He also discovered the existence of one of his intelligence agencies, meaning he can probably deduct the cost of the lunch as a business expense. :D

I've never heard of it and will have to read through this thread to see how it compares with, say, Fatburger.

A west coast burger chain probably more like Five Guys than Fatburger would be In 'n Out Burger.

I just tried my first 5 guys burger on Monday in Winston Salem, NC. Tasted great, but I had not eated all day and was craving a burger, plus it was right next to my Hotel. Was not impressed with the fries, but the burger sure hit the spot. I would say it was on the better side for chain places, but I have never tried In & Out.

Funny.... I actually prefer the fries to the burgers.... :)

When I have a short layover at IAD, I usually just order some fries and soda.

I was on a weekend trip to BOS with a friend who has never been to the US. We spend lots of time eating and I made sure we'll get to the Foxborough Five Guys. The burger was good although I somewhat prefer the In'n'Out version. Part of my cajun fried were over-spiced while some were pretty much plain :td:
My friend loved it, though.

I am kinda missing the WOW factor but still they rank high on a level comparable to In'n'Out and Fuddruckers.

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Cajun fries... Right :p

Dissapointed I could not get 5 guys last month on a layover @ DCA- did get In n' Out though :p (gotta love AS 5)

There's an In n Out at Reagan airport? :eek: It's the only reason I put up with the shithole that is LAX.

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Didn't add the detail in n' out was @ LAX... :o

Only on the southwest coast... :(

Love Five Guys, but to be honest, I can't pinpoint why. They don't have the best tasting bacon (that goes to Corner Bistro in NYC), they don't have the best burger, nor the best bun, but somehow, the end burger is much better than the sum of its parts. It is by far my favorite burger chain.
I read the OP and had the exact opposite reaction... I tried In and Out well before I tried Five Guys, and though, this is it? Very big letdown. I would have preferred a McD's burger 5 times over to In and Out. To be fair, though, my wife liked the In and Out (but she likes Five Guys a lot too).

I'm so-so on the fries at FGs though. When they are cooked crispy, they are great, but most of the time they are pretty soft and I am not a big fan of the fatter, soft fries style they use. I prefer them thin and crispy.

The amount of fries in a regular sized order is obscene and could easily feed a family of four. You're forced to make a complete pig of yourself or waste a lot of food. Two of us went yesterday and ordered burgers and ONE order of fries. We stuffed ourselves and still thre fries away. :td:

I agree 100%.

In 'n Out Burgers are very common IMO. I've got five or so In 'n Out's within a 30 minute drive and don't stop more than once a year. And I LOVE burgers.

Five Guys kicks In 'n Out's butt big-time IMO.

Speaking only of burgers however.

I'm not a French Fry guy and don't favor one over the other.

I have yet to try a Five Guys burger, though I will as soon as I see one after reading this thread. Before I get my hopes too high though, can anyone tell me if their buns are toasted crispy, use multiple thin patties, and do they use a 'thousand island California style' type dressing? If not, I may not bother.

No, more or less (they are hand formed, not thick not thin), and no. There are about 20 toppings. You tell them what you want when ordering. T-I is not one of them, at least not in NJ.

:confused::confused::confused:
Then I don't understand why everyone compares them to In-N-Out. From that description, they are a completely different type of burger.

Maybe because they're both so tasty! :) (And In-N-Out patties aren't really that thin - as in McDonald's thin.)

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Umm. Just had lunch at the Five Guys at DCA. Excellent.

Very good hamburgers and fries, I try to avoid it though due to the mental image of what would happen to my arteries if I indulged as much as I would like to at Five guys.

I have also discovered that Five Guys burgers and fries are a pretty decent hangover therapy.

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There's one in the airport? No fair... :(

Granted my layover in DCA was outside its operating hours (AS 6 was 2+ hours late getting in past 11 @ night and leaving on 5 @ 9 AM...)

But I digress... :p

My guess is because they are the same "style". Hand made burgers, hand pulled shakes, fresh buns, and fresh cut fries. But 5G also has a few things that InO doesn't, such as hot dogs, cajun fries, and bacon (not to mention the peanuts). I am sure I am forgetting a few other menu differences, but I try not to go too often.

Yep. It is right across from the US Air shuttle gates. I usually take the train to DC. Second choice is Delta shuttle. I wasnt getting the ticket myself this time and they have a contract with US apparently. For a variety of reasons the train didnt work this time and when I arrived Wednesday night I noticed the Five Guys there. Made plans to have lunch there when I returned Friday afternoon. Might make me fly US a bit more on shuttle flights. I suppose I could do DL to DC so I can use the Marine Air Terminal at LGA and then US back so I can eat at Five Guys ;)

The first time I tried Five Guys last fall, I wasn't impressed at all.
I did have Five Guys yesterday for lunch and really enjoyed it, but what annoys me is the ala carte pricing. If I had wanted a burger, fries, and a soda, it'd have been nearly $10. That, to me, is a little too expensive.

Yes and no. The key is to go with someone. As I said above, the regular sized fries are more than enough for two. And the regular burgers are two patties of meat (a small is one), so it's definitely possible to get a substantial amount of food for well less than $10.

Yea, I threw half of my fries away.

Fries are the best part.

I like the burgers a lot. But yes, the fries are very good but way too much for one person.

Well... their large is pushing it :p (just don't drink too much water with lemon :D)

...but if you ordered the ketchup, mayo and relish you can approximate a T-I topping if that is what you are jonesing for and you are at a FGs.

I had my first 5 guys burger this weekend! Had to drive 25 min to try it, but it's worth it.

I think, although the toppings sound like a lot, they only put a little bit of each topping, so it's really not that much - load up as much toppings as you desire!

The hotdog is much nicer than burger, but that's just me :P I really, really like the hotdog.

Peanuts were on trash - whats up with that? Nobody is going to eat the peanuts on trash can.

Discovered Five Guys last year and since then they have opened several new locations in our area. Not sure anyone can compare to In N Out but Five Guys is still great!

Two years ago I had a pretty good opportunity to try both in the same 24 hour period, courtesy of an SBA->LAX->DCA->MHT flight I did. Had my In-N-Out (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kaszeta/468608797) in Goleta, and the next day's lunch at 5G in DCA (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kaszeta/469886954/), which made for a fresher and non-nostalgic-tainted comparison.

For the burger, I like Five Guys slightly better when done right, but they are very sloppy at Five Guys, so I usually have to give the edge to In-N-Out. Sometimes the burger is right on target, and sometimes it's way too greasy, or for some inexplicable reason it's been squished. But, in general, I usually get a good burger there. 5G burgers definitely aren't very easy to photograph, they usually look like greasy buns wrapped in foil.

I like the In-N-Out as well, but to me, In-N-Out is like someone took McDonalds and redid the whole concept, doing it right the second time. The burgers are very good (but not as good as 5G's on a good day), and they are very, very consistent (my bun is always well toasted, the sandwich carefully assembled (most of my In-N-Out burgers *look* like their marketing materials. How many places can you say that about?). The employees are happy and efficient. It's not *quite* as good a burger, but they seem to get the overall concept right.

For fries? No comparison. 5G is much, much better than In-N-Out. I actually don't like the In-N-Out fries that much, probably since I've been spoiled by too many trips to BeNeLux countries.

Interestingly, if you look at the chains' websites, both McDonalds and In-N-Out started selling burgers in 1948. But the McDonald brothers got bought out by Ray Kroc who took the chain public and global, while In-N-Out remains family owned and geographically limited.

But you have to admit, the In-N-Out story is much more fascinating. It's amazing how successful they've been despite all the family drama of drug addiction and religious fanaticism.

Tried it again. Not in the same leauge as In-N-Out.

Glad the chain listened to me. They are opening one ten minutes away. Thanks!

So, can you use your power of persuasion to get one up here? :D (I mean, heck, they have one in Kalispell, MT!)

I ate at 5G in CVG on Tuesday night. Mmm! I quote my post over in the INO thread:

:cool:

Enjoy!

I'm actually thrilled that the closest one to me is a 70 mile RT or my current diet would go TILT. :)

Agreed 100%.

Where's the linkage between In 'n Out and Five Guys ??

That's like comparing Beyonce to Lassie IMO.

Get ready for incoming missiles from the FT OMNI PC crowd..............<ducking>.

MisterNice