Burger Battle
I’ve talked about how much I love burgers before, but since BuzzFeed came out with a post today listing reasons why In-N-Out is Better than Five Guys, I feel like I must comment on this. But before I do, I should note that I like both of those burger chains (chains!) for different reasons, but one of the biggest reasons why I’d prefer In-N-Out over Five Guys is:
vs.
In-N-Out’s cheeseburger is $1.85 and is tasty and satisfying. Sure, it’s smaller than the Five Guys cheeseburger, but if you want another patty, it’s $2.75. That price point is pretty unbeatable, but I may also be biased as a California guy, so maybe you D.C.-ers can convince me otherwise.
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Previously on The Billfold
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They serve very different purposes. In-N-Out is a McDonald’s replacement, and for this purpose it is wonderful. But Five Guys is, taste-wise, objectively better. And the fries don’t even compare, fries at In-N-Out are greasy shoestrings that get nasty five minutes after they’re cooked, Five Guys fries are wonderful spiced chunks of heaven.
@deepomega Plus free peanuts (little cheeseburger + free peanuts + free water < $5).
@deepomega Plus they let you throw the shells all over the floor, which is great if you’re a closet savage and Policy is the only thing stopping you from dropping your trash wherever you happen to be standing at the moment.
@deepomega In-N-Out french fries are an insult to the name of potatoes.
@Bill Fostex with all the peanut allergies out there im surprised they let you do this.
@lizard Five Guys is also a great place to practice your right to open carry.
@lizard I’ve only been to Five Guys a few times, but I’m pretty sure the behavior @Bill Fostex is describing is more “grudgingly tolerated” than “allowed.” I mean, all over the TABLES, sure.
@stuffisthings To some, it’s a defining feature of the chain.
@lizard People with peanut allergies should not go to Five Guys. Don’t ruin my peanut shell throwing fun!
@josefinastrummer haha i agree totally !
NorCal native/DC resident here. In n Out Forever. Shake Shack is almost as good (their fries are for sure better), but don’t tell anyone I said so.
@vicky austin I have to admit that I don’t “get” Shake Shack. It’s the cost of a Five Guys burger with In-And-Out quality.
5GUYS4EVA
Five guys burgers are larger and taste better. They also don’t freeze their ingredients, make the burgers to order, and prepare everything in an open kitchen so I worry less about fast food horror story situations. The topping options at five guys are varied (and again, fresh!) plus if you’re a non-meat eater or just poor they will make you a delicious grilled cheese with a bunch of veggies on it for like $3. Five guys 5eva.
@highjump The grilled cheese with veggies is why I like Five Guys. And I live in California, so this is high praise. In-N-Out is kind of lame for vegetarians. :(
@blackbird In-N-Out will do a grilled cheese for you! Just ask!
In & Out is a regional chain that has an intense following that tolerate their ABYSMAL fries for a middle of the road burger.
(Says the Texas girl who would tattoo WHATABURGER 4 EVA on her person to advertise her horse in this race.)
“If a chain restaurant is headquartered in your city, does it count as local?” — Ancient hipster koan
Obviously Dick’s? Anyone? Someone else from Seattle please?
@Lauren Um, duh. I assume this story was framed as In & Out vs. Five Guys because Dick’s is on a whole other plane of meatygoodness. Or should we jump directly to Red Mill since they have multiple locations now? Anyway, there are decent burgers to be had.
Shake shack.
I’m a Five Guys fan. They really do a great job with their whole menu. And I’ll second the opinion above that their fries are amazing. Shake Shack is, like many things from NYC, horribly overrated.
We don’t have an In-n-Out where I live, but I finally did get to try it on a trip to SF recently and…it was good! Great even! I do like Five Guys but I would like to be able to buy just a normal size portion of french fries for a lower price. I don’t need to have a mountain of french fries, and I don’t want to pay almost $4 for an order of french fries that I’ll only eat a small portion of. Also, the little sized burger is plenty for me! It tastes like something I would make at home, and that’s why I love it.
DCer here: In-n-Out is better. Sorry dudes. They always find rats at Five Guys, and it’s too greasy for me.
Native Californian here. I really prefer In-N-Out. I can’t even remember anything about the burger I had from Five Guys but I definitely didn’t love the fries. I did have Shake Shack the last time I was in New York and it was great.
In-N-Out/Shake Shack > Five Guys
I had a falafel burger today, from neither of these places. It was pretty good.
I have been to a Five Guys but I don’t eat beef so their veggie/chicken non-options were kind of bullshit. The fries were great tho.
I hate Five Guys fries! Hate them. The burgers are good but not as good as In n Out. And Shake Shack wins my vote.
But lucky for me, I live in a city with a lot of NON-CHAIN restaurants that serve excellent burgers. If you are in Philadelphia, go to the Royal Tavern and get the burger. Who cares if your waiter is a hipster? It’s good food! ;)
Of course, when it comes to fries, McDonald’s rules them all!
Reason #1 to go to Five Guys: bacon egg and cheese breakfast sandwich (preferably with tomatoes, grilled onions, and jalapenos).
TOP THAT SHIT IN-N-OUT.
Never been to an In-and-Out; Five Guys needs to get a darn veggie burger for us non-beef eaters! So my vote goes to Shake Shack for their portobello mushroom burger and intense shakes – so delicious!
Now I just want some Culver’s
@Anna Jayne@twitter Yeaaaa Butter Burgers!
In-n-Out burgers are much better than Five Guys burgers. It is true that In-n-Out fries are not good, though. PTerry’s fries beat out both (Austin chain).