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Monday, May 24, 2010

Five Guys Defines the New "Fresh"

When it comes to fast food and "fast casual" restaurants my standards aren't usually very high...probably because I've been let down so many times.

Five Guys Burgers and Fries has always been the exception. This isn't the first time I've chronicled my love and passion for Five Guys, however my visit to Five Guys today radically changed my entire view on their restaurant and what we should expect from every restaurant we visit.

Simply said, Five Guys is radically redefining what "fresh food" means.

When you really think about it, every restaurant claims to have something "fresh": Fresh burgers, fresh fish, fresh salad, fresh chicken....everything is "fresh". But what does it really mean? Frankly, I expect all of the food I eat to be fresh. I expect it not to be frozen and I expect that it's made using "fresh ingredients."

Here's what makes Five Guys so special:

Today as I finished ordering my delicious Five Guys double cheeseburger, the cashier turned around to the grill guy (the grill is visible from the front of the store) to call out our order and noticed that there were 3 hamburger patties sitting on the grill. It was obvious that these burger patties weren't too old, they just weren't grilled "fresh" for a customer. So, with these simple words: "get rid of those" the cashier directed the grill guy to throw the 3 patties away and put fresh ones on the grill for our order.

Slowly but surely, Five Guys is defining the new "fresh". What Five Guys does, that other fast casual restaurants don't is this: they make their food, right now, for you. Who else does this? What other fast casual restaurant would willingly, throw food away to make something completely and truly fresh for the customer?

Panera doesn't - their "fresh soup" is delivered in a bag. Even Chipotle, while their food is fresh, it isn't cooked just for you, right at the moment your ordering.

Five Guys is changing the game, and the results are simply remarkable. Better tasting food that's made just for "me". Juicy, delicious and the ultimate in satisfaction.

At Five Guys its more than just "burgers and fries" it's a whole new approach to food.

Posted by Dan Holm at 11:36 PM
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24 comments:

  1. Wow I had no idea. Now, THAT is fresh! Hubby took me once. He absolutely loves it and eats there anytime I'm out of town (that, and First Choice BBQ) but I'm a bit of a "food snob" and didn't see the attraction. I guess in the sense of fair play, I should return, ya think?
    (smile)

    Come visit me at my blog!
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  2. I was at store #1068, in Quakertown, PA. on 5/25/2010, and not only was the food great, but the service was as well. From the manager (Kenneth Kline), to the people that worked under him: Ben W., Melanie L., Donna R., Jen K., Melissa Z., Eric L., Harold D., and Benadette P. This was my first time visiting Five Guys, and believe me, it won't be my last.
    GREAT PLACE TO EAT!
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  3. 5 Guys near us have an interesting system where they call out the # of people who just walked in the door and then the grille cooks toss down patties based on that. Seems to keep the lines moving quickly and it is a safe bet that if folks walked in the door they are ordering a burger.

    By the way, not sure how you got that pic. Every burger I've ever ordered there is a jumbled mess by the time we get to our seats. Hardly picturesque.
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  4. @Marc - that sounds like a pretty sweet system at your Five Guys.

    This is a great pic, however I can't take the credit...I found it online.

    I agree, my Five Guys burger usually ends up all over my face and hands when I'm done with it! By the way, I checked out your website - very cool!
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  5. Fresh doesn't always mean good tasting. Five Guys has a long way to go to get high scores on my taste test!
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  6. I think that's wasteful. You say the patties on the grill were clearly not too old. So you think it is good that three perfectly edible meat got thrown out? There are people in this world who are starving - and you want fast food restaurants to start throwing out food to make something extra fresh for you?

    Now if they wait for each order and then make it fresh - GOOD. But if they play some sort of bet game with throwing some burgers on the grill expecting them to be sold based on statistics... and then throw out perfectly fine meat... well I cannot see any good in that.
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  7. The burgers are great but what about those fries? They give a generious portion of "fresh fries" cooked in peanut oil. Love them. I could eat just the fries and be satisfied. Take a friend, there is enough for two...share and save.
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  8. i wish Mcdonalds and Burger king would be as fresh!
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  9. Just hit the newest Five Guys in East Vancouver, Washington. They were also spotlighted on Channel 8 news this morning so it was a little crowded. But nonetheless, the kitchen crew was insane back there, moving around at least a dozen or more so people, not missing a beat. My burger was incredible, cajun fries the best! Welcome to the Neighborhood!
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  10. We just hit the newest Five Guys here in East Vancouver, Washington. They were spotlighted this morning on Channel 8 news so it was a little crowded, to say the least. Must have been over a dozen people back there, working the grills. Our burgers were perfect and the cajun fries the best! Welcome to the Neighborhood!
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  11. I would have to agree about the throwing nearly fresh patties out...in that case you SHOULD freeze them and deliver them to a homeless shelter, I am sure someone who is starving could careless about freshness as long as the ache in their stomach is releived!!!
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  12. I don't know kinda types of homeless you've met. But most of them live a better lifestyle than we do. Usually not skinny or starving. I see the same guys begging by the metro station comming in to buy food.
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  13. Positively the best burger and fries that I have ever eaten. I will be be back...again, and again, and again!!!
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  14. They just THROW AWAY perfectly edible burgers, just because they're not *super-instantly-fresh* ???

    How supremely wasteful and short-sighted!!!
    *that* is revolting to me.

    If you're going to eat (or serve!) meat, at LEAST have enough respect for the life and suffering (particularly if it wasn't pasture-raised), and death of the animal which was killed for *your meal*, or the meal you're serving, to not just throw away the food that was made from its body, in order to preserve some super-perfectionist standards, and to look good to the customers!
    Do you *know* how many resources go into the act of putting a burger on your plate, in the first place? Generally speaking, 16 more times that which would be required in order to put the same quantity of a grain-based meal on your plate.

    This especially pertains to beef, and the like:

    "Eating 1 lb. of meat emits the same amount of greenhouse gasses as driving an SUV 40 miles."
    ~~> http://www.goveg.com/environment.asp

    http://vegetarian.about.com/od/vegetarianvegan101/f/waterpollution.htm
    http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/environment.html

    I personally am disgusted by this 'Five Guys' article ~ and the applauding of wasting food in order to please customers and keep perfectionist standards.

    If you're going to eat meat, at least please be conscious about it, and conscientious. Even sparing. And compassionate.
    Respectful.

    Having a sense of gratitude... reverence, even, about the life of the animal, which was sacrificed for your nourishment.
    That reverence is a beautiful thing.
    ReplyDelete
  15. Check out *Chipotle* ~ !

    Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!!! : D

    so some friends of mine on facebook were touting the temptation of 'five guys' ~ and I was curious what they were all raving about~~ and I thought, ooh, maybe it's a really cool-conscientious, responsible place, like Chipotle, serving up hormone-free, grassfed meat and all that!
    ...but, no. It seems that isn't the case.

    ...wouldn't it be awesome if it *were*, though~? It could happen. With prodding and encouragement from 'patrons like you' ~ ! :)

    I was actually rather disgusted to find out {by reading this article} that, ~au contraire~ their 'super fresh' policy, while admirable on the *surface*, leads to rather unfortunately unsustainable practices, on the ground!
    ...there *are* better ways to serve things fresh...

    On the other hand, there ARE some awesomely amazing places doing it *right*, when it comes to burgers and other 'fast foods' ~~ Do you know about Chipotle Mexican Grill?

    When you google *them*, you read about things to the tune of quality and compassion ~ like grass-fed meat, LEED certification, and solar power! Now *that's* exciting!
    That'd be *my* kinda burger place!!! ...if I was a burger-kinda girl. :) <3
    http://www.chipotle.com/en-US/fwi/fwi.aspx

    'Food with Integrity'. Yeah.
    Spread the sustainable Chipotle Love!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAArUcSZMPQ
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAAFI9WH_Mk&feature=related

    ~ check 'em out, check 'em out ~ !
    ReplyDelete
  16. To the idiot who said:
    "I don't know kinda types of homeless you've met. But most of them live a better lifestyle than we do. Usually not skinny or starving. I see the same guys begging by the metro station comming in to buy food."

    Are you freaking kidding me? I'd love to learn more about both the "nature and nurture" environments that formed you, because it would be fascinating to know exactly how you became as ignorant as you obviously are. Most homeless "live a better lifestyle than we do"? What a sad, pathetic life you must live.

    It's comments like yours that make me wish you would get a chance to find out just how horribly difficult it is to be homeless in America.

    And on a completely unrelated note, how did I know that at least a couple vegetarians would use the comment section to push their agenda. I do completely agree that the practice of throwing away perfectly good hamburgers simply because they aren't "fresh" is very wasteful and pretty much indefensible in this day and age. However, I chose to read this review because I do happen to eat meat, especially a well-cooked and prepared cheeseburger. There is no chance that you are going to 'sway' me to the other side and get me to suddenly become a vegan, so what do you hope to accomplish by posting your comments here? Can't you just let folks enjoy an article about something they enjoy without trying to push your agenda? There are a time and a place for that kind of pushing, but a review like this really isn't either of those things. And yes, I do love animals, as I have two of my own and regularly donate time and money to the Humane Society and a local no-kill shelter. That doesn't mean I don't enjoy a good cheeseburger.
    ReplyDelete
  17. where's the survey listed on my receipt???????????? and while i'm at it, yesterday was my maiden trip to 5 Guys - wow!
    was i impressed w. the fries - just right and lots of 'em. the double patty, which in my innocence i ordered became a true challenge w. sloppiness - i'd suggest larger leaves of lettuce rather than small pieces which scoot off too easily. the patties themselves need a little seasoning other than sodium, please. the staff was very customer oriented and i was even asked for input by the guy taking orders and my comments were taken in by a mgr.?
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  18. As a five guys employee in orlando, florida (waterford lakes) i would just like to say that wasting patties breaks my heart. we throw hundreds of patties away everyday but we have high standard and when we say our food is fresh, OUR FOOD IS FRESH. i don't make the rules but our burgers have to look a certain way in order too be served. our meat is well done andj uicy when pulled off the grill not overcooked, dry and burnt. freezing them and serving them to the homeless would be a good idea if we had freezers but like i said before our food is FRESH. nothing iS ever frozen.
    ReplyDelete
  19. Just went to the one in Enfield, CT for the first time last night. Simply awesome. No nonsense, what you see is what you get. Doesn't get any better.

    In response to "wasting" the patties, what difference does it make to you? They're the ones who bought the materials, and by throwing them away they're making the sacrifice for the sake of putting out a great, consistent product. They're the only ones who are losing out on the deal. And by the way, the animal is still dead regardless. Pretty sure Bessie's not going to know the difference.
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  20. Man you are right! I am impressed and pleased that Five guys is doing so well. There is one that opened up in Bloomington just a couple weeks ago. Let me tell you it is doing phenominal.
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  21. Throwing out food. That' just unnecessary, wasteful, and sad.
    ReplyDelete
  22. Wow. Just... Wow.

    To the person who said "Eating 1 lb. of meat emits the same amount of greenhouse gasses as driving an SUV 40 miles."

    That mindset is just mind-blowingly stupid. I can't believe people like you even exist.

    If a company wants to throw away food to ensure quality, how is that any worse than your "throwing it away" by stuffing your fat face with it?

    Food is food. Eat it and be thankful there are companies out there willing to take a loss here and there in order to maintain quality standards. Don't turn it into a talking point for your animal loving agendas.
    ReplyDelete
  23. I first discovered 5 Guys at Reagan Airport in 2006, and I've made it a point to stop in at one their other franchises where ever I travel in the U.S. Now they're coming the Greater Toronto Area, and I'm salivating just thinking about it. 5 Guys is the undisputed champion of burgers and fries!
    ReplyDelete
  24. Do you not realize what an inconsiderate selfish idiot you sound like when you celebrate that they throw away food because it's five minutes old. Are you really that self-absorbed? Like you could even tell the difference. You just come across like a greedy American with no consideration for anything other than your selfish whims. Seriously, try thinking out of the box...one time. And by the way, all these smash burgers people are just copy cats of In-N-Out Burger of Southern California which has been cooking the exact same burgers and fresh cut fries since 1948. Toronto has probably some of the worst food in the world. They have no idea how to cook a burger. If you ask for medium, they just stare at you. Stupid laws to save one or two weak people who might get sick every 10 years ruin everyone's food. Of course, if we didn't raise the cows surrounded by their own shit, we might not have to cook it to one million degrees but lets not mess with capitalism.
    ReplyDelete

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