.  Ok, you say which one..LIfe is taking a few chances isn't it?
 
We've had this discussion many times on roadfood, but what the heck.  I'll bite.
You hear from the wait staff it's the insurance carriers or the attorney and sometimes even the local health ordinances.  Then there are chains, albeit small ones, like Stonewood (my new favorite burger) who will cook it MR. 

So what gives?  Just a different insurance carrier?  Different legal opinions?  The local BOH regulations? Do you know of any towns that actually legislate how we can enjoy our burgers?  Surely, not in my town. We have Stonewood and Chilis and they have different policies. 
 
So, is the BOH argument really just to place the blame away from where it should be placed..at the corporate level.   

Some of these places go to such great lengths to use fresh meat burgers, but then they cook them until there's no pink in them.  I know this may not be a great example, but did you ever watch Steak and Shake press down on those fresh meat burgers on the griddle...WHY?  Maybe to get the grease out of their meat?

As far as legislation/possible enforcement, the state of NJ is a great example of no yoking around about salmonella, in the early 90s. The same thing can happen in response to e-coli. Even after bans are lifted, some people are left with a negative impression/fear of certain cooking processes.
 
I enjoy a rare burger, only when I grind high-quality FRESH beef and cook it, myself. I would not order it rare or medium-rare at 95% of restaurants, and especially not at any chain. I know too much about some of the tricks of the trade grinding/handling/throw-in process of various left over steaks, of all different quality/freshness levels, to produce the ground hamburger meat served  at many mediocre restaurants. Unless it is a restaurant that I am certain is executing the highest of high standards, with terrific daily turnover, no thanks.
  
If I would hesitate at the thought of ordering steak tartare at any certain restaurant, I would also not eat a rare  hamburger, in the same place.
 
Like breadcrumbs, hamburger meat is often a secondary end product of previously fresh items.
 
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3190/is_n4_v26/ai_11851335 
 
 

CCinNJ

I enjoy a rare burger, only when I grind high-quality FRESH beef and cook it, myself. I would not order it rare or medium-rare at a restaurant, and especially not at any chain.
 
 

Ditto. Had a couple of medium-rare burgers just this week..ground fresh with my Kitchen-Aid and cooked on the grill. I am not one to order anything less then medium-well when dining out unless I personally know the chef/cook. (of course, I'm the same guy who doesn't like to fly unless I know the pilot )

 I do medium rare at home too.

   There is a new 5 Guys Burger Stand in New Albany, Indiana, right next to the PetCo where our dogs can pick out their own bones and Pig's Ears when they go in for their annual shots! We have yet to try the 5 Guys...It just opened last week but today when we drove passed it their were a lot of cars parked there. (It is in what was a Hollywood Video Rental store than went belly-up.

I agree with most of you above,but I am a fan of 5 Guys...not the best burger,but better than most chains...and a rare burger ordered out is "just asking for it"....and I mean something more than a rare burger!!!  That said 5 guys makes a tsaty burger and the topic choices are a great idea!!!...and ooohhh those fries!!!

Hey Stephen, Thanks for starting this great thread!  I'm sure it is going to spark an exchange of fresh and new ideas that have never been discussed on Roadfood before.
 
When I saw this thread I said to myself, "Joe, stay out of this one."  But since nobody mentioned what my observations were, from one visit to Five Guys.....well here I go.
 
Why? Why do they have to smack down the burger until it is paper thin?  IMO if they gently pressed the meat once, and only flipped it once, they would end up serving a better tasting, juicier burger.  Even cooked to medium well.
 
Hey, they are very successful, and have a very loyal following, just like most chains.  And if I was forced to choose between McBurger, BK or 5-Guys, I would choose 5-Guys.  But if there was a diner within 5 miles, I would walk to it!

The issue with Five Guys is a simple one.  If you are a regular or occassional consumer of fast food burgers, try Five Guys, you'll probably really like it.  The burgers are bigger, juicier, and tastier than the "Big 3".  It is also more expensive.  The fries are good too.  I really like the cajun fries.  On the other hand, if your palate is so sophisticated that you would never eat a fast food burger or ground beef cooked above medium, STAY AWAY.  You won't like it.

I like mine Medium. Really juicy

When I order a burger at a place where the server asks how I want it done, I usually say, "As close to rare as you're willing to go."  That usually means medium.

If I am at a joint where I can order a burger the way I want it I order it rare or medium rare.

I am a huge Five Guys fan, have been for 15 years or so. I started at the original location but I've never been disappointed at any of the franchised locations either. Never had a "dry" burger regardless of the burgers being cooked "well" done.

Please don't throw any pointed or blunt objects at me, because I am one of those people who likes his hamburgers (and steaks) well done without any pink.  Obviously I like the burgers at Five Guys and have had good luck at the ones I have eaten at (Chantilly, VA; Dulles Airport; Warrenton, VA; and Nags Head, NC).  To me the burgers are juicy and still well done, not a piece of shoe leather that so often happens with cooking meat to a point of being well done.  I have noticed that some restaurants can produce a well-done steak that is still tender, while others can deliver only a piece of charcoal.  When I order burgers at other places (and I ask for well-done), sometimes they are good, and sometimes they are a bit dry (maybe like the Sahara).  That's the risk with liking well-done food, so it's something to accept.  For those who like their burgers on a bit more rare side, it's too bad that our lawsuit-happy society has made it so hard to order what frankly you should have no trouble finding.  Just wait until someone discovers a link between cancer and well-done burgers, and then it will be almost impossible to order one with any degree of doneness.

I rather have a 5 guys than starve to death, that's about it, good fries though.

double bacon cheese with double grilled onions...........and fries

Just tell them, "the works"...and let them go crazy....a great tasty burger!!!!

Like my burgers medium with some pink in them, but not bloody.  Didn't expect to love Five Guys the first time I went, but they do make a fine well-done burger, which I never thought was possible.  Pickles, ketchup, mushrooms and hot sauce for me!

This thread got me curious about these burgers so I checked them out online and was shocked to find there were 2 locations out in our burbs that I never heard about. The pictures looked good but then on the FAQ page I saw what this thread was all about. They only do well done. Hmm, saved me some gas money. I'm not a purist but I have just never had any luck with ff chains (actually any chains except maybe Waffle House, White Castle, Bob Evans (pushing the envelope here since they don't have country ham anymore), and Popeyes. {Good lord we were treated to a rather expensive medicore meal at Mitchell's Seafood recently.}
I've a friend that enjoyed her Red Robin and while it may be tasty (I'm guessing here), I can name 6 local places that cost maybe half what she paid and are what I consider an excellent burger.
Anyway this tidbit is lifted from their FAQ page. I have no idea if this is there national policy or just Pewaukee and Delafield. As Jim pointed out, Wisconsin has no well done beef mandated law.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Burger Questions
• Food Allergy, Nutritional Information and Dietary Restriction Questions
• Misc. FAQ
• Peanuts and Peanut allergy questions

Burger Questions

Q: Why does Five Guys only serve burgers cooked well done?
A: By cooking all of our burgers juicy and well done we are able to achieve two goals.

• Insure a consistent product
• Meet or exceed health code standards for ground beef

We understand that there are varying opinions on what level a burger should be cooked for optimal flavor and our opinion is that our burgers taste best cooked juicy and well done.

Like this...



Or like this...



These were shot 12 days after the first Chicago Five Guys opened in Oak Park, just west of the city.  Crowds were pretty solid and continue to be.

  We recently (Jan 1) had a Five Guys stand open up on our side of the river (New Albany, IN). Today Jan and I tried it for a Burger Lunch. We both got the Bacon Burgers-Regular...which turned out to be the Double-Burger from most other places. They were 'Well-Done' but still had plenty of juice and flavor. We dressed ours for our own tastes- 1. onion,peppers,tomato and A1, 2. grilled onion and mushroom, tomato and BBQ sauce. A Coke for each of us and one order of the regular Fries that turned out to be a large amount of FF...enough for both of us.

Total Bill $17 plus change.

I would rank the Five Guys above the basic FF Burgers, one step above Rally's. Almost as good as Culver's, but I like the crispy Butter Burgers at Culvers better, but the Five Guys Fries stand out way above the Culvers Crinkle-Cuts

Pricing puts them higher than most FF Burgers..about the same as Culvers and cheaper than the Ruby Tuesday type of sit-down place.

One thing that may effect the overall success in this area was the lack of a drive-thru and pretty tight parking during the lunch rush when we were there today. Frankly we will stop again when we're in that part of town. It is directly on the way to Louisville (about 12 miles), while "our" Culver's is 13 miles west of us in Corydon. In this case the decision about which to choose would be based on the reason for us being "out".

Five Guys (at least the one in Oak Park, IL) may not cook the burger to your specifications but they will the fries. Ask for them well done - they come just a little darker and crisper.

The last two Culvers burgers I have had were so dry I could barely swallow them.  No comparison between them and 5G.

Like Jimmy Buffet says;

Medium rare with mustard be nice ( I can do mayo instead )
Heaven on earth w/ an onion slice


Oh and;

A big kosher pickle and a cold draft beer
Good God Almighty which way do I steer
Joe