Agreed. Certain other chains (namely Raising Cane’s) have been doing quite well with that model well before the pandemic forced restaurants to reduce their menu options.
What the heck are you talking about... I had Five Guys' most expensive meal in the UK and it was absolute overpriced garbage. I can cook way better burgers myself at home. Fries were way too short and badly cut, mushrooms and pickles were horrible and you don't even get any trays with your meal. I had CHEAPER confined duck burgers in Eastern Europe with truffle mayo fries and they tasted DIVINE. You people hailing 5 guys know nothing about burgers and what some proper junk food is.
I have never noticed any outstanding customer service at five guys in the Minneapolis area it's pretty much like ordering at McDonald's just a longer wait but much better/expensive food...
as a former five guys employee, he’s right about everything but the bread. the bread truck comes a couple times a week, and it is fresh (and its proprietary, five guys owns the bakery’s that bake the bread) but it’s not baked in house everyday which is kinda what he made it sound like. other than that, it’s all true
Maybe it depends on the market? Like in a city with a few locations they might have a seperate bakery location that they distribute the bread from, but in a town with only 1 they have an onsite bakery? I have no idea for sure just sounds possible.
Appreciate the insight. You're obviously right about the bread, never meant to make it sound like they made it at the restaurants. Sorry if that was unclear.
What's the quality of the work environment? I personally don't have experience working in food service, but my understanding is that it's not always the best.
The "no advertising" is pure genius. First time I heard of Five Guys was when they opened up in Canada and heard from a friend. Today, I'm all the way in Saudi Arabia and Five Guys' reputation here speaks for itself.
something small that I think should have been mentioned is the amount of fries they give you, whenever I hear someone talking about 5 guys, they mention how they give you a ton of fries and how they fill up the cup, put the cup in the bag then scoop more fries into the bag, it's something that costs them pennies but really makes the customer feel like they got an amazing deal that they want to tell people about, and I'm one of those guys, whenever I tell someone about 5 guys who's never been, I always mention how delicious the burgers are and the mountain of delicious fries they'll give you even if you order a small
Especially if you're one of the last people to eat there. Many times coming home at like 11 or 10 pm, my father and I would split a large fry, and they just filled the bag even more than they normally "over fill" it, good times.
I worked at a restaurant back in the 90s that tried to have a huge menu. Ultimately it was "how can we make 10 things with a chicken breast". That said, nothing was particularly great and they've been closing restaurants nationwide for years. ON a side note, has Company Man done a "what happened to Perkins" episode?
@@johnchedsey1306 Oh man. When I was growing up there was a Perkins just up the road. Grandma would take my brother and I there for lunch occasionally. Eventually it closed and has become a series of failed Chinese buffet restaurants. I was taking a bit of a road trip a few months ago and was completely surprised to see a Perkins out in the wild in a rural area. I really have nothing more to add, but just wanted to mention it because it jogged loose a memory.
I think how they serve the fries is a great psychological trick. By putting the extra scoop of fries in the bag, it gives the customer the belief they're getting something extra
the disconnect between the fries costing $6 and the amount of fries is strange, nobody can finish all those fries so they throw half of them in the trash and think they got a good deal. It's a huge rip off unless you can split them up between 4 people.
@@ah4598 I can finish those fries. There is only one place I have issue finishing the fries of. It's a wing place where every set of wings come with "free" curly fries. I have a problem with it because their wing to fries ratio is out of whack, about 2-3 times as much fries by volume as wings. To eat a remotely satisfying amount of wings would result in a mountain of fries that I can't finish
@a h last time I went it cost me almost $20 bill for a burger combo. Who the hell can afford that especially if you have a family. I love their food but unless I'm with a group that wants to go I am done
So Five Guys is this sort of “I’m gonna spoil myself” things for me. I don’t get it very often because it’s pricey, but it’s nice to have when it’s the right kind of day.
When I was about 10 years old, my dad took me to a Five Guys for the first time. The food tasted so good. He passed away 10 years ago. I’m 22 now. Whenever I have a Five Guys burger, I always think of him.
Love me some Five Guys. Sometimes I wish they had more on their menu, but I'll take quality over quantity any day. Some say they're pricey but remember you're paying for fresher ingredients. Also, I love how you can place an order in advance but still have to wait a few minutes when you get there because they don't make the fries until you arrive to preserve quality. That's setting a standard and making sure it's maintained which is admirable.
I just realized that a few weeks ago I took my sister to five guys for the first time, and as the employees were making the fries, I was telling her how five guys operates. Lmao, I guess it's true that Five guys' reputation spreads by word of mouth.
I’ll go there not caring if $15 just escaped my wallet because I’m leaving with a huge burger that I know will fill me and a TON of fries (especially when they just dump more in the bag after the cup is full) so delicious and feels like they earned every dollar.
How is 5 guys more "fresh" than Mcdonalds, Wendy's, In-N-Out or Jack in the Box? They all use fresh ingredients. McDonald's makes fries on the spot. In-n-out literally cuts the potatoes in front of you. Wendy's patties are never frozen. And Jack in the Box food is never made until you order it.
At the Five Guys Corporate HQ in Lorton VA, they have a door that says "TEST KITCHEN" , when you open the door, it's just a brick wall on the other side.
Way to go man. I actually worked at five guys and was one of the first managers at age 18. I’ve met 3 of the 5 guys and have even made suggestions that are still used today. Can’t believe how accurate this video is. Great job!
@@suzyrottencrotch5132 the most important one is that when someone would order 2 of the exact same item, in the back the ticket would print with “x2” and then the item. But it would constantly get missed, and only 1 would get made. At the corporate/main store, they mentioned they would get rid of the quantity button. I suggested they have the item print out twice in the ticket instead. Doesn’t seem like much but I bet every person at the register is happy they don’t have to enter the same order multiple times. The others were on different mushrooms they were testing and also nonslip shoes.
Here in Germany we have a Five Guys "nearby". During my time in the U.S. I learned about them and loved the concept and their Burgers. From my point of view the quality is exceptional and the premium is well deserved. Needless to say that I'm happy to have the same experience now not so far away. Thank you very much for the video, the story behind was very interesting!
American here, 5 guys is what an American burger is SUPPOSED to be. 5 guys are the burgers we cook up on the 4th of July in the backyard. If america wants good will around the world through kitchen diplomacy, we should be opening 5 guys all over the world. not subway
Five guys is the fast food version of the Bruce Lee quote, "I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times."
@@MilwaukeeWoman Ive worked in burger king , kfc and five guys and i can safely say that five guys is the only place i would order from, you have to make beef patties from non frozen meat every day, whereas in others they come pre packed and frozen, and the fires for five guys you have to cut fresh fries from potatoes no additives or preservatives on them and cant say the same about fries on other fast food chains. Its expensive thats for sure but i think its worth what you pay for. You can get a cheap meal from any other restaurant but the cost is your health, i cant recommend the drinks from any of them.
@@AKNSW yes!!!!! Five Guys has always been a classic for me. Always are from there when I would come back from swim practice and wanted a burger. They make the best burgers. While they are expensive, it's hella worth it. I also appreciate the fact that they have all flavors of soda (Coca-Cola products) instead of just 8.
I’ve literally never had a bad experience at five guys, or even a mediocre one. Every time I go it perfectly scratches the itch for a burger and fries. It’s 100% worth any price or wait (not that either of those are particularly bad).
The only time I have eaten here, it cost $35 for me and my child. That was for the "little burgers", too. I just didn't get the hype over it. Food was mediocre at best. My child liked the extra bag fries, but that's hardly worth a return trip. Even if I caught them on a bad day, it cost too much to find out.
@@slumpdogyt They're not Wendy's or BK, but they are "fast casual" I'm not saying that the burger wasn't good but it wasn't $12 good. $6 for fries is borderline criminal. Hey it's just not my cup of tea.
You are lucky as fuck. I have NEVER had a good experience at Five Guys, every time I have either wished I spent less money at Burger King or just made food at home.
I used to work at 5 guys as a teen and it was a genuinely pleasant experience, the managers were nice and we got as much free food as we wanted. i'll always support them
Wonderful. One thing you mentioned briefly I'd like to mention more - giving hourly employees bonuses for executing well and keeping things in tip-top shape makes them feel respected. Too often in a company like this, the service is very poor due to high turnover. With management that shows that associates' hard work is valued, turnover is lower.
big agree. a company that treats it employees well I've seen always are either successful (maybe not the most, but stable) and provide good experiences
It’s really really expensive but everytime I go there I never really regret paying for the burger or the fries, yes if I wanted something cheeper I would go to the Wendy’s across the street but, it’s just so damn good I’ll visit 5 guys every other month with no regrets
@@gabe6475 I don't know man, I had one of their cheeseburgers last night and it was the best fast food burger I think I've ever had. Reminded me of the burgers from our local frosty when I was a kid.
From an employee perspective: 100% recommend getting a job here. They give you an incredible starting wage, plus tips digitally and physically. The managers are always amazing people who care about their coworkers around them and ensure that we're doing a-okay. It's a business that welcomes you like a family.
Wanted to say, that open kitchen, large staff and efficient communication and energy makes it real hard to complain about a wait. And when some numbnut does when I’m there everyone just kind of looks at them… then at the kitchen… then at them like… are you serious?
I went to the spot in Mission Tx just 5 min from the border before heading back to Mexico, and it seemed to be a slow day because everyone was so happy I ordered 5 burgers for my friends in Mexico. They didn’t charge me for my drink and fries.
@@zachsmith1676 no I felt that it went good and they said they would let me know for a 2nd interview but i haven’t heard anything i’ll keep you updated if i don
From a current Five Guys employee perspective: They are amazing to us as employees. All of the managers are required to go through a vigerous training course in order to ensure each and every franchise is run well and is kept clean. Crew members have to go through at least 2 months of training to ensure they know how to ensure each and every thing that leaves the kitchen is at the highest level of quality. They are incredibly kind and generous with the good service bonuses, ranging from $350 to $1,500 given to each restaurant who gets a 100/100 score, to be split between all employees on shift. Overall, the company is great to employees, which ensures we are always in a great mood and always ecstatic to serve our customers. Edit: Never mind the staff went from very nice to assholes. I put in my two week notice and they fired me on the spot.
@@tmater2004 sounds like you had bad luck in where you worked. I've literally heard nothing but good things from people that work there (besides the usual drama and, now of course, pay complaints)
@@bobono makes you wonder... How many other "Five Guys" formula businesses failed (or were bought out) while one succeeded? (A question about Survivorship Bias, something this channel could use less of)
I love 5 guys, I live in Canada. Their service can be a bit slower, but the ingredients are always fresh, excellent customer service & great choices for toppings. Their hot dogs are amazing.
five guys is great. i don’t go there nearly as much as i would like to, but every time i do i’m satisfied as hell. and, coming from a canadian where everything is more expensive than the states, i don’t even find their food to be all that expensive. considering that if you order a large fries you also get an extra large fries basically just dumped in the bag, massive burgers stacked high with ingredients that taste more fresh than buying them from the grocery store, and the all around retro feel of the restaurants, i’d say it’s a great place!
Five Guys is quite literally my favorite burger I've ever had. When a $20 burger at a restaurant can't even touch the flavor of a $10 Five Guys burger, it's always worth it to get Five Guys
Maybe I'm just spoiled because I have Braum's near me, but their burgers are way better and around 1/3 of the price of 5 guys. I could not believe the price when I went to one, and just got "another fast food burger" so I didn't feel it was worth the price.
Having lived on the West Coast for many years, I have to say I prefer Five Guys. However, it’s very close and the fries are the tie breaker for me. Five Guys more expensive too.
@@cdvideodump I finally tried Whataburger for the first time this summer. They weren't where I used to live. I have to admit they're quite good but all three places have different styles of making burgers so it's a good variety.
@@hadrianaugustus5712 The cheaper can't be argued but the better may actually be a matter of location rather than simply opinion. I am from Northern Virginia, about 20 mins south of DC, but I've eaten at 5 Guys in over a dozen different states. And I've got to be honest none of them were as good as back home. They weren't bad of course but they were noticeably worse.
I have a much greater respect for this company now. I was aware of how much integrity they had and the effort put to ensuring the quality of the food I was receiving.
Personally, with the prices going up, I'd consider the food good as a once in a while treat. The fact that a medium order of fries is enough for two people helps a little bit on costs, but $10 for a bacon cheeseburger is a little much still for it being regular..
@@ethanrosales5434 they don’t have that anymore. It’s called the 1,2,3 menu now and the only thing worth a dollar are the soft drinks. You are basically just paying $2-$3 more at 5 guys and get such a superior meal.
The "no paid advertising" strategy has to be their best, as I never heard of them until word of mouth from a co-worker at an old job. At the time too there wasn't even a Five Guys in our city, they had just started construction on one and the person was talking about visiting a location in North Dakota and being excited for the new Canadian locations. I didn't try it then but years later and there's a few in our city now, of which I did try it with my best friend and we both agreed it's quite good.
I had no idea they had zero paid advertisements, but I've been giving them word of mouth advertisement for years I didn't know they existed until one day my dad took me there, and ever since every time I'm with a group of people deciding where to eat, they're always the first place I recommend
I remember the first time I ate at Five Guys, I was going to college in Raleigh NC and one of my friends mentioned "this really good burger place in Cary" he heard about. I was totally blown away by the quality and how clean the place was and how friendly the staff were. Now 12 years later that all still holds up. They've since expanded to the western part of the state, where I live, and nothing satisfies a burger craving like Five Guys. On a 4 month work assignment in southern Ontario recently I was pleasantly surprised to find there was a Five Guys close by, it was a nice treat once a month or so. Quality, cleanliness, and friendliness were all top notch, even internationally. Their principles are sound and I'm glad they're sticking with it. They're basically printing money and there's no reason to fix what ain't broken, right?
I remember going to the very first 5 guys. When it was the owner and his 4 sons. Great times. The store had no seating so everyone just sat on the hoods of their cars in the parking lot.
I used to do deliveroo (UK doordash) and Five Guys always let us have any drink for free while we were waiting for our order. Cherry coke in the middle of an 8 hour cycling shift was amazing
As a former 3 year manager of a Five Guys, and 20+ year vet of food service, their business model is by far the very best in the business. We had customers who declared that they would "never eat another burger from anyone else ever again."... That was purely by word of mouth. They tried the product, and loved it. Without a doubt the Five Guys business model is the most successful of all fast casual food chains. We rarely had more than a 7 minute wait (our redline time). And we made sure every customer was happy and willing to return before they ever left the lobby. Five Guys for life.
I have never had an experience at Five Guys that wasn't great. The restaurants are always clean, the employees are great, the burgers are some of the best I've ever had, the fries are great, and it's genuinely always a very pleasant experience.
@@MilwaukeeWoman you realize five guys isn't a damn Applebee's right? It's fast food. Amazing fast food, at that. Did you seriously expect table service and appetizers from a fast food restaurant? For a measly $30??? LMAOOOO
@@zxcvbnmaw1 i'm from Germany and maybe its different but our five guys experience was sooo bad... most expensive burger ever and it tasted worse than McDonald's...
I work at Five Guys and it's the cleanest place I've ever worked at. We always make sure everything's fresh and high quality. Every couple of hours we temp our product to make sure everything is at the right temperatures. One time we had to throw away 18 packs of buns because they were expired by a day. We get bread every other day so it was alright.
5 Guys has to be clean, every 5 Guys I've ever been to the customer is practically standing in the kitchen when they order. There's no soda fountain or McFrosty machine to hide the cooks. If the kitchen is a wreck, EVERYONE will see.
if im going out for a burger, im going to standalone shops thats not part of any franchise, but i agree fiveguys is pretty decent for a fastfood chain. cant be compared to mcdonalds and burgerking.
@@conchayftw Burger King where I live IS DOG SHIT I mean idk why my Burger King is so bad I know that Burger King is a really good restaurant but why dose some burger kings just taste awful this isn’t the same with any Restaurant for me
I work here and it’s the best job I’ve ever had. We have fun, form friendships, tips, secret shoppers to win more money, FREE meals (none of that half off Burger King and McDonald’s bs, used to work at both places) and raises are a normal thing. It’s just a good job to have, especially while I’m in college getting this degree.
I live near a Five Guys, and those cajun fries are hands down my favorite fries in my local area. Plus, ever since my favorite local burger place shut down, Five Guys has taken the place as my favorite "fast food" burger.
They're also one of the first businesses in my area that offered a pretty good hourly pay for fast food joints from what I remember. I'm sure this contributed to keeping employees happy and putting more effort in cooking quality product.
I really enjoyed working at Five Guys. Not only did they actually care about the quality of their food unlike most places, I got free food every shift. (Free little burger and little fries per shift for employees, and unlimited free drinks but you can only use the blank water cups)
I just started working at a Five Guys restaurant. They treat their employees like gold as well. Competitive pay, plenty of hours, cash/credit card tips, secret shopper bonuses and more. It really incentivizes an employee to show up for work.
3 years ago I was on a month long vacations in the US (im from Europe) and decided I want to try out pretty much all the Burger chains. Out of those 4 weeks, 3 of them I just ate burgers for dinner. I may have gained 4-5 lbs, but absolutely worth it. Five Guys, In-N-Out and Wayback were the best. That being said, the small locals I tried did offer even better products for a better price. Thus while these chains are good when you are on the road and don't have the time, I would recommend people to support your local ones and find the little pearls to go to.
Glad you had a good time here! And I agree. Pretty much every city in America has a couple amazing local burger spots. Definitely recommend finding those.
Mark Mosley, ex Redskins kicker from the 80's had the absolute best burger place in Northern VA. He only had one store. He'd be in there helping cook when it was really busy. He'd hang out and talk to everyone while they waited for their burgers. Then without notice closed and the following week was doing Five Guys ads on the radio during Redskins games.
So I live a few blocks away from where the first five guys opened. Unfortunately, the strip mall in which it was located has been demolished recently to make way for redevelopment. Very interesting company and is def my reminder of where I was born and raised
Wow, kind of sad to hear they tore that site down. Me and my buddies used to frequent the original location back in the 90s. Even though they shut the original down and went to places more accommodating for seating there was still that nostalgia at that location for those of us that got to experience this chains humble beginnings.
As a customer, it's two things. The toppings help a lot. At most places you'll get a few, and they're not very good. Five guys toppings are wonderful- anything I'd want to put on a burger at home, they have. The second is the Cajun fries. It's such a memorable item, and it doesn't take much longer in prep time.
I remember the first time I went I was with my dad and sister and we didn’t know that Five Guys was a big chain when we were gonna pay we saw how expensive it was but decided to see it through and we waited for the food to come when we were considering leaving because it was taking a while anyways when we got the burgers all of us immediately felt rewarded for the wait and felt that the cost was worth the burger it was nice and juicy the cheese had a nice melt to it and the fires were amazing we instantly told our family because of how unbelievably good it was it may be because it was the first time we tasted a genuine burger that was cooked with care but the experience never left me and is still fresh in my mind
I worked next to a five guys for a year. I usually ate the free food at work but sometimes I treated myself to some five guys. I never regret eating there. Sure it’s kinda pricey for a burger but I always get way more food than I expect. Plus I trust that specific 5 guys spot because the staff perfectly maintained a clean restaurant effortlessly
Gotta say as a former employee, my favorite menu item is the donuts!! Taking a hamburger bun, peeling off the crust, frying it in the peanut oil for a few minutes, drying much of the excess peanut oil off and topping it with the milkshake toppings is amazing. It's a shame that they don't actually sell them to customers...
There burgers don't make me feel like I am eating something that was cooked in a high powered microwave and their fries actually taste like real French fries. It is pricey, but they also managed to stand out in a crowded market of burger franchises that can do it faster and cheaper than them. Personally, I think it is the simple quality gimmick that is why Five Guys can fully compete in a saturated market.
One of the reasons behind their success HAS to be the glass windows, giving you an easy view of the griddle and how your order is going. How can you be impaitent when you see it all cooking? The free peanuts have to do add something too
Their mantra to keeping it simple and using the best ingredients is absolutely the key to their success. All other restaurants - big or small should take note.
I recently tried Five Guys in three different European countries to see how it holds up. I'm used to American fast food restaurants changing their menu offering and products for international markets. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Five Guys in Germany, France, and Belgium is the same exact experience as you get in the US.
I´ve been to 5G in Berlin and Cologne and both experiences were sub-par. On both burgers the meat was basically unseasoned and at one place, the fries were so greasy that they soaked the whole bag. Both restaurants were basically empty, btw.
Five Guys has experienced a tremendous growth over the decades. I became addicted to the fries from my first time eating them. My spouse turned me on to Five Guys in 1991. That Five Guys location might have been the first one, a little carryout on a side street off Columbia Pike near the Bailey's Crossroads area of Fairfax County, Virginia. The Five Guys carryout was not far from my grandson's preschool (Fairfax Academy was on Carlin Springs Road for those of you who know the area).
The origin of the name was interesting, but I’m glad you got to these guys finally. They are literally my favorite restaurant now. The closest one to me is an hour away, but it’s damn with it. Best bacon cheese burger EVER!
Top fan here! It’s my favorite fast food restaurant. Their cheeseburger is my comfort food! No matter how low I might be feeling, their cheeseburger and Cajun fries makes me feel just right - always! I wish them continued success and hope they never ever change their winning formula
I studied abroad in London in 2017, and by about my second week there, I had realized that the stereotype of food tasting awful in England was mostly correct (being from the American southeast where the food is some of the best in the world had really set me up to fail). I was at my wits end trying to find a place that was both edible and not ungodly expensive. I was out with some friends one night playing Pokemon Go and I saw the sign from a Five Guys reflected in a nearby window. At first, I thought I was hallucinating, then I realized that it was no hallucination. I took off running and turned the corner, there it was. I went inside and ordered my usual, a bacon cheeseburger with grilled mushrooms, mustard, A1 and hot sauce and Cajun fries. I bit into it and almost cried.
I remember the first time going to 5 guys, it was my parents and sister and I, and we ordered 4 large fries. The cashier asked if we were sure and we said yes. Our eyes about fell outta our heads after seeing the bag of just fries 😂
That’s the one thing I warn people about with 5 Guys; if you’re accustomed to ordering a couple of Junior cheeseburgers at Wendy’s or BK or wherever, DO NOT expect 5 Guys to be anything like that. Even the “little burger” is pretty darn big, and a large fries will feed about ten people 😂
Worked at Five Guys in the UK in 2016. I loved it, was the best job I ever had. Only left because I was pregnant and sick and wasn't entitled to maternity. No idea what it's like working there now though...
From a former five Guys manager, they treat the employees pretty well, the menu can be rattled off in a minute or less, everything other than bread is prepped in house within a day of use, and the bread comes multiple times a week from a bakery owned and operated by five guys.. Managers go through rigorous training and have to pass 3 tests to be certified as managers. The cleanliness standards are higher than Healthcare settings I've worked in.
One thing that wasn't mentioned in the video regarding a BIG portion of the money Five Guys is making is the "Free Toppings". Long story short, the toppings aren't actually free. Their price point of their burgers are with the assumption you're going to get everything on them. Not everybody does obviously. You can get a plain cheeseburger and you will be paying the same price as someone who got that exact same cheeseburger with all the free toppings. Every time you don't get everything, or just a couple of toppings, they are making money. Really surprised that wasn't covered in the video. I've been going there since before the big boom and I am happy to say that I would happily pay the extra price for Five Guys compared to fast food burger chains because the quality you get is legit and they treat their workers right (from what I've been told). Also if anyone hasn't had their Cajun fries, you're missing out on arguably their best menu item in my opinion.
Funny thing, as a Five Guys worker at Hayward, California, I did some talking with one of my managers. Turns out he is actually somewhat of a drifter. He looks young, but _is_ in his 30s, surprisingly. He actually saw one of the founders in a different state, which inspired him to become one of the managers only a couple of months after joining the place here. Later, I discovered that our landlord was only in his early 20s. The more you know, I guess.
As someone who has eaten at five guys when I was in the United States, this is true. I’m a vegetarian and I always enjoyed eating at five guys, all the ingredients are incredibly fresh, it takes you 12-15 minutes to get your order, but it’s definitely worth it. Food at five guys always tastes really good.
Five Guys is the best. I don’t need a vast menu, just a fresh, handmade burger and fresh, hand-cut fries will do the trick. I’ve never had any kind of problem there and the food is always delicious.
Man I love five guys. Didn't even know about the whole story of the quality but it makes sense to me since the food is so good! Another great vid company man!!
So, here's my take. As a business I absolutely love their model - you pay the same price no matter what you get, designing your burger yourself - which cuts down on food waste for the business and maximises those margins. Additionally the menu is simple, and the extra fries they throw in the bag are what makes them special. As a consumer, FIVE GUYS is the only place I order a beef burger from, excluding a big steak like burger in a proper restaurant, as I love being able to pick exactly what I want on it with great ingredients. Cajun fries are absolutely the best fries from any fast food restaurant too. Echoing others comments, its not a usual thing but an occasional treat when i come across a store - its usually around £12 for a burger, small cajun fries and a bottle of water, which is not cheap, but as a treat id much rather pay that than dine at McDonalds.
Imagine avoiding every overcorporatization pitfall by just doing business textbook style. Fantastic food, my only complaint is there isn't one too close to me in NJ, I have to go a few towns over. Worth it every time
I'm happy to know they're still around. SO many locations closed permanently, due to COVID, that I haven't actually seen one that hasn't shuttered. Great episode; thanks!!
5 guys was one of the best places I worked at, it was always clean and the ingredients were always freshly prepared in the morning. Whenever the secret food inspector would pay us a visit and rank the restaurant based on its condition & food, we'd get compensated if everything was up to its standard, i.e. if we get a score of 100/100, we get a $100 bonus added to our paycheck.
I've always been the type that will pay more for quality, and a quality burger is something I enjoy a great deal. I really enjoy Five Guys approach on this.
Five Guys are really good, because their customer service is great for burger joints overall! They also don’t sellout nor sponsor stupid sports leagues. I like mushroom burger, also do a video on Johnny Rockets, they’re an underrated burger joint!
Love Johnny Rockets, but I think they closed a lot of locations recently... maybe the vintage nostalgic aesthetic is less attractive to modern customers? Prior to them closing most of their locations in LA, I also remember a sharp dip in quality. Their chili cheese fries, especially, switched from melted cheese to cheese whiz. That was sort of representative of the dip in quality for the restaurant as a whole
Big menus leads a lot of issues that don’t lead to a good restaurant. Clients generally want to be able to decide what they want quickly, and feel confident there isn’t a better option on the menu they didn’t notice. The bigger the menu, the more likely that’s going to happen. Also, the bigger the menu, the less fresh the food tends to be. Not always, but often
Best franchise burgers for sure. Though their pricing has gone up tremendously in 5 years. A burger + fries for $16 is getting in to sitdown prepared cuisine territory.
They're partly successful because ALL of the employees get together every morning and HAND MAKE the FRESH burgers. They cook all their bacon fresh every service too. They're fries are soggy but you get a whole bag with an order.
I’ve lived in the DMV my whole life, and I can no longer remember a time when Five Guys didn’t exist. The worst I could say about Five Guys is that the fries are not always crispy and sometimes a little greasy, but that’s a super minor complaint because they still taste great. Great experiences there for over 20 years, and will gladly pay the premium price for their product.
I've been waiting for this one! By far, my favorite restaurant. I worked at one for years. The moral there is unmatched, the employee bonuses can be laughably great most importantly it's the environment and energy for customer or crew member that blows me away.
@@CasperInkyMagoo I certainly would never recommend eating there every day not even a few times a week. But on a payday or maybe you come into some extra money 👍👍👍
As a life long fan of thrashers, five guys is the closest fry I’ve had not from thrashers, I knew there had to be a connection but didn’t know it was actually true
Love Five Guys and it is worth the money but I don't go as often as I would like due to price but when I do it always is worth the price as an occasional treat.
![Blox Fruits Dragon Rework Update [Full Stream]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/EqDAp8udhm0/mqdefault.jpg)
I feel the "make a few things, but make them great" ethos is coming back into fashion. I'm a fan.
Same
Agreed. Certain other chains (namely Raising Cane’s) have been doing quite well with that model well before the pandemic forced restaurants to reduce their menu options.
There's a pasta place near my house that has five items.
They're all better than sex.
When I go to a new place and see a super small menu I always get excited. 90% of the time it means the few items they have are the bomb
Agreed!
Who knew putting the customer first, using high quality ingredients and being as honest as possible with customers could get you far in life?
its uncommon these days, sadly
@@MikeFarnhamGalaxysEdgeGroup Greed really does ruin society
Honestly a surprise.
What the heck are you talking about... I had Five Guys' most expensive meal in the UK and it was absolute overpriced garbage. I can cook way better burgers myself at home. Fries were way too short and badly cut, mushrooms and pickles were horrible and you don't even get any trays with your meal. I had CHEAPER confined duck burgers in Eastern Europe with truffle mayo fries and they tasted DIVINE. You people hailing 5 guys know nothing about burgers and what some proper junk food is.
I have never noticed any outstanding customer service at five guys in the Minneapolis area it's pretty much like ordering at McDonald's just a longer wait but much better/expensive food...
as a former five guys employee, he’s right about everything but the bread. the bread truck comes a couple times a week, and it is fresh (and its proprietary, five guys owns the bakery’s that bake the bread) but it’s not baked in house everyday which is kinda what he made it sound like. other than that, it’s all true
Maybe it depends on the market? Like in a city with a few locations they might have a seperate bakery location that they distribute the bread from, but in a town with only 1 they have an onsite bakery?
I have no idea for sure just sounds possible.
Appreciate the insight. You're obviously right about the bread, never meant to make it sound like they made it at the restaurants. Sorry if that was unclear.
also was an employee, can confirm this
@@companyman114 it's fine
What's the quality of the work environment? I personally don't have experience working in food service, but my understanding is that it's not always the best.
The "no advertising" is pure genius. First time I heard of Five Guys was when they opened up in Canada and heard from a friend. Today, I'm all the way in Saudi Arabia and Five Guys' reputation here speaks for itself.
One of my best friends would always rave about the place. Word of mouth will definitely get butts in chairs more often than a commercial.
Yeah, I've tried more foods at any location because of my friends rather than a commercial.
Same with Tim Hortons in the UAE remember seeing 5 guys and Tim Hortons all over dubai.
I should try this place sometime lol
@@bigtombowski I hope you've gotten around to trying them already!
That has got to be one of the funniest ad placements I’ve ever seen
agreed
True
funny that the ad I got was for 5G T-Mobile... or is it 5 Guys T-Mobile?
Genius
@@simplelifediy1772 I got the Kevin Hart cash back ad or is it a ad for getting money back after eating at five guys?
something small that I think should have been mentioned is the amount of fries they give you, whenever I hear someone talking about 5 guys, they mention how they give you a ton of fries and how they fill up the cup, put the cup in the bag then scoop more fries into the bag, it's something that costs them pennies but really makes the customer feel like they got an amazing deal that they want to tell people about, and I'm one of those guys, whenever I tell someone about 5 guys who's never been, I always mention how delicious the burgers are and the mountain of delicious fries they'll give you even if you order a small
This ^^^ I haven’t finished this video and I’m shocked it isn’t mentioned. It’s on par with Costco’s hot dogs
Run on sentence my guy
I agree about the serving size of their fries. If you are going to Five Guys with someone else you probably want to share one order of fries.
Especially if you're one of the last people to eat there. Many times coming home at like 11 or 10 pm, my father and I would split a large fry, and they just filled the bag even more than they normally "over fill" it, good times.
I don't want that many fries. Charge me half as much, it's too expensive.
Watching Kitchen Nightmares, both UK and US versions, Gordon always stressed simple menus. Keep it to a handful of items you can cook easily and well.
not to mention free peanuts while you wait :)
I'm in the middle of a KN re-watch, so naturally I also thought of Chef Ramsay.
Ramsay loves In-N-Out
I feel like he'd love five guys as well seeing as all the ingredients are 100% fresh
I worked at a restaurant back in the 90s that tried to have a huge menu. Ultimately it was "how can we make 10 things with a chicken breast". That said, nothing was particularly great and they've been closing restaurants nationwide for years.
ON a side note, has Company Man done a "what happened to Perkins" episode?
@@johnchedsey1306 Oh man. When I was growing up there was a Perkins just up the road. Grandma would take my brother and I there for lunch occasionally. Eventually it closed and has become a series of failed Chinese buffet restaurants.
I was taking a bit of a road trip a few months ago and was completely surprised to see a Perkins out in the wild in a rural area. I really have nothing more to add, but just wanted to mention it because it jogged loose a memory.
I think how they serve the fries is a great psychological trick. By putting the extra scoop of fries in the bag, it gives the customer the belief they're getting something extra
yeah also fries are so cheap to make they still make most of their money off the fries
the disconnect between the fries costing $6 and the amount of fries is strange, nobody can finish all those fries so they throw half of them in the trash and think they got a good deal. It's a huge rip off unless you can split them up between 4 people.
@@ah4598 I can finish those fries.
There is only one place I have issue finishing the fries of. It's a wing place where every set of wings come with "free" curly fries. I have a problem with it because their wing to fries ratio is out of whack, about 2-3 times as much fries by volume as wings. To eat a remotely satisfying amount of wings would result in a mountain of fries that I can't finish
@a h last time I went it cost me almost $20 bill for a burger combo. Who the hell can afford that especially if you have a family. I love their food but unless I'm with a group that wants to go I am done
@@rickclark7508simple.... quality costs more
So Five Guys is this sort of “I’m gonna spoil myself” things for me. I don’t get it very often because it’s pricey, but it’s nice to have when it’s the right kind of day.
Yup every other month little burger raw onion and jalapeño with mustard. That’s it
@@matt2m I like fried onions better, raw is too strong for me. what do you think about pickles?
@@InternetScoutTV I’ll eat a pickle spear any day on my burger? No thanks
It’s worth it though!!
Pricey for your organs c
When I was about 10 years old, my dad took me to a Five Guys for the first time. The food tasted so good. He passed away 10 years ago. I’m 22 now. Whenever I have a Five Guys burger, I always think of him.
Such a bitter-sweet story. I'm sorry for your loss, but I'm happy you found a way to hang on to him! Bless you!
@@RollandMatthewWeber Thank you so much! I try to have one every year on the anniversary of his death.
I am so sorry for your loss! I lost my momma 2 years ago and it still hurts to this day. My heart feels for you.
Sorry to hear it. Glad you have some good memories though ;)
@dead man And no one cares what you think.
Love me some Five Guys. Sometimes I wish they had more on their menu, but I'll take quality over quantity any day. Some say they're pricey but remember you're paying for fresher ingredients. Also, I love how you can place an order in advance but still have to wait a few minutes when you get there because they don't make the fries until you arrive to preserve quality. That's setting a standard and making sure it's maintained which is admirable.
I wish they served onion rings
I just realized that a few weeks ago I took my sister to five guys for the first time, and as the employees were making the fries, I was telling her how five guys operates. Lmao, I guess it's true that Five guys' reputation spreads by word of mouth.
I’ll go there not caring if $15 just escaped my wallet because I’m leaving with a huge burger that I know will fill me and a TON of fries (especially when they just dump more in the bag after the cup is full) so delicious and feels like they earned every dollar.
How is 5 guys more "fresh" than Mcdonalds, Wendy's, In-N-Out or Jack in the Box?
They all use fresh ingredients. McDonald's makes fries on the spot. In-n-out literally cuts the potatoes in front of you. Wendy's patties are never frozen. And Jack in the Box food is never made until you order it.
I see you watched the video. Congrats
At the Five Guys Corporate HQ in Lorton VA, they have a door that says "TEST KITCHEN" , when you open the door, it's just a brick wall on the other side.
Lmao that’s brilliant
@@domjfante8140 hes joking.
@@jitzmaster maybe he's saying the joke is brilliant
Way to go man. I actually worked at five guys and was one of the first managers at age 18. I’ve met 3 of the 5 guys and have even made suggestions that are still used today. Can’t believe how accurate this video is. Great job!
That’s pretty incredible! What a life experience.
Lol. Which suggestions did you make. The model changed ?
@@suzyrottencrotch5132 the most important one is that when someone would order 2 of the exact same item, in the back the ticket would print with “x2” and then the item. But it would constantly get missed, and only 1 would get made. At the corporate/main store, they mentioned they would get rid of the quantity button. I suggested they have the item print out twice in the ticket instead. Doesn’t seem like much but I bet every person at the register is happy they don’t have to enter the same order multiple times. The others were on different mushrooms they were testing and also nonslip shoes.
@@joborbon01 very cool !
@Stephen Vergopoulos I’m 32 now lol
Here in Germany we have a Five Guys "nearby". During my time in the U.S. I learned about them and loved the concept and their Burgers. From my point of view the quality is exceptional and the premium is well deserved. Needless to say that I'm happy to have the same experience now not so far away. Thank you very much for the video, the story behind was very interesting!
HD hauptstrasse?
American here, 5 guys is what an American burger is SUPPOSED to be. 5 guys are the burgers we cook up on the 4th of July in the backyard. If america wants good will around the world through kitchen diplomacy, we should be opening 5 guys all over the world. not subway
@@sominboy2757 wich state has the best backyard burgers or burgers in general? So if i ever visit the US i want the best burger.
I visited them in Hannover. Burger was pretty good.
@@mentos93 mate you gonna start a war with every states claiming their burger to be the best
Five guys is the fast food version of the Bruce Lee quote, "I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times."
And died early. Five guys has prices that keep me away.
@@MilwaukeeWoman you get what u pay for. Five guys is worth it
overrated
@@MilwaukeeWoman Ive worked in burger king , kfc and five guys and i can safely say that five guys is the only place i would order from, you have to make beef patties from non frozen meat every day, whereas in others they come pre packed and frozen, and the fires for five guys you have to cut fresh fries from potatoes no additives or preservatives on them and cant say the same about fries on other fast food chains. Its expensive thats for sure but i think its worth what you pay for. You can get a cheap meal from any other restaurant but the cost is your health, i cant recommend the drinks from any of them.
@@AKNSW yes!!!!! Five Guys has always been a classic for me. Always are from there when I would come back from swim practice and wanted a burger. They make the best burgers. While they are expensive, it's hella worth it. I also appreciate the fact that they have all flavors of soda (Coca-Cola products) instead of just 8.
The only bad experience I've ever had with Five Guys was eating too much because they're so good and having a stomach ache afterwards
The burgers are great, the fries doused in 100 gallons of peanuts oil cause the stomach aches.
@@millabasset1710 Mmmm, delicious stomach ache...
@Tasarran Homer is that you? 🤨.
I’ve literally never had a bad experience at five guys, or even a mediocre one. Every time I go it perfectly scratches the itch for a burger and fries. It’s 100% worth any price or wait (not that either of those are particularly bad).
$12 for a fast food burger isn't bad?
The only time I have eaten here, it cost $35 for me and my child. That was for the "little burgers", too. I just didn't get the hype over it. Food was mediocre at best. My child liked the extra bag fries, but that's hardly worth a return trip. Even if I caught them on a bad day, it cost too much to find out.
@@greggkrueger they are not a fast food restaurant
@@slumpdogyt They're not Wendy's or BK, but they are "fast casual" I'm not saying that the burger wasn't good but it wasn't $12 good. $6 for fries is borderline criminal. Hey it's just not my cup of tea.
You are lucky as fuck. I have NEVER had a good experience at Five Guys, every time I have either wished I spent less money at Burger King or just made food at home.
I used to work at 5 guys as a teen and it was a genuinely pleasant experience, the managers were nice and we got as much free food as we wanted. i'll always support them
Wonderful. One thing you mentioned briefly I'd like to mention more - giving hourly employees bonuses for executing well and keeping things in tip-top shape makes them feel respected. Too often in a company like this, the service is very poor due to high turnover. With management that shows that associates' hard work is valued, turnover is lower.
big agree. a company that treats it employees well I've seen always are either successful (maybe not the most, but stable) and provide good experiences
It’s really really expensive but everytime I go there I never really regret paying for the burger or the fries, yes if I wanted something cheeper I would go to the Wendy’s across the street but, it’s just so damn good I’ll visit 5 guys every other month with no regrets
Your right about the price witch is why i only go there occasionally..gotta say i love the free peanuts
Their burgers are ok. They're not worth the price though.
@@jd9119yeah there good but I feel like there just a bit overpriced if it was just a little bit cheaper it would be the best burger place
@@NottheRealany small business is probably better than five guys and 20 bucks to them goes a lot further than this national chain
@@gabe6475 I don't know man, I had one of their cheeseburgers last night and it was the best fast food burger I think I've ever had. Reminded me of the burgers from our local frosty when I was a kid.
From an employee perspective:
100% recommend getting a job here. They give you an incredible starting wage, plus tips digitally and physically. The managers are always amazing people who care about their coworkers around them and ensure that we're doing a-okay. It's a business that welcomes you like a family.
Wanted to say, that open kitchen, large staff and efficient communication and energy makes it real hard to complain about a wait. And when some numbnut does when I’m there everyone just kind of looks at them… then at the kitchen… then at them like… are you serious?
I went to the spot in Mission Tx just 5 min from the border before heading back to Mexico, and it seemed to be a slow day because everyone was so happy I ordered 5 burgers for my friends in Mexico. They didn’t charge me for my drink and fries.
i got an interview coming up tomorrow there, watching this video to catch up on my history, i hope it’s as good as you say
@@559austin5 were you able to get the position/job?
@@zachsmith1676 no I felt that it went good and they said they would let me know for a 2nd interview but i haven’t heard anything i’ll keep you updated if i don
From a current Five Guys employee perspective:
They are amazing to us as employees. All of the managers are required to go through a vigerous training course in order to ensure each and every franchise is run well and is kept clean. Crew members have to go through at least 2 months of training to ensure they know how to ensure each and every thing that leaves the kitchen is at the highest level of quality. They are incredibly kind and generous with the good service bonuses, ranging from $350 to $1,500 given to each restaurant who gets a 100/100 score, to be split between all employees on shift. Overall, the company is great to employees, which ensures we are always in a great mood and always ecstatic to serve our customers.
Edit:
Never mind the staff went from very nice to assholes. I put in my two week notice and they fired me on the spot.
This comment is BS I was an employee at store #612 and it sucks balls working for this company, great food, bad place to work
@@tmater2004 sounds like you had bad luck in where you worked. I've literally heard nothing but good things from people that work there (besides the usual drama and, now of course, pay complaints)
I always wanted to work there.
I personally hated working there. I felt extremely overworked and hung out to dry by my co-workers and managers more often than not.
@@tmater2004 Sounds like a bad manager then! Report it to corporate.
They are visionary, they were well positioned for America's fatigue with low quality fast food and pretty much invented fast-casual.
I would say steak n shake ( at least years ago) had that model before them
So... They got lucky. Got it.
@@bobono makes you wonder... How many other "Five Guys" formula businesses failed (or were bought out) while one succeeded? (A question about Survivorship Bias, something this channel could use less of)
@@LazDoomster1 Most big success in business has a lot to do with luck.
@@LazDoomster1 Literally every successful company got lucky. That's how it works.
I love 5 guys, I live in Canada. Their service can be a bit slower, but the ingredients are always fresh, excellent customer service & great choices for toppings. Their hot dogs are amazing.
five guys is great. i don’t go there nearly as much as i would like to, but every time i do i’m satisfied as hell. and, coming from a canadian where everything is more expensive than the states, i don’t even find their food to be all that expensive. considering that if you order a large fries you also get an extra large fries basically just dumped in the bag, massive burgers stacked high with ingredients that taste more fresh than buying them from the grocery store, and the all around retro feel of the restaurants, i’d say it’s a great place!
The fries are already calculated into the price you pay but you don’t see that when you but them you just think wow they gave a A LOT of fries.
@@curiousentertainment3008 A brilliant marketing move for bigger word of mouth.
Five Guys is quite literally my favorite burger I've ever had. When a $20 burger at a restaurant can't even touch the flavor of a $10 Five Guys burger, it's always worth it to get Five Guys
Maybe I'm just spoiled because I have Braum's near me, but their burgers are way better and around 1/3 of the price of 5 guys. I could not believe the price when I went to one, and just got "another fast food burger" so I didn't feel it was worth the price.
$10 for a mall burger? Screw that.
I mean a steak house in DC was better imo
i'll stick with my $4.00 double double from In n Out....
You haven't tried Honest Burger in London yet then 😛
Five Guys: *barely adds any new menu items*
In-N-Out: "Finally, a worthy opponent!..."
Having lived on the West Coast for many years, I have to say I prefer Five Guys. However, it’s very close and the fries are the tie breaker for me. Five Guys more expensive too.
Both are inferior to Whataburger ngl
@@cdvideodump I finally tried Whataburger for the first time this summer. They weren't where I used to live. I have to admit they're quite good but all three places have different styles of making burgers so it's a good variety.
In n out is better and cheaper
@@hadrianaugustus5712 The cheaper can't be argued but the better may actually be a matter of location rather than simply opinion. I am from Northern Virginia, about 20 mins south of DC, but I've eaten at 5 Guys in over a dozen different states. And I've got to be honest none of them were as good as back home. They weren't bad of course but they were noticeably worse.
I have a much greater respect for this company now. I was aware of how much integrity they had and the effort put to ensuring the quality of the food I was receiving.
Yep.
“If this we’re to cut to an ad right now, it wouldn’t be for Five Gu-LIBERTY LIBERTY LIIIIBERTY.”
For me it was Google’s stupid doorbell ring thing. Ugh RUclips is getting insane with the commercials
funny i never got an add there
I sang that ad in my head lol
McCains Superfries.
That jingle is dogshit!
Personally, with the prices going up, I'd consider the food good as a once in a while treat. The fact that a medium order of fries is enough for two people helps a little bit on costs, but $10 for a bacon cheeseburger is a little much still for it being regular..
Amen
Not sure where you live but in New York you cannot find any burger for less than $10. Even a big Mac and fries costs like $12.75
@@SleepyRainTrain what about the dollar menu at McDonald’s
@@ethanrosales5434 That's not comparable to either the Bacon Cheeseburger (from FG) or to the Big Mac.
@@ethanrosales5434 they don’t have that anymore. It’s called the 1,2,3 menu now and the only thing worth a dollar are the soft drinks. You are basically just paying $2-$3 more at 5 guys and get such a superior meal.
The "no paid advertising" strategy has to be their best, as I never heard of them until word of mouth from a co-worker at an old job. At the time too there wasn't even a Five Guys in our city, they had just started construction on one and the person was talking about visiting a location in North Dakota and being excited for the new Canadian locations. I didn't try it then but years later and there's a few in our city now, of which I did try it with my best friend and we both agreed it's quite good.
For sure. I think their best advertising ever was the fan video from ten years ago, 'Daym Drops', with the song remixed by Schmoyoho.
I had no idea they had zero paid advertisements, but I've been giving them word of mouth advertisement for years
I didn't know they existed until one day my dad took me there, and ever since every time I'm with a group of people deciding where to eat, they're always the first place I recommend
I can’t imagine being that 18 year old cook and hearing ‘ayo that’s the president’s order.’ Must have been stressful
Better make sure everything's cooked right and he doesn't get food poisoning, or you'll never be seen again.
@@fergalstackstreams He was gonna get drone striked like the middle eastern children
Only pork for him
@@Bigbadwhitecracker thats a good political joke
"If this video were to cut to an ad right now it wouldn't be for 5 guys"
*Hardee's ad*
Lol mine was a Coinbase ad
Mine was also coinbase
Mine was coin base as well
I got Red Bull.
I got smash ultimate.
I remember the first time I ate at Five Guys, I was going to college in Raleigh NC and one of my friends mentioned "this really good burger place in Cary" he heard about. I was totally blown away by the quality and how clean the place was and how friendly the staff were. Now 12 years later that all still holds up. They've since expanded to the western part of the state, where I live, and nothing satisfies a burger craving like Five Guys. On a 4 month work assignment in southern Ontario recently I was pleasantly surprised to find there was a Five Guys close by, it was a nice treat once a month or so. Quality, cleanliness, and friendliness were all top notch, even internationally. Their principles are sound and I'm glad they're sticking with it. They're basically printing money and there's no reason to fix what ain't broken, right?
As someone who worked for 5 guys they are 100% fresh and quality is immaculate.
I remember going to the very first 5 guys. When it was the owner and his 4 sons. Great times. The store had no seating so everyone just sat on the hoods of their cars in the parking lot.
I also feel like 5 Guys were one of the first national chains that had a coke freestyle machine which is always a huge plus
Hell yeah! Only place I can get a decent peach soda
five guys*
@@ultramasterultra5724 same thing 💀
5 guys burger and a Peach Sprite is 🔥
I used to do deliveroo (UK doordash) and Five Guys always let us have any drink for free while we were waiting for our order. Cherry coke in the middle of an 8 hour cycling shift was amazing
Can’t wait for the company man: why he’s successful.
What about The Downfall of the company man?
Company man: Bigger than you know ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
xD broski i envisioned a vid like that doe ngl 👌💯☑️👀
I think its that Opie Taylor delivery.
1. Simplicity
2. Not expanding too fast.
As a former 3 year manager of a Five Guys, and 20+ year vet of food service, their business model is by far the very best in the business. We had customers who declared that they would "never eat another burger from anyone else ever again."... That was purely by word of mouth. They tried the product, and loved it. Without a doubt the Five Guys business model is the most successful of all fast casual food chains. We rarely had more than a 7 minute wait (our redline time). And we made sure every customer was happy and willing to return before they ever left the lobby. Five Guys for life.
I have never had an experience at Five Guys that wasn't great. The restaurants are always clean, the employees are great, the burgers are some of the best I've ever had, the fries are great, and it's genuinely always a very pleasant experience.
I felt ripped off. Not going back. Two people, $30? No table service or appetizer? A bunch of cheap potatoes? Screw that.
@@MilwaukeeWoman you realize five guys isn't a damn Applebee's right? It's fast food. Amazing fast food, at that. Did you seriously expect table service and appetizers from a fast food restaurant? For a measly $30??? LMAOOOO
I once had wack fries at Five Guys and I was so sad, I think it’s because I went at 11 AM.
Really? I’ve never had a good experience at five guys. I’ve only been to two but both of the restaurants were dirty and the food was mediocre.
@@zxcvbnmaw1 i'm from Germany and maybe its different but our five guys experience was sooo bad... most expensive burger ever and it tasted worse than McDonald's...
I work at Five Guys and it's the cleanest place I've ever worked at. We always make sure everything's fresh and high quality. Every couple of hours we temp our product to make sure everything is at the right temperatures. One time we had to throw away 18 packs of buns because they were expired by a day. We get bread every other day so it was alright.
5 Guys has to be clean, every 5 Guys I've ever been to the customer is practically standing in the kitchen when they order. There's no soda fountain or McFrosty machine to hide the cooks. If the kitchen is a wreck, EVERYONE will see.
It better be clean if it's going to clean out your wallet
I prefer five guys even though it costs a little more.
if im going out for a burger, im going to standalone shops thats not part of any franchise, but i agree fiveguys is pretty decent for a fastfood chain. cant be compared to mcdonalds and burgerking.
A little more like double then in and out.
@@conchayftw Burger King where I live IS DOG SHIT I mean idk why my Burger King is so bad I know that Burger King is a really good restaurant but why dose some burger kings just taste awful this isn’t the same with any Restaurant for me
@@conchayftw I don't consider five guys fast food when I think fast food I think of McDonald's Wendy's burger king but not five guys
@@conchayftw Five guys is not fast food
One thing I appreciate about Five Guys is the open kitchen, so you can watch them make your food.
I work here and it’s the best job I’ve ever had. We have fun, form friendships, tips, secret shoppers to win more money, FREE meals (none of that half off Burger King and McDonald’s bs, used to work at both places) and raises are a normal thing. It’s just a good job to have, especially while I’m in college getting this degree.
I live near a Five Guys, and those cajun fries are hands down my favorite fries in my local area. Plus, ever since my favorite local burger place shut down, Five Guys has taken the place as my favorite "fast food" burger.
They're also one of the first businesses in my area that offered a pretty good hourly pay for fast food joints from what I remember. I'm sure this contributed to keeping employees happy and putting more effort in cooking quality product.
I really enjoyed working at Five Guys. Not only did they actually care about the quality of their food unlike most places, I got free food every shift. (Free little burger and little fries per shift for employees, and unlimited free drinks but you can only use the blank water cups)
Bro your black scamming I got any food
Place
@@jayflicks2154why not just edit the original comment
@@gabe6475 wasn’t thinking abt it
I just started working at a Five Guys restaurant. They treat their employees like gold as well. Competitive pay, plenty of hours, cash/credit card tips, secret shopper bonuses and more. It really incentivizes an employee to show up for work.
3 years ago I was on a month long vacations in the US (im from Europe) and decided I want to try out pretty much all the Burger chains. Out of those 4 weeks, 3 of them I just ate burgers for dinner. I may have gained 4-5 lbs, but absolutely worth it. Five Guys, In-N-Out and Wayback were the best. That being said, the small locals I tried did offer even better products for a better price. Thus while these chains are good when you are on the road and don't have the time, I would recommend people to support your local ones and find the little pearls to go to.
Glad you had a good time here! And I agree. Pretty much every city in America has a couple amazing local burger spots. Definitely recommend finding those.
Inspiring story about creating a business for your family and being willing to not give up until it works.. Respect to the Five Guys family!!
Mark Mosley, ex Redskins kicker from the 80's had the absolute best burger place in Northern VA. He only had one store. He'd be in there helping cook when it was really busy. He'd hang out and talk to everyone while they waited for their burgers. Then without notice closed and the following week was doing Five Guys ads on the radio during Redskins games.
So I live a few blocks away from where the first five guys opened. Unfortunately, the strip mall in which it was located has been demolished recently to make way for redevelopment. Very interesting company and is def my reminder of where I was born and raised
Wow, kind of sad to hear they tore that site down. Me and my buddies used to frequent the original location back in the 90s. Even though they shut the original down and went to places more accommodating for seating there was still that nostalgia at that location for those of us that got to experience this chains humble beginnings.
As a customer, it's two things.
The toppings help a lot. At most places you'll get a few, and they're not very good. Five guys toppings are wonderful- anything I'd want to put on a burger at home, they have.
The second is the Cajun fries. It's such a memorable item, and it doesn't take much longer in prep time.
@Yall Snitches That's a very specific comment.
The cajun fries hit different
When I tell them I want Jalapenos, they ask if I want fresh or grilled.. Of course I want BOTH!
I remember the first time I went I was with my dad and sister and we didn’t know that Five Guys was a big chain when we were gonna pay we saw how expensive it was but decided to see it through and we waited for the food to come when we were considering leaving because it was taking a while anyways when we got the burgers all of us immediately felt rewarded for the wait and felt that the cost was worth the burger it was nice and juicy the cheese had a nice melt to it and the fires were amazing we instantly told our family because of how unbelievably good it was it may be because it was the first time we tasted a genuine burger that was cooked with care but the experience never left me and is still fresh in my mind
I worked next to a five guys for a year. I usually ate the free food at work but sometimes I treated myself to some five guys. I never regret eating there. Sure it’s kinda pricey for a burger but I always get way more food than I expect. Plus I trust that specific 5 guys spot because the staff perfectly maintained a clean restaurant effortlessly
Gotta say as a former employee, my favorite menu item is the donuts!! Taking a hamburger bun, peeling off the crust, frying it in the peanut oil for a few minutes, drying much of the excess peanut oil off and topping it with the milkshake toppings is amazing. It's a shame that they don't actually sell them to customers...
Prison food
There burgers don't make me feel like I am eating something that was cooked in a high powered microwave and their fries actually taste like real French fries. It is pricey, but they also managed to stand out in a crowded market of burger franchises that can do it faster and cheaper than them. Personally, I think it is the simple quality gimmick that is why Five Guys can fully compete in a saturated market.
I agree, my only complaint is that they could season their burgers a bit more!
@@DeeNice681 you could always ask for steak or BBQ sauce.
One of the reasons behind their success HAS to be the glass windows, giving you an easy view of the griddle and how your order is going. How can you be impaitent when you see it all cooking? The free peanuts have to do add something too
There are no windows. The ones in my area are basically open plan kitchens, with a register and seating around it.
Free peanuts? Damn I wish we had that around here.
The one near me hasn't had the free peanuts since the pandemic hit. :(
@@matthewmiller7207 Same. So sad. :(
Their mantra to keeping it simple and using the best ingredients is absolutely the key to their success. All other restaurants - big or small should take note.
I recently tried Five Guys in three different European countries to see how it holds up. I'm used to American fast food restaurants changing their menu offering and products for international markets. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Five Guys in Germany, France, and Belgium is the same exact experience as you get in the US.
We ate at the London restaurant and I agree with you, it was just like home
I´ve been to 5G in Berlin and Cologne and both experiences were sub-par. On both burgers the meat was basically unseasoned and at one place, the fries were so greasy that they soaked the whole bag. Both restaurants were basically empty, btw.
From a customer’s perspective they don’t disappoint. They give you a lot of fries 🍟 as well. 😇
Honestly buying a large fry from them is rip off as the employees just dump the fries into the bag regardless
@@sirprize275 that’s the honest truth.
Allot of fries for the high price. Over up to $7+ here in Manhattan.
@@bigman88george3 $7 I paid 13 or 14 I believe in Times Square 🤷🏻♂️
@@sirprize275 buying a large is a rip period. Two or 3 of them sold will pay off an entire one of those bags of potatoes.
Five Guys is inoffensive, good, friendly, and has that reputation of the great burger joint you go to during a weekend shopping trip.
Five Guys has experienced a tremendous growth over the decades. I became addicted to the fries from my first time eating them. My spouse turned me on to Five Guys in 1991. That Five Guys location might have been the first one, a little carryout on a side street off Columbia Pike near the Bailey's Crossroads area of Fairfax County, Virginia. The Five Guys carryout was not far from my grandson's preschool (Fairfax Academy was on Carlin Springs Road for those of you who know the area).
The origin of the name was interesting, but I’m glad you got to these guys finally. They are literally my favorite restaurant now. The closest one to me is an hour away, but it’s damn with it. Best bacon cheese burger EVER!
Man, I remember having Five Guys for the first time and it was so good, every other non-homemade burger was basically just rubber.
Top fan here! It’s my favorite fast food restaurant. Their cheeseburger is my comfort food! No matter how low I might be feeling, their cheeseburger and Cajun fries makes me feel just right - always! I wish them continued success and hope they never ever change their winning formula
I studied abroad in London in 2017, and by about my second week there, I had realized that the stereotype of food tasting awful in England was mostly correct (being from the American southeast where the food is some of the best in the world had really set me up to fail). I was at my wits end trying to find a place that was both edible and not ungodly expensive. I was out with some friends one night playing Pokemon Go and I saw the sign from a Five Guys reflected in a nearby window. At first, I thought I was hallucinating, then I realized that it was no hallucination. I took off running and turned the corner, there it was. I went inside and ordered my usual, a bacon cheeseburger with grilled mushrooms, mustard, A1 and hot sauce and Cajun fries. I bit into it and almost cried.
Five Guys - Why They’re Successful:
Cause their food is fucking amazing
Far from it
@@GerardoHernandezF87M2 bro how do you have a 6 pack but look like a blob of fat at the same time 🤣
Overpriced af tho
@@duckboi420 it’s 9 bucks for their most expensive burger it ain’t that bad bro
So amazing they need to use news articles and "awards" from 2006 to try to promote themselves.
I remember the first time going to 5 guys, it was my parents and sister and I, and we ordered 4 large fries. The cashier asked if we were sure and we said yes. Our eyes about fell outta our heads after seeing the bag of just fries 😂
That’s the one thing I warn people about with 5 Guys; if you’re accustomed to ordering a couple of Junior cheeseburgers at Wendy’s or BK or wherever, DO NOT expect 5 Guys to be anything like that. Even the “little burger” is pretty darn big, and a large fries will feed about ten people 😂
"They have one the simplest menus."
*In-N-Out has entered the chat*
In-N-Out does an okay burger, but their fries are literal, actual trash
@@CharlieOscar602 In N Out fries are the freshest in the game!
For me, the only burger that stacks up to In N Out come from Shake Shack.
In-N-Out needs to enter other parts of the country, so we can find out if all their hype is warranted.
@@diannt9583 in comparison to who? If you go to Vegas, you can compare White Castle x In N Out x Five Guys x Habit x Shake Shack.
Worked at Five Guys in the UK in 2016. I loved it, was the best job I ever had. Only left because I was pregnant and sick and wasn't entitled to maternity. No idea what it's like working there now though...
From a former five Guys manager, they treat the employees pretty well, the menu can be rattled off in a minute or less, everything other than bread is prepped in house within a day of use, and the bread comes multiple times a week from a bakery owned and operated by five guys.. Managers go through rigorous training and have to pass 3 tests to be certified as managers. The cleanliness standards are higher than Healthcare settings I've worked in.
As a Panda Express employee I’d love to see a why Panda Express is so successful, I really love your channel and I share your passion for business
One thing that wasn't mentioned in the video regarding a BIG portion of the money Five Guys is making is the "Free Toppings". Long story short, the toppings aren't actually free. Their price point of their burgers are with the assumption you're going to get everything on them. Not everybody does obviously. You can get a plain cheeseburger and you will be paying the same price as someone who got that exact same cheeseburger with all the free toppings. Every time you don't get everything, or just a couple of toppings, they are making money.
Really surprised that wasn't covered in the video. I've been going there since before the big boom and I am happy to say that I would happily pay the extra price for Five Guys compared to fast food burger chains because the quality you get is legit and they treat their workers right (from what I've been told). Also if anyone hasn't had their Cajun fries, you're missing out on arguably their best menu item in my opinion.
Even when I get the works on a small burger I feel ripped off at their dumb prices. I don't go there anymore.
@@MilwaukeeWoman 292 comments on this channel??? 💀💀💀 LOL
@@puppiekit he likes talking about companies leave him alone
i'm vegetarian and i don't like the sandwiches but the cajun fries are always fucking perfect and they always spoil you with extra ( :
Funny thing, as a Five Guys worker at Hayward, California, I did some talking with one of my managers. Turns out he is actually somewhat of a drifter. He looks young, but _is_ in his 30s, surprisingly. He actually saw one of the founders in a different state, which inspired him to become one of the managers only a couple of months after joining the place here. Later, I discovered that our landlord was only in his early 20s. The more you know, I guess.
"If this video were to cut to an ad right now, it's not going to be an ad for Five Guys"
*immediately places an ad*
"If this video were to cut an ad right now..." -cuts to ad- A bit expensive, but always a good burger and worth it.
As someone who has eaten at five guys when I was in the United States, this is true. I’m a vegetarian and I always enjoyed eating at five guys, all the ingredients are incredibly fresh, it takes you 12-15 minutes to get your order, but it’s definitely worth it. Food at five guys always tastes really good.
So you only eat the fries then?
@@maskedbadass6802 nah Burger with salad only 😂
Five Guys is the best. I don’t need a vast menu, just a fresh, handmade burger and fresh, hand-cut fries will do the trick. I’ve never had any kind of problem there and the food is always delicious.
Man I love five guys. Didn't even know about the whole story of the quality but it makes sense to me since the food is so good! Another great vid company man!!
Before watching, I just wanna say: part of their success HAS to be because their burgers are quality, S tier in my opinion.
Yeah shit tier
Shit tier?
@@BiggaNiqqa we both had the same though on the S tier😂
S Tier as in above A tier just clarify: The best of the best.
@@GoldenDBH except that their burgers suck.
So, here's my take. As a business I absolutely love their model - you pay the same price no matter what you get, designing your burger yourself - which cuts down on food waste for the business and maximises those margins. Additionally the menu is simple, and the extra fries they throw in the bag are what makes them special. As a consumer, FIVE GUYS is the only place I order a beef burger from, excluding a big steak like burger in a proper restaurant, as I love being able to pick exactly what I want on it with great ingredients. Cajun fries are absolutely the best fries from any fast food restaurant too. Echoing others comments, its not a usual thing but an occasional treat when i come across a store - its usually around £12 for a burger, small cajun fries and a bottle of water, which is not cheap, but as a treat id much rather pay that than dine at McDonalds.
Imagine avoiding every overcorporatization pitfall by just doing business textbook style. Fantastic food, my only complaint is there isn't one too close to me in NJ, I have to go a few towns over. Worth it every time
I'm happy to know they're still around. SO many locations closed permanently, due to COVID, that I haven't actually seen one that hasn't shuttered. Great episode; thanks!!
I wish other places with reasonable prices survived over their bland stuff.
As a DC/NOVA local, I always love to see local success stories!
5 guys was one of the best places I worked at, it was always clean and the ingredients were always freshly prepared in the morning. Whenever the secret food inspector would pay us a visit and rank the restaurant based on its condition & food, we'd get compensated if everything was up to its standard, i.e. if we get a score of 100/100, we get a $100 bonus added to our paycheck.
That explains why their food is so good, it gives me New York city vibes tbh. But their menu is so simple, it could easily be replicated.
I've always been the type that will pay more for quality, and a quality burger is something I enjoy a great deal. I really enjoy Five Guys approach on this.
Five Guys are really good, because their customer service is great for burger joints overall! They also don’t sellout nor sponsor stupid sports leagues. I like mushroom burger, also do a video on Johnny Rockets, they’re an underrated burger joint!
Johnny Rockets is terrible.
@@Gabster1990 it depends on the restaurant, because some locations have poor service.
Love Johnny Rockets, but I think they closed a lot of locations recently... maybe the vintage nostalgic aesthetic is less attractive to modern customers? Prior to them closing most of their locations in LA, I also remember a sharp dip in quality. Their chili cheese fries, especially, switched from melted cheese to cheese whiz. That was sort of representative of the dip in quality for the restaurant as a whole
@@Gabster1990 correct. And five guys is way, way overpriced.
And they don't support BLM either, they even fired employees who refused to serve police.
“No more rhymes, I mean it!!”
“Five Guys has a lot of peanuts!!!”
Inconceivable
Big menus leads a lot of issues that don’t lead to a good restaurant. Clients generally want to be able to decide what they want quickly, and feel confident there isn’t a better option on the menu they didn’t notice. The bigger the menu, the more likely that’s going to happen.
Also, the bigger the menu, the less fresh the food tends to be. Not always, but often
Good observation 😉
Love five guys. No matter where I go I know the quality is going to be great.
Best franchise burgers for sure. Though their pricing has gone up tremendously in 5 years. A burger + fries for $16 is getting in to sitdown prepared cuisine territory.
And they ask for a tip upfront.
@@getnorgetout9425 and never get it
They're partly successful because ALL of the employees get together every morning and HAND MAKE the FRESH burgers. They cook all their bacon fresh every service too. They're fries are soggy but you get a whole bag with an order.
I wish they weren't soggy. Still good flavor
Am i crazy for liking the soggy fries? Idk i love five guys cajun fries its just so addictive
@CAMILA get a life
Yeah their fries are defiantly not their strength.
@@trollintomatoes I have reported her reply to about 20 comments so far. RUclips will not give a shit.
Love the coke freestyle machine and the paper bag of fries that overfills the cups with the Cajun seasoning.
I’ve lived in the DMV my whole life, and I can no longer remember a time when Five Guys didn’t exist. The worst I could say about Five Guys is that the fries are not always crispy and sometimes a little greasy, but that’s a super minor complaint because they still taste great. Great experiences there for over 20 years, and will gladly pay the premium price for their product.
I've been waiting for this one! By far, my favorite restaurant. I worked at one for years. The moral there is unmatched, the employee bonuses can be laughably great most importantly it's the environment and energy for customer or crew member that blows me away.
Honestly as an autistic person I really thrived with their structure. With a good GM, it can be a great experience
I’d love to experience this, but a burger fries and a drink shouldn’t cost me 15 bucks
@@CasperInkyMagoo i think its worth ut because everyone involved is being paid like a human being and not a wage slave
@@CasperInkyMagoo I certainly would never recommend eating there every day not even a few times a week. But on a payday or maybe you come into some extra money 👍👍👍
As a life long fan of thrashers, five guys is the closest fry I’ve had not from thrashers, I knew there had to be a connection but didn’t know it was actually true
Love Five Guys and it is worth the money but I don't go as often as I would like due to price but when I do it always is worth the price as an occasional treat.