In N Out Burger!

[pdxbg]

O'rly? Humor me.

Go to some fast food "authentic" mexican places. For about the same amount of money I can get a very similar amount of food at a local chain called "Muchos Gracias". About 50% of the food is grease. Worse food than 5 Guys. Same price, maybe slightly more depending on how much they feel like charging you, which seems to be directly correlated with the current employee's fluency in English and ability to comprehend what you are trying to say.

 

[jammin]

Go to some fast food "authentic" mexican places. For about the same amount of money I can get a very similar amount of food at a local chain called "Muchos Gracias". About 50% of the food is grease. Worse food than 5 Guys. Same price, maybe slightly more depending on how much they feel like charging you, which seems to be directly correlated with the current employee's fluency in English and ability to comprehend what you are trying to say.

This argument is completely irrelevant to fast food and burger joints.

 

[pdxbg]

How do you figure? I never said anything specific to burger joints, only to fast food. The place I am talking about (and places like it) is considered fast food, so therefore my argument is completely relevant. Unless you are saying mexican food cant be fast food. By that logic, I guess Taco Bell is no longer considered fast food.

There is worse fast food you could buy for the same amount of money.

O'rly? Humor me.

Go to some fast food "authentic" mexican places. For about the same amount of money I can get a very similar amount of food at a local chain called "Muchos Gracias". About 50% of the food is grease. Worse food than 5 Guys. Same price, maybe slightly more depending on how much they feel like charging you, which seems to be directly correlated with the current employee's fluency in English and ability to comprehend what you are trying to say.

 

[Skagdog]

I have Five Guys about five minutes from the house. It's a little greasier than I prefer but I really like all the options.

Haha. That's what she said....

 

[pdxbg]

My point in the statement was not necessarily the type of food, but rather the quality and price. Yes $12 is steep for what you get at Five Guys, but I would rather give them my money than other places.

 

[jgaepi]

To the dude who said their In N Out always has a 15 min wait - I am going there. Ours is typically 45 min. Slow as dirt.

 

[emjay]

Five Guys is outrageously priced.

I paid over $12 for a bacon cheeseburger plus small fries and drink. Embarrassing.

An odd world we live in where a made-to-order meal, including a huge, quality burger (including bacon, cheese, and a ****load of potential topping, a ton of hand-cut, peanut-oil-fried fries, and a refillable drink is considered "outrageous" at $12.

And it's a little dishonest too, given the portion sizes. I'm a 220lb guy and can't even finish the "regular" burger. In fact, the "little" burger (what they call their single patty burgers), ordered "all the way" minus mushrooms, and without bacon or cheese, never fails to get me very full. Often uncomfortably so, if I eat the whole thing. It's easily more filling than two Big Macs. And a "small" fries is enough for two or three people. Drinks aren't priced particularly high compared to the competition, but one can always get a 2L bottle of the same thing for a lot cheaper anyways.

So I get it with friends and family, and we each get *totally* stuffed with a "little burger", and a SPLIT order of small fries for every 2 to 3 people. I don't even know a single person who has ordered a "regular" burger (ie, the one with two patties) more than once. This more reasonable, though still very substantial, meal doesn't actually come out to anything resembling $12 per person. And even if it did, I don't know any other chain where I can eat burger(s) to the point of being THAT stuffed without spending more, unless I order pretty much exclusively from a dollar menu/value menu. When I take into account that their burgers and fries are better than almost any place (and certainly any major chain) that comes even close to offering that degree of value, it's a no-brainer, especially when the other options you're choosing from are ALSO large chain restaurants (I have no problem conceding that local joints can and sometimes DO offer a better "value"; that is, a superior combination of quantity, quality, and/or price).

So is a "burger and small fries" from there more expensive than a "burger and small fries" most fast food chains? Absolutely. But it's a misleading apples-to-oranges comparison, and it's not the kind of thing you should be eating on a regular basis regardless. If it's the kind of place someone wants to go to more than a few times a year, then they should *really* consider splitting a "little" burger and "small" fries with someone else anyways - it won't exactly break the bank, and not only will it STILL be more filling than a Big Mac or Whopper combo, but it will be far tastier (and even a little healthier) too.

 

[Dan]

This has nothing to do with the topic and I shouldn't post. I don't buy McDs food, except every morning get a sausage biscuit or mcmufin and large coke. Dollar menu, with tax $2.15. It's not good, just something to eat.

 

[emjay]

This has nothing to do with the topic and I shouldn't post. I don't buy McDs food, except every morning get a sausage biscuit or mcmufin and large coke. Dollar menu, with tax $2.15. It's not good, just something to eat.

Hah. My guilty pleasure is a "breakfast" of 2 or 3 sausage McGriddles and a Coke (or sometimes a latte or cappuccino since they've had them). Only a couple times a year though, IF that.

 

[jammin]

tl;dr

5 guys is not a gourmet restaurant and the burgers/fries aren't as big as you make them out to be. Reality check?

 

[Jukas]

We have both an In N Out and a Five Guys here. I much prefer In N Out personally. Last night I got the late night craving and went there for the first time in a year. A Dbl Dbl and fries cost me $5.10, the same thing at Five Guys would have been $9+. Granted Five Guys is more food, but extra quantity is irrelevent as the dbl dbl and fries was more than enough. I skipped the drink, and enjoyed a nice Denny's Vanilla Bourbon Porter with it.

However culturally there are massive differences between the two. Go to glassdoor or the like and compare the companies. In n Out has a much better employee satisfaction rating, and pays and treats their associates better. The average starting pay here for people who work at in n out is $10+ an hour, more than 2/hr higher than state minimum wage. I've never once walked into any In N Out and had the people working there be less than polite, friendly and engage in a little banter no matter how busy the place is (Including times where it's been 25min in line just to order). They're supposedly a very good company for young (high school/college age) people to work at to make decent money and have a flexible schedule.

I can't eat fast food very often now that I'm in my 30's are get enough additional calories from beer, but when I do In n Out is usually my go to.

P.S. they're the only fast food place I've ever been to that's smart enough to ask you "will you be enjoying this in the car today?" and giving you a different style carrier that's easier to navigate while driving if you say yes.

 

[Barnzy02]

haven't had in n out since '05. spent close to a week in LA on tour with a friend's band. We had 5-6 guys at my sister in laws place. We all ate either InO or Del Taco for every meal, their toilet broke the day after we left. hah.

 

[aygov]

5 guys is not a gourmet restaurant and the burgers/fries aren't as big as you make them out to be. Reality check?

The burgers aren't insanely big, but the fries are.

I'm not bothered about the price of it as I don't eat there but a couple times a year.

Living in IL I have never had In and Out so I have no opinion on that. Though I have tried a place called Meat Heads and they seem to be 5 guys with some more options and milk shakes. I prefer 5 guys burgers though...

 

[ryno84]

I have a Five Guys about five minutes from the house. It's a little greasier than I prefer but I really like all the options.

I've tried in and out a couple times. I don't get what the big deal is. It's like a really greasy small version of a big mac. It's a small hamburger rolled in grease with thousand island dressing. No thanks.

Me thinks that In n Out is doing it wrong. I have never thought of In n OUt burgers as greasy, actually quite the contrary. I would say the freshest burger I can get from a fast food joint.

 

[HoppyDaze]

Burger joints is the new big thing around here. We have Wow Burger, Boardwalk Burgers, Dickie Jos, blast burger, five guys, stanich's, humdingers...etc

None of them as good as when I make my own at home...

 

[A4J]

I lived/grew up within a few blocks of one of the first In-N-Out locations. The burgers there are so much better than in the new locations they've opened up in the last 10 years. The ingredients are still the same, but it just seems like the new locations are more concerned about cranking out volume instead of quality so I've gotten a lot of squished burgers. I've never been a fan of their fries tho.

 

[m_c_zero]

I love me some In N Out, though I could not see eating it often, even if there was one near me. Just too damn heavy (though f'ing delicious).

 

[daksin]

So overrated! I mean it's good and all but the hype around In and Out is just stupid. Barely better than Sonic and Wendys. I prefer Five Guys

[/begin drunk post]

I wish there was a way to "dislike" a post. In-n-out is great, and inexpensive.

I love a Five Guys burger, myself, but I hate their stupid techno-drink machines (shut up- I'm only 26) and their fries are subpar.


Anyway- how did we get into such a heated debate about such a stupid topic as regional fast food. Oh wait- we got into it because of posts like mine.

[\end drunk post]

 

[weirdboy]

The one thing Five Guys has going for it IMO is they give you as many free peanuts as you care to eat while you're sitting there waiting for your burger. Unless, of course, you're allergic to peanuts, in which case stay the hell away from Five Guys. That being said, a burger, fries, and drink at Five Guys costs approximately twice as much (maybe even more?) as an equivalent meal at In-N-Out, and I still think In-N-Out tastes better.

 

[dogbar]

I don't even know a single person who has ordered a "regular" burger (ie, the one with two patties) more than once.

You do now

 

[daksin]

The one thing Five Guys has going for it IMO is they give you as many free peanuts as you care to eat while you're sitting there waiting for your burger.

I know we're on the same team, but to anyone else: why is this a selling point?

PEANUTS ARE THE MEASURE BY WHICH WE JUDGE SOMETHING THAT HAS NO VALUE. THEY ARE CHEAP.

"HEY BOB- DO YOU LIKE YOUR NEW JOB"

"NAW MAN, THEY ARE PAYING ME PEANUTS."

[Apparently that was not the end of my drunken Thursday postings. You give a guy access to new boards and BAM. Drunk posts.]

 

[jgln]

This has nothing to do with the topic and I shouldn't post. I don't buy McDs food, except every morning get a sausage biscuit or mcmufin and large coke. Dollar menu, with tax $2.15. It's not good, just something to eat.

I don't like McDs breakfast food much, I love BK sausage croissants though.

 

[jgln]

I don't care for all these new burger joints, they taste just like a burger I would make at home. When I eat out I want somethig different. Call me crazy and I am sure most will but I really like Burger King burgers.

 

[Qhrumphf]

...but I hate their stupid techno-drink machines

I'd get used to those stupid things. They're popping up everywhere, not just Five Guys. And every time I've used one, every single thing coming out tastes like vanilla or cherry. I hate em too. And I'd think they're probably here to stay.

It's why I'm glad the Five Guys down the street (one of the original five) still has the old style machines.

 

[aygov]

I love a Five Guys burger, myself, but I hate their stupid techno-drink machines (shut up- I'm only 26) and their fries are subpar.

I love the techno-drink machines for one reason, vanilla root beer. You get a heck of a lot more selection since you don't have to devote 15 yards of counter space to your soda machine.

I humbly disagree about the fries as well...

 

[HoppyDaze]

In N Out is the king of subpar fries. OOOOooooh we cut the potatoes at the store and fry them fresh. Good job, they taste like sh!t

 

[ryno84]

In N Out is the king of subpar fries. OOOOooooh we cut the potatoes at the store and fry them fresh. Good job, they taste like sh!t

In n Out fries tend to either have people who love them or hate them. I love them, but they have to be eaten right away when hot. But, I know a lot of others who hate them too.

 

[JonW]

In n Out fries tend to either have people who love them or hate them. I love them, but they have to be eaten right away when hot. But, I know a lot of others who hate them too.

Biggest thing I hate about their fries is that it seems the majority of them are less than 1" long. Why do they get so broken up? I really like the big meaty fries from 5 Guys, but sometimes they don't cook them right and they end up being big soggy oil sponges.

I'm thinking I'm going to Slaters this weekend to get my fix!

 

[jammin]

In N Out is the king of subpar fries. OOOOooooh we cut the potatoes at the store and fry them fresh. Good job, they taste like sh!t

SO agree. 5 Guy's fries do taste like crap.

Boise Fry Company has Idaho locked down for king of fries. Their burgers blow the doors off of 5guys too.

Smash burger also makes 5 guys look like amateurs.

 

[m_c_zero]

The thing I dislike most about 5 Guys myself is the bun. The few times I've eaten there, the bun tasted sweet to me which threw off the flavor of the whole burger...