In N Out vs. Five Guys

[formulanone]

Tough call: sometimes I'm in the mood for fries smothered in cheese and grilled onions, and sometimes, I'm not. Five Guys' burger is a bit more greasy, though I've noticed the amount of grease seems to vary from location to location. I'll give the nod to Five Guys, but just by a nose.

[MikeTheActuary]

I agree with the sentiment that In N Out and Five Guys are different classes of restaurant.

In N Out is a "quick serve" class place, comparable to Mickey D's, BK, Wendy's, etc.

Five Guys is a "fast casual" class place, comparable to, say, Smashburger or Shake Shack.

I've only had one opportunity to go to In N Out.  It wasn't bad, but after listening to fans rave about the chain, I found the actual experience to be a little bit of a let down, in part because I was expecting something at the Five Guys level.

[Dr Frankenstein]

I've never been to In N' Out but I wish we had them here. I'm sure they kick McDonald's arse.

I've been to the Downtown Montreal location of Five Guys a couple of times and I love it.

[1995hoo]

I find Five Guys' fries to be at their best when they aren't right out of the fryer and have had the chance to sit for a little while. They're not so greasy then.

[AlexandriaVA]

I find Five Guys' fries to be at their best when they aren't right out of the fryer and have had the chance to sit for a little while. They're not so greasy then.

Make sure to take a peek at the white bag that the fries come in - that's where the grease went. FYI the Five Guys on Backlick is one of the original ones.

[OCGuy81]

I find Five Guys' fries to be at their best when they aren't right out of the fryer and have had the chance to sit for a little while. They're not so greasy then.

Make sure to take a peek at the white bag that the fries come in - that's where the grease went. FYI the Five Guys on Backlick is one of the original ones.

One of the things I like about In N Out too is that if you ask  for the fries to be a bit crispier, they'll do it.  Five Guys I think has better fries overall, but there have been times they're a bit soggy after just being pulled from the fryer.

Still maintain In N Out is slightly better, IMO.  Though I DO wish they offered bacon. 

[Thing 342]

I've only been to In-N-Out once, but I think they're better than 5 Guys. 5 Guys burgers seem overpriced for what they are, and their fries are way too greasy for me. If I'm going to spend $50+ on a meal for four, I'll go to a local joint with more filling food.

[Pink Jazz]

I agree this is an apple vs. orange comparison.  In N Out is fast food, Five Guys is fast casual.  A more fair comparison to Five Guys would be Smashburger.

[doorknob60]

I would say Five Guys is better. BUT, you pay almost twice as much. At In-N-Out, you'll pay the same cost as you'd pay at other fast food like McDonald's, Wendy's or BK. Five Guys is like "fast food plus", a step between regular chains like McD's, and places like Red Robin. In-N-Out beats all the big burger fast food chains IMO. Five Guys is good if you want something a bit nicer and are willing to pay a bit more. It's just a shame there's no In-N-Out here. It's inching closer into Oregon, now in Medford, but it's not close enough to where I can eat there except on road trips.

[hbelkins]

Since I do not eat burgers, this is very significant for me personally. It means that neither is terribly attractive to me since if I order food from one all I will get is fries.

Don't eat burgers? What kind of commie pinko anti-American are you? 

Seriously, Five Guys has quite a bit more than burgers. They have pretty good hot dogs, they make grilled cheeses, you can get veggie burgers (not sure if those are soy-based patties or just sandwiches with all their vegetable burger toppings) and I'm pretty sure they make a BLT as well.

As for those who are complaining about Five Guys' fries being greasy, it does tend to vary from location to location. They are more like home-fried potatoes than your typical fast-food french fries. But I'm told you can order your fries "well-done" and they'll keep them in the fryer longer, making them more crisp and less greasy.

[Rothman]

Five Guys' shakes aren't half bad, either.

[cpzilliacus]

I have been to both (Five Guys more frequently than In-N-Out), and I prefer In-N-Out over Five Guys.

Five Guys is not a bad burger joint either.

Both get my respect for being somewhat unique, but as was pointed out upthread, they are different types of eating establishments.

[cl94]

Five Guys. Never been anywhere close to an In N Out and probably won't be unless I get a chance to get to California or they move out east.

Because someone brought it up, Smashburger is nowhere close to Five Guys. No contest. None.

I will take Shake Shack over Five Guys if I'm near one. More expensive, but tastier. Wait is often shorter as well, even if the line is longer.

[cpzilliacus]

I've never been to In N' Out but I wish we had them here. I'm sure they kick McDonald's arse.

In-N-Out is better than most McDonald's, and consistently good.  McDonald's suffers greatly from inconsistency between its stores (at least in the Washington, D.C./Maryland/Virginia area, the phrase "that is a bad McDonald's" is pretty common).

Five Guys is also consistently good.

[cl94]

I've never been to In N' Out but I wish we had them here. I'm sure they kick McDonald's arse.

In-N-Out is better than most McDonald's, and consistently good.  McDonald's suffers greatly from inconsistency between its stores (at least in the Washington, D.C./Maryland/Virginia area, the phrase "that is a bad McDonald's" is pretty common).

This. Locations in very high-traffic locations (i.e. Manhattan) tend to be excellent, but a lot of the franchise locations in suburban areas are crap, especially if the place is moderately busy. A couple of franchisees out here make you beg for ketchup and napkins. The average corporate location is better than most franchise locations, at least from what I've seen.

[freebrickproductions]

They have pretty good hot dogs, they make grilled cheeses, you can get veggie burgers (not sure if those are soy-based patties or just sandwiches with all their vegetable burger toppings) and I'm pretty sure they make a BLT as well.

My mom got a veggie burger from them recently. It's just a sandwhich with all of their vegetable toppings. No meat on it what-so-ever.