I'm still a 5 Guys fan, but in the last couple of weeks I've been to both of the Bill's Bar & Burger locations in NYC and their burgers give 5 Guys a run for their money. Plus Bill's craft beer selection is pretty darn good.

http://www.brguestrestaurants.com/re...ls-bar-burger/

Just give me a Five Guys Kosher Dog and fries. I'm good.

Five Guys has taken DC's specialty food: burgers [seriously!], and exported it throughout the nation. While there are still local places that do it better (Ray's/Good Stuff), it's still a decent burger. Reminds me a bit of Starbucks in relation to Seattle coffee, albeit at a smaller scale. For those who think it's overpriced, that's just part of the genuine DC experience!

I had my first 5 Guys burger today at a newly opened store near my office on 34th St in Manhattan.

The first thing that struck me was this statement on the menu: "We cook all our burgers juicy and well done." What an oxymoron, I thought, as I saw the patties curling up on the griddle as they were being cooked to the point of near-dessication.

I can definitely see(taste) the similarity between 5 Guys and In-n-Out. I would rate an animal-style burger from In-n-Out higher than the 5 Guys product, but unfortunately, I have no access to In-n-Out in NYC. So, 5 Guys has a damn good burger, except...

...for the price. I can't justify paying $7.50 for a burger alone when I know that In-n-Out is a better burger and other places nearby have more filling and healthy options for less. 5 Guys is fast food, and I will judge it by fast food price points. At $7.50 and up, I can find a sit-down restaurant or pub with a tastier burger experience. Furthermore, assuming I do feel like paying $7.50 for a fast-food burger, I can walk an additional couple of blocks to Brgr on 26th St & 7th Ave, where they have a gourmet, grass-fed burger for the same price.

I've never seen pink in a Five Guys burger, yet plenty of juices do seem to run out when I bite into one. Maybe it's really fatty meat or something about the grilling style, but they are indeed "juicy and well done."

It does seem to be a touch on the expensive side (although honestly, the prices don't shock me because a good burger here runs at least $7-8). But the awards they post on their walls tout having the best value in burgers around. I've always wondered how they win those awards at those prices.

That sounds expensive to me, so I just went online to look at the prices. The hamburger in Chicago is $4.99 - and that's the one with two patties. The "little hamburger," with one patty, is $3.59. Even so, in my mind, a $7 - $8 burger that is really good is a "best value."

Five guys are popping up everywhere I look in the northern burbs of Chicago and even in the MKE burbs...wonder how long they can sustain this growth?

They're all over the north side of the city too.

recently tried a bacon cheeseburger at Five Guys in TN and I'm hooked! I like that you can order a ton of toppings without extra charge

I'm sure it's been beaten to death, but I haven't read through this thread. They just opened a location here in SoCal, and I'll take In N Out over this greasy mess any day of the week.

Live in SoCal and have In-n-out regularly, but I feel they aren't really comparable. That being said, I find myself more often in the mood for In-n-out over FG...

You're right, 5 Guys is so gross, they must be adding grease to their food. Bleh!

Well, it's interesting how people feel about this.

I remember 20 years ago thinking that Starbucks wouldn't be very successful because people wouldn't be willing to pay a lot more money for a little better cup of coffee (and, honestly, Starbucks coffee wasn't usually so great). But obviously there is a segment of the population that doesn't mind the extra money for a little "luxury" on what is still an affordable item.

With rare exception, I don't pay a lot of money for fast food burgers. I actually think the McDouble at McDonalds is an astonishing value at a buck. I know folks like to find fault with McDonalds' food, but it's a tasty burger. The Double Stack at Wendy's -- also usually about a buck -- is an even better burger.

So why should I pay 5 bucks to eat a fast food burger when I can pay a buck? For $5, I'll eat something else (after all, how many burgers can you eat?). I've always thought that the worst business to get into was the fast food burger business because McDonalds does a good job and they are so darn cheap. Who could compete with that?

That said, when I am in an In-n-Out locale, I will choose them over McDonalds if I want a burger. Of course, the surcharge at In-n-Out is very modest. If it were 4 bucks, I'd stick with McDonalds or Wendys.

There's a reason mcdouble burger is only $1... it's a 1/5th lb of cheap meat. The only reason it tastes good is because they add flavoring and salt.

I have the opposite problem: outside of the Pacific Northwest, I have a hard time finding good coffee and actually find myself descending to the level of Starbucks. Starbuck's mass-produced, over-roasted ("for consistency") beans and mostly-entry-level baristas pushing buttons on automated machines is just not quality. But when the only other options in an area are Seattle's Best (also a SBUX company, but an even more down-market brand) and Dunkin' Donuts, well, sometimes the 'bucks is all you can get.

That's like saying a Taco Bell burrito is equivalent to one from Baja Fresh, or a Pizza Hut pizza slice is equivalent to something from Macaroni Grill. They're hardly equivalent. When you want something cheap, sure, go to the Golden Arches, but you can't tell me they are close enough in quality that you would honestly choose McDonald's over a better burger just because it's cheaper.