Mom and I were debating what to have for dinner when she said that she wanted “a big fat burger.” A new location of Five Guys Famous Burgers and Fries had just opened in a shopping center near our house, so we decided to try it. Five Guys is a burger chain that is located in Eastern states from New York to Florida, excluding Georgia.
Five Guys has a unique style as far as their menu and they are moderately priced. Their menu consists of burgers, hot dogs, veggie and grilled cheese sandwiches, and fries. It does not sound like much, but there are over a dozen toppings that you can choose to put on your sandwich – all for no charge! You can get a plain hamburger, cheeseburger, bacon burger, a bacon cheeseburger, or any of the “little” burgers. The main difference is that the regular burgers have 2 3.2-oz patties, and the little burgers have one patty. You can also get the hot dogs with cheese and/or bacon. Their fries are hand cut and cooked in 100% peanut oil which is great for those trying to watch their cholesterol, as the peanut oil is cholesterol-free. As far as prices, a plain hamburger is about $4.65, a hot dog is $2.95, and a large order of fries is $3.75 (all plus tax, of course). It is well worth it, too.
The restaurant environment at Five Guys is unique also. At the location I visited at Fairfield Shopping Center in Virginia Beach, the seating area is of moderate size with plenty of room. It seems that much of the business here is take-out from what I could tell. They have a few huge open boxes of peanuts set up around the place so that you can snack while you wait for your order. I thought that was pretty cool – a burger joint that serves free peanuts! There are fifty-pound bags of potatoes as well as boxes with bottles of peanut oil decoratively stacked in one section of the restaurant. There is a board on one wall that tells where each daily ration of potatoes comes from; when I went in, it read, “Today’s potatoes are from Rigby, Idaho!” Pretty neat, huh? You can also watch how everything is prepared, from the cooking of the burgers to the building of the sandwiches.
I had called our order in ahead and went to pay. We had ordered a few burgers and two large orders of fries for Mom, Dad, and me. I was watching them prepare the food, all which looked very fresh. As they were putting the fries in the bag, I noticed they put in the two large cups full, and then put in a couple of scoops on top. What a deal! I gathered my bags and went home.
We sat down to eat and took bites of our burgers. Yum! The meat was juicy and tasted quite good and all of the toppings were tasty and fresh. The fries were awesome and reminded me of a place that my family used to frequent when I was younger. They were a little bit too salty, though. I will just have to remember to ask for less salt next time – and there WILL be a next time! My mom is very picky about what she eats, especially when it comes to hamburgers, and she still has not stopped talking about how good it was. That says a lot!
Five Guys Famous Burgers and Fries restaurants are located all along the East Coast, with more locations continuing to open.