Five Guys vs. In & Out

August 7, 2010
Scott Mindeaux, Editor

9 Disguised Foodies commented on this...

So I made the trek to the new Five Guys Burgers in Orange today. When I got there, there was a line out the door! The line was moving pretty fast, so the wait wasn’t that long. Seeing the red and white everywhere brought back memories of the first time I went to a Five Guys Burger. I was living in Arlington, VA at the time and it was the location at Baileys Crossroads that introduced me to this flavorful burger.

Everyone in line around me was talking about how they heard it was better than In & Out. We had young people there, teenagers, parents and their parents – all of them waiting to get their hands around a nice juicy burger. People were walking up to the complimentary peanuts that were on hand, but oddly, the floor was very clean. My Five Guys experience in the past was filled with images of empty peanut shells all over the floor. It added to the ambiance of the place.

All around me I could see content, happy faces. I don’t think I saw any frowns or looks of dissatisfaction. It was my turn to order. I ordered a Cheeseburger with onions, lettuce, ketchup and mayo. In addition, I got the Five Guys Fries. They offer another version of their fries, Cajun Style, which I did not get. Once I placed my order, my burger was up within 8 minutes. The crew behind the counter kept things going.

I took my order to go. The place was packed and so was the outdoor seating. But the real reason I got mine to go is that there is an In & Out about 3 miles away and I wanted to do a side by side comparison. So off I went, got back on Tustin Avenue and headed North. The In & Out had a short drive thru line. I ordered a Double-Double.

I raced home and quickly took my burgers out of their bags and onto their plates. I live about 17 miles away, so this comparison better be worth the 34 round-trip miles!

So let’s talk about Five Guys first. You get more meat in their burger and for me, it tasted better than the In & Out Double-Double. For me, the In & Out burger is also saltier than Five Guys. Another difference you notice from the first bite is the bun. Five Guys has a softer bun with Sesame Seeds, while the In & Out bun is your regular old bun. During the ride home, it seemed that the Five Guys bun survived better. Each bite was into a soft, billowy bun. In addition, you can actually taste the beef of the burger. In & Out, not so much.

So let’s talk about the fries. I have to say that I am addicted to the In & Out fries which are skinnier than their Five Guys counterparts. The folks at Five Guys keeps the skin on their potatoes and you get a meatier stick of potato at Five Guys. If you look on their wall, they list where their potatoes come from. The Five Guys fry didn’t survive the ride home so much. By the time I got them on the plate, they were soggy. But to their defense, so were In & Out’s. Tastewise, I prefer the In & Out fries. But to be honest, I’m not much of a french fry guy.