I have to say that I also love their fries... in fact, I often will just get fries and soda for dinner at the IAD Five Guys when travelling....

Have had In-And-Out and 5 Guys but no Shake Shack yet although I hope to try them the next time I'm in DC. In-And-Out seems more consistently good from location to location, but occasionally I've had burgers at 5 Guys that I thought were better.

In the end, with chains, consistency is really the key. About 10 years ago, I was driving from Florida to Virginia and stopped at a Hardee's in South Carolina for lunch. This location was apparently one of the initial stores rolling out the Thickburger concept, and I swear to you that it was the best burger I've ever had, outside of certain upscale restaurants that include burgers on the menu.

I couldn't wait until the local Hardee's started doing Thickburgers, but it was about a year before they hit my area. And the burger I got was nothing close to the concept I'd had in South Carolina. Some of that might be due to the decision to use cheaper ingredients than I'd had earlier, but the truth is, the elements were there but weren't done as carefully as they had been done the first time I had the product. And I've never had a Thickburger at any other location that was all that good either although I've had some that were better than the second one I had.

Plain and simple, it's execution. 5 Guys has been facing this issue since their original expansion from DC. Shake Shack will get there eventually if expansion continues. In-And-Out seems to do a good job of enforcing uniformity in their product, but consistency as well as our individual tastes probably lead to widely varying opinions about the quality of these burgers.

The 5 Guys fries really are superior to In-N-Out (the latter's fries have a half-life of about four minutes before they go limp). I get the best of all worlds about a five mile drive from my house (Northridge, CA). In a Costco parking lot, there is an In-N-Out and 5 Guys less than a hundred feet apart. I order fries at 5 Guys and place them in my car, then go next door for a Double-Double and shake to go.

Problem is more than once every month or so, will put you in the grave.

I recently went to the 5 Guys location in Westwood, Ca. I can't even remember the food as the music was so deafeningly loud. :eek: Could not wait to get out of there. There is an In 'n Out about 2 blocks away. Just food; no music. Much better ambiance. That music was an assault on my senses and there was no escape!!

Well, to each his or her own.

I think the Five Guys fries I've had are just nasty. Limp, non-crispy, far too fat, greasy.

If I want a 5 Guys burger I'll take the opposite tack and get it but get an order of well-done fries (the secret to fries perfection and In-N-Out).

As I posted above, 5 Guys can make awesome fries. Why they can't do it consistently I don't know. In-N-Out's fries are certainly better when ordered well done, but they are still too skinny and remind me of shoestring potatoes (the ones we used to get in a can).

I believe you. I've just never encountered it. :)

Working with a 5 Guys vendor, I've been to about 150 of their locations (roughly 15% of their stores) in the last 18 months. I must say, my biggest surprise has always been how consistent they are. Sure, they're not all 100% perfect but with 2 or 3 exceptions they've all been pretty close. Granted, my entire experience has been east of the Mississippi so i guess it could be different the further from their Va HQ you get.

I do know for a fact that every 5 guys has at least 2 mystery shopper visits per week and they're extremely anal about cleanliness.

And yes, I have gained about 10 pounds since i started visiting them :)

I tried Shake Shack for the first time a week or so ago.
Had a peanut butter milkshake and quite nice. Tried another flavour the next day and not quite as good but nice enough.
Then went back and had a burger and fries. Was sorely disappointed by everything. Sure the burger was medium (usually only touch well done) and moist, but no taste as such. The crinkly fries tasted of nothing.

Tried it again in New York at the weekend and exactly the same. Tasteless food although queued out the door for some reason.
Also tried one of their concretes and expected a milkshake sized cup rather than a tiny pot of bland white stuff (supposed to be chocolate etc. but was more like sugary wallpaper paste)

Had 5 Guys before Shake Shack and far far superior. Portions a lot better, tastier fries and burger etc.

In N' Out has nice burgers. Their fries are nice but prefer McDonalds especially if really hot and salty.

None of them really produces a 5* juicy thick burger - you gotta find a local restaurant that doesn't care about overcooking the heck out of the thing.

As for the main question, this has been discussed in other threads, and I think it is somewhat apples to oranges. In-N-Out produces the best "fast food" burger, i.e. thin patty hamburgers, very limited customization (yes I knew about animal style, probably before most of you were born). Five Guys is about 2-3x the price, for a larger burger but with about 30 custom topping options. The fries are good at both places.

Not to detract from Five Guys, which produces a nice product, but I personally would rather spend less for In-N-Out. Five Guys is not 2-3x better.

I don't think we have Shake Shack here on the left coast.

Love burgers, so have tried them all including MOS burger in Singapore., recommend skipping that one. In 'n' Out is local to me, but barely okay. Kind of mushy and no real flavor. Five Guys costs significantly more, have tried it in DC at Dulles and in California. Meh. Had Shake Shack in New York. Jolliebe in Manila was out of chicken so I had a burger - just don't. And yes, I've eaten McDonalds in many places in the world (it's often, but not always, better than in the US.)

None of them are very good compared to almost any bar or restaurant $10-16 burger (except in England, land of the meatloaf burger.)

For me Shake Shack wins hands down because they serve wine. It comes in a plastic stemless wine glass a la Riedel, but has an indentation for your greasy finger to keep it from slipping out of your hand. Two pluses for Shake Shack.

I've had all of them multiple times, and while I may be biased given my location, Shake Shack is definitely better. The patty has more flavor and is thicker and juicier than the In-N-Out burger, and it does not devolve into being a soppy, greasy mess like a 5 Guys burger does. Give me a Shackburger and a side of crinkle-cut fries anyday, please! :D

To each their own, and I completely agree. 5 Guys fries are awful! I do like IN & Out's and haven't had Shake Shacks in a while but I definitely agree on which are the worse.

And they pour additional on top of everything in the bag which makes handling the burgers greasy as well. I have learned to ask them to put the fries in a separate bag now.

As for the burgers, I will eat them every once in a while, but my problem is that I like my burgers rare with the juices flowing and most chains like Five Guys, Smashburger, Steak-n-Shake, etc. cook them well done for food safety issues. I know I take the risk, but they still feel they are reliable if I get sick.

shake shack burger and in n out fries