456843 Sat Nov 03 04:35:03 -0700 2007 59 32 Chains 0 3091393 I live in New Jersey and recently Five Guys started opening franchises here. In my opinion they make the best fast food burger in the area. White Rose is very good as well, but really a different type of burger. Five Guys uses fresh beef, and although well done, the burgers are juicy, fresh, and delicious. The fries are excellent as well, fresh cut and fried twice in peanut oil. Many people have said that Five Guys is to the East Coast what In-N-Out is to the West Coast. I've never been to an In-N-Out, so I can't make a comparison. I have read a lot of comments on various food forums comparing the 2, and as you can imagine, opinions vary greatly. It seems that slightly more people who've had both prefer In-N-Out though a lot of people prefer Five Guys and say there is no comparison. Jason Perlow of Off The Broiler, whose opinions I respect, prefers Five Guys. Those of you who have been to both places, which do you like better? Sat Nov 03 04:35:03 -0700 2007 11964 hotdoglover 1 3091513 I prefer In N Out to Five Guys. I like my burgers with lettuce, tomato and onion and the produce out here in CA is markedly better than what I've had in the Five Guys I've eaten in. That helps. I also think the buns at In N Out are better. I'm not sure I think there's a lot of difference in the meat itself though I've found Five Guys to be a bit dryer, comparatively speaking, which I don't prefer. I can see how the Five Guys toppings list would be attractive for those who like more variety on their burgers. I don't have a lot of love for the fries at either place. Sat Nov 03 07:04:15 -0700 2007 3091393 80141 ccbweb 2 4291653 I'm still waiting to try Five Guys since it's not really conveniently located to me, but IMHO In-N-Out is great for what it is; a fast food burger. The burger is high quality, "pretty," tastes fresh, and be customized within reason. I don't think it deserves the accolades it receives as THE ONLY PLACE you can eat a (fast food) burger. Honestly I'd do just fine at Tommy's or Fatburger. But if your wandering the streets in a hungry haze and you spot that yellow arrow go ahead and stop on in. You'll be happy and leave with a grin. Now the fries...well that's a whole nother thread... Fri Jan 02 22:42:11 -0800 2009 3091513 97644 ReelMike84 3 4963408 What's unique about the In-N-Out burgers is that they aren't pre-made frozen patties. They start with freshly-ground beef every day. My only real objection to the place is the perpetually looooooong lines. Thu Aug 20 13:50:37 -0700 2009 4291653 11478 Will Owen 1 3111561 I think In-n-Out is a tad overrated, but it's far superior to Five Guys. I'd really love to like the latter, given that I can't take five steps in any direction without hitting a franchise here in D.C., but it just isn't very good. (Bring in Culver's!) Fri Nov 09 15:22:59 -0800 2007 3091393 17813 Bill on Capitol Hill 2 3111775 I agree that I-n-O is superior to 5 Guys. But I'm not sure Culver's burgers per se are much better if any than 5 Guys. However Culvers has many other items on the menu that are good, and overall if I had to choose to have one or the other nearby I'd go with Culvers (interesting these are three chains we're comparing here that have absolutely no geographical overlap whatsoever, not yet anyway AFAIK). I would say, tho, that Culvers cheese curds are, surprisingly, much inferior to A&W's. Their chili cheese fries are better however. Admittedly my basis of comparison for 5 Guys is the original location on King St. in Alexandria Va. While the franchise locations may not be as good, my limited experience with them has not been as bad as others have reported on CH. Fri Nov 09 16:47:42 -0800 2007 3111561 10668 johnb 3 4923881 5 Guys has now made out to the West Coast. There are two in the Los Angeles area now. Can't wait to try it to do the full comparison! I do like In-n-Out better than Culver's though. Thu Aug 06 14:52:02 -0700 2009 3111775 107331 chris1621 4 4955966 My most recent stop at Culvers, a new location in Kentucky, was somewhat disappointing. Hardly any butter on the bun and not much flavor in general. I will admit, however, that was just a few days after I had a butterburger in the inner sanctum of butterburgers, Solly's in Milwaukee, so it's a tough comparison. Tue Aug 18 09:46:05 -0700 2009 4923881 10668 johnb 2 3161536 five guys is pretty good, but cannot compare to in n out. it's an impossibility. Wed Nov 28 09:04:06 -0800 2007 3111561 122578 TBird 1 3115339 Five Guys is far and away the better of the two. I still don't understand the hype surrounding In-n-Out, the burger wasn't much better than what you could get at Wendy's. Maybe the location I visited out there wasn't up to snuff, but I was really disappointed after hearing people rave about it. Five Guys always serves up a massive, hot, juicy sandwich with anything I want on it and I couldn't ask for much more than that. Sun Nov 11 14:34:12 -0800 2007 3091393 60803 coasterphil 2 3115872 You prefer 5 Guys. From your handle I take it you're a coaster fan. Interesting if true, since the biggest proponent (hypemeister??) and lover of In-N-Out on these boards is Joe H who is in the roller coaster business. There must be some basic unifying yin-yang factor going on there Sun Nov 11 18:36:07 -0800 2007 3115339 10668 johnb 1 3116211 I think they're so different in their approach that it's hard to compare the two. They both use fresh beef and cut their own fries from potatoes, but that's where the comparisons end to me. One, In-N-Out, has a very bare menu. Five Guys has much more ingredients to work with. I definitely prefer the fries at Five Guys, though. I'd take either burger, just depending on my mood. Sun Nov 11 21:38:21 -0800 2007 3091393 52342 alliebear 2 3117647 In-N-Out actually has a very extensive menu, much more than 5 Guys, but it's not posted in the stores. Most I-N-O enthusiasts are familiar with at least some of it, particularly "animal style" which is one of their most popular items even tho it never appears on the menu AFAIK. The company's website makes mention of a few of the "secret" items (really variations), but skips most of them. Here is a link to Wikipedia's description. If you do a google you will find dozens more. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In-N-Out_Burger_menu_items They have recently officially stopped making burgers larger than 4x4, but it is said it can still be done. Mon Nov 12 11:30:01 -0800 2007 3116211 10668 johnb 3 3118551 In-n-Out "Unlisted" ingredients consist of mustard, pickles and yellow peppers, hardly extensive. { "Listed" ingredients are bread, meat,cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onions: raw and grilled, and sauce} Yes, the menu is is a varying combination of said ingredients (as it is everywhere- ever listen to people order at Starbucks?) Animal style burgers and animal fries are not listed on the menu. The menu is: Single, Cheeseburger, Double, Double Double Fries (one size) Fountain beverages Shakes (chocolate,vanilla or strawberry- or a combination thereof) The "combinations" listed on the menu are not any cheaper than buying individual items listed. Mon Nov 12 15:18:02 -0800 2007 3117647 12123 Cathy 4 3118898 The point related to the previous poster's assertion that 5 Guys had a more extensive menu than I-N-O. This is wrong when the extra variations available are considered. It seemed to me that the poster had no knowledge of the "secret" menu, so some description of it was warranted. I might add that I am thoroughly familiar with 5G and what they sell, having been a long term resident of the DC area where they originated and even having arranged many forays to the original pre-franchise 5 Guys with my co-workers in the old days. I-N-O has institutionalized a wide variety of variations, and 5G, tho they do have a few more toppings available than I-N-O, does not do so unless things have changed recently. I'm not going to get into the arguments about which is better, nor whether 5G has gone downhill with the franchise program (I-N-O is 100% company owned--no franchises). 5G does make a good burger, and does offer free shell peanuts while you're waiting for your order, which is nice. They are very good quality peanuts. It is not a question of how extensive the ingredients list is--IMO what matters is the variety of ways the ingredients can be put together, not to mention how things can be toasted or not, which does make a big difference IMO. Nobody expects 100 distinct menu items in a burger place after all. Nowhere did I or anyone claim that ordering combinations on or off the menu brought any economies. Mon Nov 12 16:52:31 -0800 2007 3118551 10668 johnb 5 3119492 What I meant was not the different variations of the same few ingredients. I am aware of all the different ways to order at In-N-Out, but there are things they don't offer that you can find at Five Guys. Five Guys has free peanuts, plus way more toppings and condiments for their burgers. Not saying that makes one better, just that it makes them very different in my opinion. Mon Nov 12 20:24:34 -0800 2007 3118898 52342 alliebear 4 4971633 You are missing some other things off the menu, I keep it a secret though. Sun Aug 23 22:34:51 -0700 2009 3118551 254809 A5 KOBE 5 4974068 I want to know. Mon Aug 24 16:08:01 -0700 2009 4971633 52342 alliebear 6 4974591 I think I listed everything in the store. It's just combinations of those items... Mon Aug 24 19:45:17 -0700 2009 4974068 12123 Cathy 1 3119589 Just to sum up...the toppings differences are: Five Guys has the following that In N Out doesn't: Relish Sauteed Mushrooms A-1 Sauce BBQ Sauce Green Peppers Hot Sauce Jalapeno peppers In N Out has: their "spread" - which is basically a thousand islands sort of thing and "chili peppers" Both have: lettuce tomato onion (cooked and raw) pickles cheese ketchup mustard (you can get it cooked into the bun at In N Out) Five Guys also has bacon and hot dogs. Mon Nov 12 21:10:58 -0800 2007 3091393 80141 ccbweb 2 3125306 Five Guys has more selections, even veggie hotdogs and burgers. I prefer In N Out for the food, though. Maybe I'm remembering incorrectly, but the meat for the single at In N Out is bigger and tastier. French fries are thinner cut and Five Guys (this might be a reflection of the franchises) have been thicker w/ skin AND often undercooked so mushy. Five Guys gives you far more fries than one person can eat--our family gets them and still have leftovers. With all the variations on Five Guys, it's easy to overwhelm the burger and it's hard to order. I wish they'd let you input what you want yourself because if you order several burgers, it can take a long time. Oh, and Five Guys doesn't have the shakes which is a big selling point for In N Out. Wed Nov 14 13:09:00 -0800 2007 3119589 39874 chowser 2 4955400 My daughter LOVES 5 Guys hotdogs, FWIW. Someone mentioned that the buns are too bready at 5 Guys - I couldn't disagree more. As someone who hates an imbalance between bread and meat, I think the ratio is right on the money at 5 Guys. As for the fries, anything fried that is immediately contained in an airtight container will go limp. Don't shut the bag! I've never tried I-n-O, so I can't say which is better. I've never had an issue with soggy fries either. Tue Aug 18 06:48:46 -0700 2009 3119589 71241 lynnlato 1 3161851 Five Guys is fair. My biggest problems with them are the buns, which are too bready for the single burger, IMHO, and the fries, which can be mushy and soggy, even when you ask for them well-done. Maybe the oil is too hot or something. Wed Nov 28 10:20:29 -0800 2007 3091393 17392 JennS 2 3163309 Soggy fries are a sign the oil is too cool, not too hot. Cool oil means you have to cook the potatoes longer, giving more time for oil to displace water in the potatoes. It can also mean there's too little oil. If there isn't enough oil the oil will lose too much heat when the potatoes are dropped in. Wed Nov 28 16:29:40 -0800 2007 3161851 19148 aynrandgirl 2 3164826 Get the fries out of the paper bag ASAP. The steam from the hot fries builds up and soggifies them within seconds. Cutting down the time between getting them out of the bag and into your mouth will greatly increase their edibility. Thu Nov 29 08:21:19 -0800 2007 3161851 12359 monkeyrotica 1 3184363 Of the chains discussed so far in this tread: Best Burgers: 1st place Culvers (but, they put butter on them, which is a little unfair.) 2nd place Five Guys 3rd In-N-Out Fries: 1st 5 Guys 2nd In-N-Out 3rd Culvers Hot Dogs 1st 5 Guys 2nd 5 Guys 3rd 5 Guys Shakes 1st Culvers 2nd Culvers 3rd Culvers Thu Dec 06 07:14:23 -0800 2007 3091393 77259 Paul N 1 3256655 As an east coaster with a Five Guys across the street from my office, I can compare it to In N Out, which I have visited around a half dozen times in Vegas and LA. I think I-n-O is on another level from five guys. The freshness and quality comes through in the flavor at I-n-O, while the taste at five guys is good, but not memorable. Five guys is a good solid burger, I-n-O is something you think about on the plane flying into Vegas. For reference, I am comparing a double bacon cheese burger at five guys with a double double animal style at In-n-Out. Thu Jan 03 08:39:10 -0800 2008 3091393 154347 maruvius 1 3256952 In-n-Out!! I live on the East Coast and don't want to hate on 5 Guys. I really wish it were the winner in this contest. At five guys, I totally pile on the toppings, but at the end of the day, you've got a patty that doesn't have a lot of flavor. That is the problem IMO. Also, the bun issues that others have mentioned. In-N-Out has got the simple, very flavorful burger, the toasted bun, and the onions grilled in that lovely grease, plus the special sauce. Thu Jan 03 09:47:36 -0800 2008 3091393 15750 Mandymac 1 3299977 In and Out. I have ate all three, i.e. in and out, 5 guys, and calver's. calver's is a bit different than the other 2 because of the butter in the mix. calver's is tasty but IMO it's in and out. in and out is what a hamburger is all about. Tue Jan 15 22:50:08 -0800 2008 3091393 157580 buttermonkey 1 3303811 5 Guys does not have Cheddar Cheese for their burgers??? :( Wed Jan 16 23:19:07 -0800 2008 3091393 144606 BaltimoreBoi15 2 5128842 You don't put cheddar cheese on a cheeseburger, you use american cheese just as In N Out does. I had it tonight and it was definitely american. Sat Oct 24 23:20:40 -0700 2009 3303811 281372 Ericcc 1 3311546 I've only had experiences with Five Guys but the wide swing on quality from one location to another is rather off putting. One thing about chains Mickey D etc you know what to expect from one location to another. Dreck Sat Jan 19 09:07:57 -0800 2008 3091393 11562 Hue 2 4955348 This seems to be the big down fall of 5 Guys. The only one I've been to in Huntsville, Al (west) was fantastic. How people couldn't like it was beyond me. Then I started hearing about dried out burgers and other problems. So quality control is a big issue. I have not tried INO but hope to one day. DT Tue Aug 18 06:32:46 -0700 2009 3311546 11291 Davwud 3 5128844 Regardless of what you whether you prefer INO or 5G, In N Out's consistency is remarkable. Sat Oct 24 23:21:57 -0700 2009 4955348 281372 Ericcc 1 3314796 In-n-Out is soooooo much better. Five Guys is heavy and I find a bit to greasy. I-N-O is fresher and manages to not induce a food coma mid afternoon. I tend to love the protein burger at I-N-O when I'm "dieting" and the double double animal style when I am just enjoying what I eat. Fresh tomato, lettuce and grilled onions, I think I just started drooling. If only In-N-Out would come to Nashville, we have Five Guys springing up on almost every corner right now but no I-N-O. Sun Jan 20 14:25:24 -0800 2008 3091393 114057 bubblet4me 2 3315322 Five Guys is expanding like crazy. Every time I turn around, I see a new one. I wonder how that'll affect the quality. Sun Jan 20 18:05:18 -0800 2008 3314796 39874 chowser 3 3887882 welcome, five guys, to park slope. i can hear the complaining now! :-) Mon Jul 21 10:19:15 -0700 2008 3315322 122578 TBird 2 4275044 I have to respectfully disagree. I grew up in CA, so I know In-N-Out well. People slobber all over themselves about In-N-Out not for the taste of the food, but because it's pretty. You've got the light brown bun, the green lettuce, red tomato... they're all put together very (very, very) neatly, and make a nice image. It's this clean-cut image that most people associate with "fresh" even though anything fried in oil, mixed with cream, or cooked in grill grease is anything but. The stores are clean (and only located on the sides of manicured highways or most often well-to-do neighborhoods) and the youths who serve up the food look like they've all been to some form of religious camp. But at the end of the day, the meat is so scarce in an In-N-Out "burger" that I don't think you can even call it a burger. That said, In-N-Out is most definitely a grease delivery vehicle, especially if you get anything other than the most basic, simple single. Double-doubles lather on the processed cheese and animal style adds so much thousand Island that you can't taste the little meat that's there. Fries and a shake? That will put an insomniac to sleep. Five Guys on the other handy is a big, greasy, (gritty, urban), mess. The floors have peanut shells everywhere and they are often located in areas of town that In-N-Outers wouldn't be likely to visit (at least the ones I've been to in DC). The burgers are sloppy, covered in ingredients that slouch and fall and drip all over. But there's more meat. And taste. I definitely couldn't do Five Guys every day, or even every week. But I don't get excited over In-N-Out.... ever. Fri Dec 26 19:46:22 -0800 2008 3314796 251663 innoutisnotaburger 3 4290310 In kind, I respectfully disagree. I am not seduced by the appearance of the double double. I love the taste of it. Especially with a side of animal style fries. And a diet coke. :) Fri Jan 02 12:35:57 -0800 2009 4275044 219993 LA Buckeye Fan 4 4291646 LOL! A diet coke. Then you can go home and say you ate healthy. Fri Jan 02 22:33:38 -0800 2009 4290310 97644 ReelMike84 5 5128847 Lol, I'm guilty of eating my burger w/ a diet soda too. I'm more worried about diabetes than I am about hearth disease (because my cholesterol, and BP are good). Sat Oct 24 23:24:05 -0700 2009 4291646 281372 Ericcc 6 5129777 Me too. But I just prefer the taste of DC. More so, C0. DT Sun Oct 25 14:16:38 -0700 2009 5128847 11291 Davwud 7 5148280 Funny, I thought I was the only one who preferred the taste of Diet Cola. Though that certainly wasn't the case when I started drinking it. My taste buds must have adjusted over the years. Bit of advice tho, Sunny Select is an off-brand diet cola that just puts Coke and Pepsi to shame. You can find it at Food Maxx and Save Mart. Sun Nov 01 23:41:40 -0800 2009 5129777 281372 Ericcc 4 4923709 cheeseburger protein style side of animal fries Diet Coke ~~ essential Thu Aug 06 14:02:44 -0700 2009 4290310 109905 laliz 3 4291985 I'm not at all sure what this is about. I'm not clear that it's about food. The employees are too clean? Was that one of the points? Not enough beef but too much grease. Ok. Sum total: you've got some sort of beef with In N Out Burger. It's simply not clear what that is. Sat Jan 03 06:35:58 -0800 2009 4275044 80141 ccbweb 1 3887899 I used to love In-N-Out, but that was before I discovered that their beef came from places that put downer cows into the food stream. Although they stopped buying meat from that supplier, it made me question the quality of their beef product. Mon Jul 21 10:24:58 -0700 2008 3091393 20659 jsteingarten 2 3888064 That doesn't make sense to me. The moment they learned that there were issues with their meat supplier, they dropped that supplier. They didn't wait, they immediately dropped the supplier and moved on to suppliers they could be sure of. Certainly, there were issues during the time when they were getting meat from that company and didn't know about their practices, but their response is one that should give a customer confidence, in my opinion. Their statement on the matter is on their website: http://www.in-n-out.com/statement.asp Looks like you can now be confident in the quality of their beef product. Mon Jul 21 11:04:20 -0700 2008 3887899 80141 ccbweb 3 3888231 I don't think that I can be confident (but I'm glad that you can be) about the quality of their meat, since they only ask that suppliers sign an agreement that they won't inject downer cattle into the foodstream. That suggests that they aren't doing on-site inspections of suppliers and just taking their word for it. Nonplussed. Mon Jul 21 11:44:46 -0700 2008 3888064 20659 jsteingarten 1 4293375 I think that it is impossible to say which is better. From the many threads addressing this same issue and experience, both can offer better than average fast food experience, but are inconsistent. I have eaten at one location of InO and I thought it was horrible. Fries undercooked and the burger flavorless. Compared to Wendy's I thought that it sucked. But, I know that that isn't the norm based on posts by fellow Chowhounds. On the other hand I've eaten at 5 locations of 5Guys. A couple of which I thought were horrible and a couple that I still think have the greatest burgers and fries. Now that I am in MA I miss 5Guys and I'm grateful that I finally had an InO burger last month in San Diego. Sat Jan 03 16:40:16 -0800 2009 3091393 14495 viperlush 2 4296922 This is what puzzles me. Both 5G and In-and-Out are franchises, yet both seem to deliver wildly inconsistent results. I thought the whole point of a franchise was to deliver a consisten product in a uniform environment? You go to ANY McDonalds ANYWHERE on planet earth and you'll pretty much get the same thing with slight deviations (I think in Russia, you get spinach instead of lettuce; in India, you can get lamb burgers, etc). The only exception is the Ledo's Pizza chain, which is universally lousy (the original location is the only place that does it right). I have a 50/50 success rate at 5Guys as well. One of them I had to leave because the do-wop music was too damn loud and irritating (when Wang Chung came out, I'd had enough and bolted). Never tried In-and-Out. I tried a Fatburger in Florida and didn't think it was that great. Mon Jan 05 06:59:37 -0800 2009 4293375 12359 monkeyrotica 3 4296933 In N Out isn't franchised. Mon Jan 05 07:08:08 -0800 2009 4296922 80141 ccbweb 3 5128848 In N Out is family owned. Sat Oct 24 23:25:06 -0700 2009 4296922 281372 Ericcc 1 4919460 Listen man, Im a native to D.C. but i travel all over and the ebst burger i have ever had is a five guys burger. I actually just recently got back from sacramento 2 weeks ago. My family knows im a big burger critic so they took me to a bunch of burger joints and they placed a lot of hype on in-n-out. When i went with all the pressure of it being "THE BEST BURGER EVER!" i couldnt eat it at first. I'll tell you, that burger is only fresh, not much else. Theres not much flavor or zest. Now a 5 guys burger is like a party in my mouth. Go ahead ad try in-n-out but dont expect much. 5 guys is the top dog in my opinion. Wed Aug 05 09:20:57 -0700 2009 3091393 1099364 marinedude11 1 4920746 I prefer Five Guys over In-N-Out. Neither are THAT good. Most towns have a local place that is better. In Raleigh NC it's Char-Grill. Five Guys has about the best fries I've ever eaten, including frites in Paris. Wed Aug 05 14:48:12 -0700 2009 3091393 273363 Fu Dee 1 4962336 I've been to both, and as far as just the burgers are concerned, I prefer Five Guys. However, both are very good, and I really think it boils down to each individual's particular taste. Given that, I do love being able to put A-1 on my burger... Mmmmmmmm. Thu Aug 20 09:06:35 -0700 2009 3091393 262418 bugmenot 1 4962351 In-N-Out over Five Guys, in my opinion. The double double animal style cant be beat. Thu Aug 20 09:11:21 -0700 2009 3091393 163807 baldwinwood 2 4971638 Sure it can!!! My all time favorite, 6 x 6 w/ grilled onions. No fries. Sun Aug 23 22:36:45 -0700 2009 4962351 254809 A5 KOBE 1 5046810 This seems to break down along East Coast / West Coast natives and their favorites. IMO they're both good but totally over hyped. Mon Sep 21 13:18:20 -0700 2009 3091393 1109254 Timmy McTimmerson 1 5057257 in-n-out has the all time worse fries. When I got mine, I took them back to the counter and asked if they had fresh ones because these were hard and dry...the lady look confused, but pulled a new basket out of the oil and handed them to me. They tasted exactly like the first ones...oops, that's how they're SUPPOSED to taste. I don't get it. Fri Sep 25 06:07:58 -0700 2009 3091393 1111849 chonger 2 5057266 They are made with fresh potatoes that are cut just before being dropped in the fryer. Twice. Not the frozen, coated, precooked stuff you are probably used to. Fri Sep 25 06:11:40 -0700 2009 5057257 12123 Cathy