Five Guys Burgers & Other Chain Digression [split from Tri-State]

[HungryRubia]

Went to the one in Paramus tonight and it was ok. I had the Bobby Blue Burger cooked medium. It was cooked properly, but I found it a little on the dry side. The regular and the sweet potato fries were tasty. Other than that I don't think I would go again. I much prefer 5 Guys...

[RCTRIPLEFRESH5]

wait im confused you went to 5 guys and didnt like it? but you prefer 5 guys over 5 guys?
hey be happy yours cooks it medium. 5 guys here does well done.

[BiscuitBoy]

Yeah, I didn't get it either....I wonder if parts of this thread were edited out?

[menton1]

Yes, seems they did a botch job on this thread, the original post is referring to Bobby's Burger Place in Paramus NJ. 5 Guys only does well done. (shoe leather)

[Fred19]

They may be shoe leather but they are juicy. The chef/embalmer replaced the blood in the burger with pure grease. Dry they are not. Great fries. I never managed to be able to eat all of the fries.

~Fred19

[michele cindy]

I agree, I really like the 5 guys in Nanuet. I'm a person who likes my burgers that are non fast food burgers practically raw, but their well done little burgers are really flavorful. You can't compare 5 guys to anywhere other then other fast food joints like Burger King. It's like comparing a white castle to a filet mignon.

[Scott_R]

I don't understand 5 Guys fans. I've tried the place twice--two different locations, the second to make sure the first wasn't a fluke. Tasteless grey meat.

[Fred19]

Scott, you are overrating 5 Guys burgers by calling those hockey pucks meat.

...but their fries are good!

~Fred19

[michele cindy]

just curious do any of you 5 guys nay sayers like white castles?

[tommy]

of course they do. don't. they can't figure out if they don't like well done meat. they might hate braised short ribs too. it must be very confusing keeping all the hate sorted out. as if a medium hamburger is always horrible. poppycock, and nonsense.

[menton1]

tommy:
The charbroil place on 46 will accommodate requests for medium rare. It also annoys me that 5 guys touts their burgers' quality so heavily and then insists on giving them to you well done. I also can't think of a good reason for this policy. I would agree that 5 guys has a much better burger than the 46 place, but well done just doesn't work for me.

Now DB Bistro, well, there's a burger!!

forunder: I don't love the Pancake House, I just mentioned it as a better choice than a diner. I wouldn't consider having one store in NJ and another in FL as constituting a "chain" comparable to the likes of Charlie Brown's or Chili's.

[michele cindy]

Five Guys is comparible to McDonalds, Burger King and Wendy's nothing else, unless it's FAST food. For a fast food burger, 5 guys ranks much higher imho then the top 3 chains out there. I wouldn't even compare white castle to those above, a wc is in a class by itself.

[fourunder]

forunder: I don't love the Pancake House, I just mentioned it as a better choice than a diner. I wouldn't consider having one store in NJ and another in FL as constituting a "chain" comparable to the likes of Charlie Brown's or Chili's.
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menton1,

As I stated to tommy, I'm just poking a little fun at your expense, but I mean no malice. Since we both post on the same boards, I just happen to read your comments and they tend to stick out to me in spirited discussions. Sometimes I find your observations contradictory itself, nothing more.

With reference to the Pancake House, I would argue that it is nothing more than a diner masquerading as a pancake specialty house. It follows the diner menu formula only it highlights breakfast items. Your opinion is you think the PH is a better choice than a diner and you do not like diners or chains. I respect your opinions, but I would argue that the Original Pancake House is better than the PH of Ridgewood or any diner for breakfast and I would argue that almost any diner can make a breakfast equally as good as many top restaurants for a lot less money.....Really though, who cares, it's a breakfast with or without eggs. It's only our different preferences in my view. Finally, your last sentence regarding multiple locations in different states is arguable as to ,what or when, constitutes a chain(same management-ownership-concept-menu), but really.....let's say an ownership group owns ten restaurants, although very considerable by most standards, I would hardly say that could be considered comparable either....but then again, how many places really could be mentioned as comparable to the two examples you have mentioned?

http://www.originalpancakehouse.com/

[menton1]

One thing's for sure, forunder: The chains that I eschew (Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Charlie Brown's, and that ilk) don't really worry about you or me. They are packed, I drive by a CBs every day and the lot is full and there is a line outside every single day. So I don't know what drives people there as opposed to a chef-run restaurant, but they go. Maybe it's reminiscent of the old Holiday Inn ads that said "no surprises". People forget that a surprise can be a positive experience also...

[fourunder]

Two things We both agree on......

quality over quantity.......good surprises

[Clambelly]

It's an amazing phenomenon. How in the world those chains (and also add to them any pizza chains) do business in the metro area of NY just floors me. With all the ethnic restaurants and especially one-of-a-kind restaurants, ESPECIALLY PIZZA, in NY, NJ and CT, I'm just flabbergasted that people go to these places. I have one question....WHY???? It can't be price. They're not cheaper than other places. It blows my mind to see people lining up for Red Lobster here in this part of the country. Okay, okay, I get why someone in Lincoln, Nebraska goes to a Red Lobster, but in NY? I'll never understand, just as I'll never understand how Domino's, Pizza Hut or Papa John's stay in business in NY. You can get a better slice by accident here. Just fall into any pizza parlor on any street in the tristate area and you're likely to do far better than any Domino's or Pizza Hut. Amazing. Just amazing.

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Pizza Hut Restaurants
2002 State Route 27, Edison, NJ 08817

[michele cindy]

I truly believe it is something to do with a psychological level of comfort. They eat and see this stuff at home, and it's out of their comfort zone to go out and try something different. They may feel intimidated too to try something else, as if you need to be an "insider" to go to these other places. That's all I can think could attribute to such behavoir. Reminds me of my trip long ago to Curacao, most of the dinners we had were really crumby and the cost was quite high. Long into our trip we were longing for something decent. We ended up having lunch at McDonalds. At that moment biting into my big mac seemed like it was the best food I had eaten all week.

[Clambelly]

Note to self....do not eat dinner in Curacao. Thanks, Michele! LOL

[fourunder]

Television commercials.......they brainwash your kids and that's what they want. You may eschew chains, but they fit in to the convenience factor and price range for most families.......I with you on the pizza comparison, but the pizzerias in the NY/NJ area are still taking advantage of their customers by not reducing their prices, along with the decrease in wholesale flour......btw, the true is same for many bagel operators too.......It's not uncommon for many places to still charge $14-18 for a plain cheese pie......recently, I was in lower Manhattan, and the price for a large plain cheese pizza was $28. Sorry, but for a guy like me who knows wholesale pricing on restaurant supplies......that's simply a ridiculous price for most people to enjoy...

For the record, I would rather see a kid eating Domino's or Pizza Hut, fat grams, calories and all, rather than eating cereal for dinner......as I know many parents who allow this......including my brother and sister-in-law.

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Pizza Hut Restaurants
2002 State Route 27, Edison, NJ 08817

[Scott_R]

At the risk of sounding like an elitist snob... that's America. People like the familiar and the--dare I say it--bland.

[tommy]

Pizza Hut offers a much different experience than the average pizza parlor. And there are no surprises. These two points alone should help you understand why people make different choices than you do.