For many fast food lovers, it doesn't get better than Five Guys. But how much do you really know about this famed food chain? From food hacks you'll want to know to secrets you might wish you don't, this is the tasty truth of Five Guys.
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00:00For many fast food lovers, it doesn't get better than Five Guys. But how much do you
00:04really know about this famed food chain?
00:06I still have dreams about this burger. Beautiful, haunting dreams. I wake up at night screaming,
00:13get out of my head, burger!
00:15From food hacks you'll want to know to secrets you might wish you don't, this is the tasty
00:19truth of Five Guys.
00:22We all know that a Five Guys burger is amazing, but what exactly makes it so good? Let's talk
00:26about the secrets of some of the best burgers around.
00:29Five Guys won the Harris Poole's Burger Brand of the Year award in 2017 and 2018, beating
00:34In-N-Out Burger both years, which is no easy feat considering how passionate people are
00:38about In-N-Out Burger.
00:39In-N-Out! In-N-Out! That's what a hamburger's all about!
00:46They've also come out on top of 17 other burger chains, including the usual suspects like
00:51McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, and Carl's Jr., and even the more posh burger spots Whataburger
00:56and Shake Shack. And that speaks volumes about their legions of fans. In-N-Out may have regained
01:00the title in 2019, but holding that honor for two years is something to be proud of,
01:05and it shows just how much people love Five Guys.
01:07Why do we love them so much?
01:09Five Guys is known for two things, burgers and fries. Five Guys doesn't serve chicken
01:13sandwiches or filet-o-fish sandwiches or rib sandwiches or fancy salads. It's burgers
01:18and fries. They focus on making those things great, and they're clearly succeeding.
01:22As of 2013, Americans were eating about 50 billion burgers a year, which equals out
01:26to about three juicy hamburgers per person per week.
01:29I would like to buy a hamburger.
01:31I would like to buy a hamburger.
01:34About 60 percent of all sandwiches purchased worldwide are actually hamburgers, and that
01:38just shows Five Guys has some serious critics to please.
01:41To co-opt another slogan from another burger chain, you can definitely have it your way
01:45at Five Guys, because they offer 15 different toppings to choose from. These include mayo,
01:50ketchup, mustard, A1 sauce, barbecue sauce, hot sauce, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, onions,
01:56relish, grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, green peppers, and jalapeno peppers.
02:01You can choose as many of these toppings as you want, for free, and heck, you can stick
02:04all 15 of them in your burger if that's what you're into. Compare this to the standard
02:08burger you can order at Burger King, which comes with ketchup, mustard, and pickles,
02:11or the McDonald's hamburger, which offers the same condiments as BK, with the addition
02:15of a few chopped onions.
02:16Sure, there's something to be said for the simplicity of a burger with just ketchup and
02:20mustard, but having the option to add as many as 15 toppings to the situation is one
02:24of the things that makes Five Guys' burgers so delicious and crave-worthy.
02:27And thanks to those 15 toppings, there are a whole lot of ways that customers can satisfy
02:32whatever their cravings are. The combinations are basically endless, and it doesn't matter
02:37how big of a fan you are, you're just never going to get to try them all. Sorry, that's
02:41because there are more than 250,000 ways to customize a burger.
02:45It's no surprise that fans of this fast food joint are pretty passionate about their favorite
02:49In fact, just thinking about them is enough to make you grab your car keys and head to
02:52your local Five Guys to explore some of these crazy delicious-sounding options.
02:56Sure, you can order 15 different toppings and customize your burger about 250,000 ways,
03:03but that doesn't mean all those toppings are going to be piled on all willy-nilly. That
03:06would be chaos, and yes, the order really does matter when it comes to quality.
03:10Five Guys has a specific way of placing add-ons onto your burger for the ultimate yum factor.
03:14Onions and bacon go underneath the patty, while tomatoes and pickles go on top of it.
03:18Burger aficionados have many different opinions on what the actual correct placement of condiments
03:22and toppings on a burger are, but it appears that Five Guys does it so the warm toppings
03:26stay with the warm toppings, and the cool toppings mingle together separately.
03:30There's also a lot of speculation about why Five Guys puts your french fry order on top
03:33of your burger in the brown bag it comes in.
03:36When this question was posted on Reddit, a commenter responded,
03:38"...I always thought this was so that the burger just gets a little bit warmer, the
03:41cheese melts a little more, the bun gets a little steamy and soft."
03:45Even though you can customize your burger at Five Guys a gazillion different ways, there's
03:49one way you can't customize it — how much it's cooked.
03:52No, you can't get it bloody or still mooing or even medium-rare, because every burger
03:56cooked at Five Guys is prepared well done.
03:58But that's a good thing.
03:59Five Guys hasn't officially explained the reasoning behind this policy, but it's likely
04:03that safety is one of the concerns.
04:05There are some major health risks associated with eating raw meat, including the consumption
04:08of bacteria like E. coli and salmonella.
04:11Because of these risks, the FDA advises that ground beef be cooked to a minimum internal
04:14temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
04:17And even if you opt for making your burger a little differently at home, well, you should
04:21be grateful Five Guys goes a little further with theirs.
04:23No one wants a side of salmonella with their burger.
04:26The hamburger buns used for Five Guys burgers are the perfect vehicle to get that juicy
04:30slab of meat into your mouth.
04:32They're soft, fluffy, and perfectly toasted on the grill.
04:35Five Guys doesn't use a standard bun toaster because it doesn't give you that caramelized
04:38taste that cooking them directly on the grill does.
04:41Can you imagine a Five Guys burger without that slight char on the bun?
04:44Toastiness aside, the buns only contain a few ingredients, and they're basically the
04:48same ingredients that are in your average cake.
04:50They also contain twice as many eggs as normal buns, which explains their dreamy texture.
04:55On Inc., founder Jerry Murrell explains where these magical buns come from.
04:58We make the same bun we started with.
05:00We hired the old guy who used to bake our bread for the first store and one of his partners.
05:04My bakery was two doors from the restaurant, and I went in and told them they needed a
05:10better bakery.
05:11They work in the Virginia Bakery.
05:12We have 10 bakeries scattered around the nation.
05:15Our bread is baked daily, picked up by 3 p.m., and put on a truck or plane so every store
05:19gets fresh bread every morning, even if they are 400 miles away from the nearest bakery.
05:24As they say, if it's not broke, don't fix it.
05:27Did you know that the Green Bay Packers have an official bacon?
05:29Well, they do, and it happens to be the same kind of bacon that Five Guys uses on all of
05:33their burger offerings with bacon.
05:35If it's good enough for the Packers, it's good enough for you.
05:38Just what makes it so special?
05:39Five Guys' bacon is applewood-smoked, and that's important.
05:42Why?
05:43It's all about the flavor.
05:44Nothing burps better than bacon.
05:47Bacon Today had this to say about what makes applewood-smoked bacon incredible.
05:51Applewood chips result in bacon that is mildly sweet and smoky.
05:54It is the second most popular wood used after hickory, as it results in bacon that is perfectly
05:58balanced between smoky and sweet.
06:00You can definitely taste that perfectly balanced flavor on each and every one of Five Guys'
06:04bacon burgers, and if you haven't yet, try out one of the bacon burgers on your next
06:08visit.
06:09If you don't want to skip the burger altogether, you can also simply order a BLT, with extra
06:13bacon, because it's the good stuff.
06:15Not that other stuff.
06:16Would you like to sample our vegan bacon?
06:19100% meatless.
06:21Yes, please.
06:27One of the coolest things about the burgers at Five Guys, and why their burgers are such
06:30a great value, is that their standard burger isn't even a burger at all.
06:34It's two burgers.
06:35That's a lot of beef for your buck.
06:37There's two of them!
06:38If you just can't deal with that much beef, you can request a Little Burger, which is
06:42a single patty.
06:43But let's be honest, it's a double every time, right?
06:46As with all good things, there's a catch.
06:48All this delicious cow comes at a hefty nutritional price point.
06:51If you opt for that Little Burger, you're going to be getting a meal clocking in at
06:54542 calories and 26 grams of fat, numbers that will, of course, vary with whatever toppings
06:59you decide to layer on.
07:00Upgrade that to a bacon cheeseburger, and you're looking at 1,064 calories and 62 grams
07:05of fat.
07:06Plus, again, all those toppings you'll pick.
07:08If you're one of those that likes mayo on your burger, you can add another 100 calories
07:11to that total.
07:12And just in case a double isn't enough, you can definitely pile on another patty or two
07:16for just a tad bit extra, if that's the way you roll.
07:19You only live once, after all.
07:21Oh, that's too much?
07:22Order your burger in a bowl and cut out the bun altogether.
07:25Any way you slice it, that's still a huge amount of calories for just one meal.
07:29But isn't that a huge part of what makes something taste oh-so-good?
07:32Tomorrow's another day, right?
07:33This is definitely what I'm having on my cheat day."
07:37Considering the fact that your burger is made from scratch, Five Guys does a great job of
07:41getting you fed rather quickly.
07:42Sure, it may take a few minutes longer than ordering a burger from a place with the clown
07:46as their mascot, but Five Guys is more of a fast-casual restaurant than a fast food
07:50joint.
07:51They hand-form all the patties, they grill the bun, they also don't use any timers in
07:54their restaurants, and that's because they always say their cooks are good enough to
07:57know when a burger is just the right amount of done.
08:00Your burger will be served fresh to you when it's done, and it won't sit under some heat
08:03lamp waiting for anyone to come in and order it, and that's a good thing.
08:06No, Five Guys won't take as long as a sit-down restaurant with silverware and cloth napkins,
08:11but if the restaurant is busy, you can expect to wait a bit.
08:13That's what all of those free peanuts are there for, so you can chow down while you
08:20wait for your burger to be prepared.
08:22Five Guys has two important things going for it, excellent customer service and happy employees.
08:27Both of those things make any meal more enjoyable, and it's impossible to stress just how much
08:31better a burger tastes when it's handed to you by someone who's smiling.
08:34And according to those who have worked there, it's not just an act.
08:37One former employee took to Reddit to talk about just what it was like to work at Five
08:40Guys, saying,
08:41"...fun for the most part, due to the fact that it's an open kitchen, the employees are
08:45encouraged to joke around and have fun, even to the point of all-out dancing, as long as
08:48you can keep on track with the job you're doing.
08:51If your food is prepared with happiness, it's just going to taste better.
08:54No one wants a burger made by some angry dude who hates their job.
08:57Five Guys fans are serious about their love.
09:05They must be serving up some epic burgers then, right?
09:08If you're curious about just what's on the plate at Five Guys, here are some things you
09:12should know before you head there.
09:14No one in their right mind suggests heading to Five Guys if you're looking for a healthy
09:17lunch option.
09:18According to their nutritional information, their bun alone is a whopping 260 calories
09:22and 9 grams of fat.
09:24Have no fear, there are a few healthier options that'll still give you your burger fix, like
09:28their veggie sandwich.
09:29It's not a veggie burger, but it's their vegetable toppings served on a bun.
09:33You can also order a bunless little hamburger, skip the mayo and bacon, but stack on some
09:37of their other toppings like tomatoes, onions, lettuce, and jalapeno peppers, and you'll
09:41get your Five Guys fix with far less carb guilt.
09:44You probably know someone with a peanut allergy, and it can be deadly.
09:48According to the Peanut Institute, around 4 percent of people have severe food allergies,
09:52and tree nuts, including peanuts, account for about 90 percent of those allergies.
09:56If I ate a peanut, I could die.
09:59Wow.
10:00Cases have steadily risen since at least 1997, making it surprising that not only does Five
10:04Guys continue to offer guests peanuts to snack on while they wait, but they exclusively use
10:08peanut oil.
10:09That goes for everything, especially frying up all those crispy, hand-cut fries.
10:13Five Guys says they have no intention of changing any of their practices, as it would negatively
10:17impact the brand they've been building for several decades.
10:20Instead, they say they make sure there are plenty of signs posted warning people who
10:24have a problem with peanuts to stay away.
10:26They also say the potential for an allergic reaction is why they don't allow peanuts outside.
10:31If you had to say, McDonald's, you know how much you're going to spend on your usual before
10:34you get there.
10:36That's not the case with Five Guys, and Morel is pretty straightforward about the fact that
10:39the prices of their burgers can and will change.
10:42It all comes down to fluctuations in the market value of ingredients and a dedication to maintaining
10:46quality.
10:48The outlook started when tomato prices skyrocketed after hurricanes severely damaged that year's
10:51crop and some of his franchises wanted to stop using them.
10:55Morel even suggested cutting back, but his son said they'd rather raise the price than
10:58compromise on quality.
11:00Pricing according to the market is great from a business point of view, but it's not always
11:03popular with customers.
11:05When Belfast, Ireland got its first Five Guys, the guest reaction was that it was a decent
11:09burger, but it shouldn't be priced several dollars more than the same burger in America.
11:13But some of their American customers have been voicing similar thoughts and claiming
11:16they're just too expensive.
11:18Millennials in particular have been quoted as saying their burgers just weren't worth
11:21the price, but value is in the eye of the beholder.
11:24To their fans, they're absolutely worth it.
11:27If you really want to make the most out of your trip to Five Guys, you need to make sure
11:31you don't mess up your order.
11:32Take note of these mistakes everyone makes when ordering a burger at Five Guys so you
11:36can avoid making them yourself.
11:39A big part of what makes Five Guys stand out from the competition is the almost unlimited
11:43options for burger customization.
11:45Five Guys customers have more than 250,000 ways to top a burger, so it comes out just
11:50to their specifications.
11:51That gives you no excuse not to get creative when it comes to designing your ideal burger.
11:55When I come back tomorrow, there better be a friggin' burger on that board!
11:59You hear me, Bob?
12:00Yeah.
12:01The best part is, with few exceptions, all of the toppings you can choose from on the
12:04menu are free.
12:06They range from the classics, ketchup, mustard, relish, onions, to more unusual choices, hot
12:11sauce, grilled mushrooms, jalapeno peppers.
12:14While it might be tempting to order the same thing every time you go to Five Guys, the
12:18smart cookies take advantage of all the topping options you can't get anywhere else.
12:21There are several sacred things in this world that you don't ever mess with.
12:28One of them happens to be another man's fries.
12:30The fries at Five Guys are super fresh.
12:32You may even see bags of potatoes around the store.
12:35The chain doesn't use frozen, pre-sliced fries.
12:37They make them fresh, in the store, from real potatoes.
12:40Yes, the very ones in those bags.
12:42Fresh french fries just taste better, which is already a reason to love Five Guys.
12:46But this chain takes its fry game to an even higher level by loading customers up with
12:50a ton of potatoey goodness.
12:52A board shows where the spuds come from each day.
12:55Five Guys will give you the standard scoop in a fry container, but then they'll put a
12:58second scoop in your bag just so you feel like you're getting more.
13:02While most customers are happy to get more of the good stuff, not everyone wants that
13:05many fries, nor the greasy bag that goes hand-in-hand with all those extras.
13:09In most cases, a small order is enough fries for two people to gorge themselves on, and
13:13a large order can easily feed a table of four.
13:16Don't make the mistake of paying for everyone in your party to get their own order of fries,
13:20or at least half of them will end up in the trash.
13:22Don't want to waste?
13:23You can always ask the staff to leave out your extra scoop.
13:26Five Guys added hand-spun milkshakes to its menu back in 2014.
13:30These aren't just your basic milkshakes, either.
13:32If you want to take your classic vanilla milkshake up a notch, you can also get flavors like
13:36coffee, salted caramel, and even bacon, which may sound strange, but might just be the best
13:40item on the menu if you love a good sweet and salty mix.
13:43Here's some bad news, though.
13:45You won't be able to find the milkshakes at every location.
13:48The online menu stipulates that milkshakes are only available at participating locations
13:52around the country.
13:53So, before going into your local Five Guys, assuming you'll be walking out with a milkshake,
13:57make sure your location carries them.
13:59A lot of people wouldn't consider any burger joint to be an eco-friendly option, considering
14:04how much beef production contributes to climate change.
14:06But Five Guys seems to double down on its eco-unfriendliness.
14:10When you buy a meal there, it's going to come out as a to-go order no matter what, even
14:13if you choose to dine in.
14:15That means it comes with a paper bag with extra napkins, and your burger will be wrapped
14:18up in foil.
14:19This policy creates a lot of unnecessary waste, especially when you consider all the customers
14:24that just carry all that packaging to a table a few feet away.
14:27As you can imagine, this isn't a popular policy with many of Five Guys' customers.
14:31A move-on petition was created to encourage the fast food chain to recycle and cut down
14:35on its waste.
14:36Luckily, word has it that Five Guys is now studying how it can reduce waste in its stores.
14:42Calling all influencers
14:43If you want a signal boost, Five Guys might be the place to start.
14:46The brand works with influencers, but it also shares pictures from everyday customers who
14:50submit their photos.
14:52From the ability to submit your Five Guys photo to the company's website, to your chance
14:55to participate in hashtag challenges on Instagram, the chain really goes above and beyond when
14:59it comes to customer engagement.
15:01So the next time you're at a Five Guys enjoying your meal, don't forget to snap a picture
15:05or two.
15:06Share it with the company online using the Five Guys fans hashtag, and you may just see
15:09yourself on the Five Guys social media pages.
15:13Burgers and fries are about as unpretentious as food can get.
15:15The coupling may not be fancy, but it is delicious.
15:19Fast food burger chains like McDonald's have boosted the narrative of affordable American
15:22hamburger and fries considerably.
15:24Where else can you reliably order from a dollar menu?
15:27But Five Guys hasn't quite adopted the same strategy.
15:30Five Guys is often downright expensive for a burger joint, and many customers aren't
15:34having it.
15:35There's a good chance that this is a big reason why Five Guys isn't expanding as fast as other
15:39burger chains across the country.
15:40Yes, the quality of the food may be better than the stuff you'd find at a typical fast
15:44food chain, but places like In-N-Out offer comparable quality for a lower price.
15:48That said, Five Guys still has a loyal following, and there are no signs that these diehard
15:52fans are going anywhere anytime soon, even with the higher-than-average prices.
15:58I want it.
15:59Pay anything."
16:00Five Guys' unlimited free toppings policy has led to the birth of a secret menu, with
16:04creative recipes dreamed up by its very own fans.
16:07These tasty items go way beyond the standard burger combinations, and stretch their topping
16:11menu to its limits.
16:13Where's my sandwich?!
16:18Forget a boring ol' hamburger bun.
16:20The Double Grilled Cheeseburger takes two beef patties and tucks it snugly between two
16:24individual grilled cheese sandwiches.
16:26Making this one is simple.
16:28Simply ask for two grilled cheese sandwiches and a bun-less hamburger.
16:32As with all Five Guy burgers, the bun-less burger patties will be hand-shaped from Never
16:35Frozen Chuck and Sirloin, while the exterior grilled cheeses will come with melted Kraft
16:39American cheese.
16:41The buns will be served upside down, and come out toasted until golden brown.
16:45Top the burger patty to your heart's content with fixins of your choosing.
16:48If you have a bolder palate, you may want to add some jalapenos, or a squirt of hot
16:52sauce.
16:53One fateful afternoon in 2009, President Barack Obama walked into a Five Guys.
16:57The former commander-in-chief's healthy eating habits have been well-documented, but he is
17:01also known to have a weakness for a good burger.
17:04On this particular day, Obama had a hankering for Five Guys.
17:07He placed several orders for his staff, and placed his own order, a cheeseburger with
17:11lettuce, tomatoes, jalapenos, and mustard, thus making secret menu history forever.
17:16Today, you can order Obama's favorite burger, aka, The Presidential, at any Five Guys location.
17:21Of course, the staff may or may not know the details of Obama's order off the top of
17:25their heads, so you may instead want to specify that you want a cheeseburger with the aforementioned
17:29toppings.
17:30A cheeseburger with lettuce, tomatoes, jalapenos, and mustard may not run off the tongue as
17:35smoothly as The Presidential, but the delicious Obama-beloved burger is worth the additional
17:40verbal exercise.
17:42A burger joint is only as good as its fries.
17:45Five Guys happily excels in the French fry department.
17:48Fries are crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, and doled out in huge heaping
17:52portions.
17:53According to the menu, Five Guys offers fries two ways, traditional Five Guys-style or Cajun-style.
17:58But word on the street is that select Five Guys locations will also serve your fries
18:01nacho-style, or covered in melted cheese, upon request.
18:05Take things a step further and throw on some bacon or jalapeno slices.
18:09Note that while most Five Guys toppings are free, adding cheese to your fries might set
18:12you back 50 cents or so, depending on the location.
18:15Still, totally worth it.
18:17You ain't even been cheesed at!"
18:20Here's another cool thing about Five Guys, they're a burger joint that serves hot dogs.
18:23And not just any hot dogs, these are all-beef, kosher, premium franks from Hebrew National.
18:28The official Five Guys menu offers four varieties, including kosher-style, cheese, bacon, and
18:33bacon cheese.
18:34But fans have gotten imaginative with the toppings and come up with some pretty tasty
18:37secret menu hot dog alternatives.
18:39Notably, Food Network celebrity chef Justin Warner dreamed up the Breaking Windy City
18:44dog, which puts a Cajun twist on a classic Chicago-style dog.
18:48Like a classic Chicago hot dog, the BWCD tops a frankfurter with pickles, tomatoes, relish,
18:54green peppers, and mustard.
18:55The chef adds hot sauce and a sprinkle of Cajun seasoning.
18:58To order, ask for a kosher-style dog with all the aforementioned ingredients.
19:02Ask for Cajun seasoning on the side so you can sprinkle it on yourself.
19:06The Five Guys patty melt is poignant in its simplicity.
19:09Like a traditional patty melt, the secret menu favorite takes a mild-mannered burger
19:13and transforms it into a sandwich.
19:15But while a conventional patty melt calls for Swiss cheese, caramelized onions, and
19:18griddled rye bread, the Five Guys patty melt diverges.
19:21The Five Guys secret menu version is essentially a grilled cheese sandwich with a burger patty
19:25inside.
19:26Sources report that the staff will have no qualms grilling one up special for you.
19:30To request a patty melt at Five Guys, order a grilled cheese sandwich with a burger patty,
19:34onions, and your choice of toppings.
19:36The melt masterpiece will come served with two slices of grilled, inside-out hamburger
19:40buns and melted Kraft cheese, delivering a crunchy punch on the outside and a gooey interior.
19:46For all its charms, Five Guys isn't exactly the most diet-friendly restaurant.
19:50That said, there are low-carb-friendly options at Five Guys for health-conscious fans with
19:54a bit of resourcefulness.
19:56Take the Burger Bowl, for instance, beloved by fitness-minded Five Guys-loving bloggers
20:01and Instagrammers.
20:02To score this secret menu item, ask for a bunless Little Bacon Cheeseburger with pickles,
20:06grilled onions, and green peppers.
20:07Add your clear of ketchup, which is loaded with carbs, and go for mayo, mustard, and
20:12or hot sauce on top.
20:13The Five Guys Little Bacon Cheeseburger Bowl should set you back less than 500 calories
20:17and two net carbs.
20:19In-N-Out
20:20In-N-Out, another burger chain with a cult following, has a fairly extensive secret menu
20:23of its own.
20:24Among the most beloved are the not-so-secret Animal Style fries and burgers.
20:29An Animal Style burger includes mustard grilled directly into the patty, in addition to lettuce,
20:33tomato, grilled onions, and special sauce.
20:36Similarly, Animal Style fries come showered in melted cheese, grilled onions, and special
20:40sauce.
20:41It may be that other chain's invention, but you can order In-N-Out Animal Style burgers
20:44and fries at Five Guys, too.
20:46To order an Animal Style-inspired burger, ask for a cheeseburger topped with an extra
20:50slice of cheese, grilled onions, tomatoes, and pickles.
20:53You can try and ask if they'll grill mustard into the patty, but past attempts have reportedly
20:57been unsuccessful.
20:58For Animal Style fries, order fries topped with cheese and grilled onions.
21:03To DIY In-N-Out's special sauce, mix mayo, ketchup, and relish together, then douse your
21:08burger or fries in the heavenly mixture.
21:10You can have the staffers top your burger or fries with mayo, ketchup, and relish themselves,
21:14but we recommend ordering the sauces separately and mixing them up yourself to get the consistency
21:18right.
21:19BLT
21:20Though Five Guys' official menu only offers a traditional BLT, crafty vegetarians can
21:23hack the menu to order a BLT without any meat.
21:27Like vegetarian chef Rich Landau, Five Guys knows that the rich, meaty texture and taste
21:31of mushrooms makes them a suitable substitute for bacon.
21:35Of course, the chef's recipe calls for fancy, thin-sliced wild mushrooms, but the grilled
21:39white button mushrooms used by Five Guys work nicely, too.
21:42To order a vegetarian BLT from Five Guys, start by requesting a traditional BLT, which
21:47comes with six strips of American smokehouse bacon, two fresh tomato slices, mayo, and
21:51hand-torn lettuce on a bun.
21:53But ask them to hold the bacon and replace it with grilled mushrooms.
21:56To replace the crunch of the bacon, ask your cashier to throw in some jalapeno peppers
22:00into the sandwich for good measure.
22:02For a bit of protein, go wild and request a slice of melted cheese.
22:05Chip Cob
22:06Beloved by Brits, the English chip buddy, also known as a chip sandwich or chip cob,
22:10is essentially a French fry sandwich.
22:12The Carby concoction is traditionally made by serving French fries on white bread with
22:16a generous slathering of cold butter, but different variations may also call for ketchup
22:21or malt vinegar.
22:22If you find yourself craving a French fry sandwich, Five Guys can make it for you.
22:26To order a Five Guys-style chip buddy, ask for a little order of French fries inside
22:30of an untoasted bun and try to ignore any perplexed looks from other customers.
22:35You can top your chip buddy with plenty of ketchup to break up what is otherwise just
22:39a plain old white pile of starch, and there's plenty of malt vinegar right there on the
22:42table.
22:43Jalapeno poppers
22:44Wrapped in bacon and stuffed with cream cheese, jalapeno poppers are an irresistible Tex-Mex
22:48appetizer.
22:49The secret menu, jalapeno popper and grilled cheese from Five Guys delivers everyone's
22:53favorite fiery appetizer in sandwich form.
22:56You can try the jalapeno popper sandwich yourself the next time you pop by the burger joint
22:59by ordering a grilled cheese sandwich.
23:02But instead of stopping there, ask if your sandwich can also be topped with extra cheese,
23:06bacon, and jalapenos.
23:07The applewood-smoked bacon will give your grilled, Kraft singles a nice crunch while
23:11the fresh jalapenos add a bite.
23:13Fair warning, the fresh jalapenos can pack some heat.
23:16If you have timider taste buds, we suggest pairing it with our next subject.
23:20In addition to custom burgers, dogs, and fries, Five Guys lets you design your very
23:24own milkshakes.
23:25Shakes are hand-spun from vanilla ice cream and served with your choice of unlimited mix-ins.
23:29Choose from yummy ingredients like cherries, peanut butter, strawberries, bananas, chocolate,
23:34sea-salted caramel, and bacon.
23:36That's right, crumbled applewood-smoked, bonafide bacon.
23:40For a creamy treat that is packed with protein, go for the Extra Chunky Peanut Butter Bacon
23:44Milkshake.
23:45The secret menu heavy protein shake blends savory peanut butter, real peanuts, and bacon
23:50with sweet honey chocolate and vanilla ice cream.
23:53The Extra Chunky creation requires a little legwork on your part to make, so get ready.
23:58Start by ordering Milkshake with peanut butter, chocolate, and bacon.
24:01For the Extra Chunky part, grab a handful of complimentary peanuts from the bin, crack
24:06them out of their shells, and crush them up inside a paper bag.
24:09Sprinkle the crushed peanuts atop your milkshake, and enjoy.
24:13Here's another one from the imagination of madman-slash-genius chef Justin Warner, a
24:18Five Guys Thai-style lettuce wrap, or as he calls it, the probably-not-worth-the-work-or-weird-looks
24:23Thai lettuce wrap.
24:24This Thai lettuce wrap draws inspiration from the common Thai restaurant appetizer, which
24:28in turn is an adaptation of the traditional Southeast Asian larb salad.
24:32Fair warning, as its title suggests, this Five Guys secret menu item does require some
24:36effort and a bit of bravery.
24:38To try the Five Guys-ified version of the Southeast Asian larb salad, start by ordering
24:43a bunless hamburger in a lettuce wrap.
24:45In place of hoisin and chili sauces, ask that the patty be topped with steak sauce and jalapenos.
24:50Next, grab a handful of peanuts from the complimentary bin, crack them open, and crumble them onto
24:55the meat.
24:56Use the lettuce as a kind of tortilla-like vessel to shove the delicious fillings into
24:59your face and decide for yourself if it's worth the weird looks.
25:03While its origins are up for debate, the Sloppy Joe found its way into the American mainstream
25:07in the 20th century.
25:08It reached its heyday in the late 60s when the Manwich, essentially canned Sloppy Joe
25:13sauce, was released into grocery stores nationwide.
25:16Though the popularity of the Sloppy Joe has waned, you can still reminisce over the flavors
25:20of the classic ground beef sandwich at Five Guys.
25:22Just order a burger with grilled green peppers, grilled onions, ketchup, and barbecue sauce.
25:26The combination of ground chuck and tomato-based sauces tastes exactly like a Sloppy Joe.
25:32While burgers and fries are great on their own, nothing is better than burgers, fries,
25:37and a milkshake, and Five Guys makes some of the most delicious milkshakes around.
25:41Here's what makes the Five Guys milkshake different from other fast food frozen treats.
25:46Five Guys proudly advertises that its milkshakes are hand-spun, which is the kind of phrase
25:51we're used to seeing on menus and signs.
25:54But what does it actually mean?
25:56The answer is pretty straightforward.
25:57A hand-spun milkshake is made by a human being who puts ingredients into a container and
26:02blends them.
26:04While this might seem like the obvious approach to crafting any milkshake, many fast food
26:08chains don't actually do it that way.
26:11At McDonald's, for example, the milkshakes are machine-made from shake syrup, which almost
26:16makes them a different thing altogether.
26:19While Five Guys isn't the only chain that has hand-spun milkshakes, there are other
26:22qualities that set the Five Guys version apart from the crowd.
26:27As is the case with most works of art, a great milkshake starts with a great foundation.
26:32At Five Guys, rather than messing with multiple ice cream flavors or a bunch of flavored syrups
26:37to create different milkshake variations, the restaurant starts with a consistent base
26:41that will always taste great, vanilla.
26:44Widely considered to be one of the world's favorite flavors, vanilla is anything but
26:49basic.
26:50At its very best, vanilla is fragrant and complex, while still providing a relatively
26:54blank canvas for the layering of other flavors.
26:58Perhaps one of the big draws of the Five Guys hand-spun milkshake is the fact that
27:02it is fully customizable.
27:04Starting with an expertly crafted vanilla base means that you're pretty likely to end
27:08up with something that tastes good whether you choose to add one topping or ten toppings,
27:13or go with a classic vanilla shake with nothing but a little bit of whipped cream to add some
27:17oomph.
27:18All Five Guys milkshakes start as vanilla, but if you're looking for something a little
27:22more interesting, it's hard to beat the customization that this burger joint offers.
27:27There are 10 individual mix-ins, bacon, cherries, Oreo cookies, peanut butter, bananas, coffee,
27:35chocolate, malted milk, and strawberries.
27:39Whether you choose one, two, or all ten, the base price of the milkshake will remain the
27:43same, which is a serious incentive for experimentation.
27:46We truly believe that bacon should be added to basically any milkshake you order at Five
27:50Guys, especially the popular Elvis-inspired milkshake made with peanut butter, bacon,
27:56and banana.
27:57Even if you're not a meat-eater, there are a ton of other creative combinations to choose
28:01from, over 40,000 to be exact.
28:04In other words, they're so good because there's bound to be something that'll fit your own
28:09unique tastes.
28:11If the milkshakes at Five Guys are so good, it makes perfect sense to wonder why it took
28:15the chain almost 30 years to roll them out.
28:18The answer lies in one of the foundational policies that helped make Five Guys synonymous
28:22with high-quality, fresh-tasting burgers and fries, the no-freezer rule.
28:28To make absolutely sure that no frozen items could make their way into the kitchens at
28:32Five Guys, ingredients that need to be kept extra cold are actually kept in coolers rather
28:37than freezers.
28:38The founders knew this would prevent them from serving popular items like milkshakes
28:42and ice cream, but it was a hit that, for a long time, they were willing to take.
28:47In an interview with Inc., founder Jerry Murrell came right out and said,
28:52If we put one frozen thing in a restaurant, we'd be done.
28:56That's why we won't do milkshakes.
28:58For years, people have been asking for them, but we'd have to do real ice cream and real
29:03milk."
29:04Thankfully, he finally caved and agreed to allow freezers for this one item.
29:09When it comes to awesomely good french fries, the fried spuds at Five Guys are among the
29:14best.
29:15Five Guys makes their fries from whole potatoes, so that's one reason why they taste so good.
29:19Here's everything else you need to know about how Five Guys fries get made.
29:24For Five Guys, french fries have been a signature food at the chain from the very start.
29:29As Chad Murrell, son of founder Jerry Murrell, explained to Food Republic,
29:33"[Fries are our passion.
29:35They are the hardest thing we have to do, but people think that it's the easiest.
29:39If you don't do them right, they're still kinda good and people don't complain.
29:43But that doesn't cut it with us."
29:45Perhaps that's why, while other fast food burger spots put the emphasis in their names
29:49squarely on the burgers, Five Guys put fries on an equal footing by calling it Five Guys
29:54Burgers and Fries.
29:56And what would a fast food burger be without a side of fries?
29:59"'You can do a million things with potatoes, but french fries?
30:04What's not to love about french fries?"
30:07Potatoes are an amazingly versatile root.
30:09It's believed that they originally came from Peru and have been a part of people's diet
30:13in the region for 8,000 years.
30:15Today, the International Potato Center states that there are more than 4,000 types of potato,
30:21the vast majority of which are so regional that you will never taste them.
30:25Some have more starch, while others are waxy and only grow at a certain altitude.
30:29Only a very specific set of potatoes make it to the Five Guys restaurant locations,
30:34though.
30:35"'Hold the phone.
30:37These are not just any potatoes we're talking about here.'"
30:40In a Facebook post, the Five Guys marketing team explained that most of its potatoes come
30:44from Idaho above the 40-second parallel.
30:48Potatoes are sourced from Washington in the few months of the year that Idaho potatoes
30:51are too soft, according to Yahoo.
30:54In explaining how Five Guys chooses their potatoes in an interview with Inc., Jerry
30:58Morrell had this to say,
31:00"'Potatoes are like oak trees.
31:01The slower they grow, the more solid they are.
31:04We like northern potatoes because they grow in the daytime when it's warm, but then they
31:07stop at night when it cools down.'"
31:10A Five Guys location can go through about 500 pounds of potatoes a day, one employee
31:15told Destination America.
31:18That's a lot of whole potatoes that need to be cut down to size.
31:21For that, employees use what's called the Monster Cutter.
31:24It's essentially a crank that squeezes a potato through a grate with holes that are perfect
31:28French fry size.
31:30Workers pull the lever to hand-cut each potato.
31:33Other quality fast food chains have tried the fresh potato method to little success.
31:38Shake Shack, for one, had a short fresh potato run before returning to pre-cut and frozen
31:42crinkle-cut fries.
31:44While it's not like Five Guys employees are sitting in the kitchen with a knife and meticulously
31:48hand-chopping each French fry, this fresh-cut method is much more involved than ordering
31:53a bag of pre-cut frozen potatoes.
31:55It also keeps the fry line moving.
31:58The Five Guys' sourcing policy of sticking to farms above the 40-second parallel and
32:03the laborious fresh-cut process isn't the only thing that sets Five Guys' French fries
32:07apart.
32:08There's a number of other steps that employees have to take before overstuffing your bag
32:12with fries as well.
32:14Chad Murrell told Food Republic that the chopped potatoes are blanched, which means they're
32:18cooked in really hot water for three minutes.
32:21Doing so reduces the starchiness on the outside of the potatoes and makes the cut-up spuds
32:26cook more evenly.
32:28Then the fries are pre-cooked before being fried when the customer orders.
32:32Water, it turns out, is an important factor in cooking the ultimate Five Guys French fries.
32:37As Jerry Murrell explained to Inc.,
32:39"...we actually soak our fries in water.
32:42When we pre-fry them, the water boils, forcing steam out of the fry, and a seal is formed
32:47so that when they get fried a second time, they don't absorb any oil, and they're not
32:51greasy."
32:52According to NBC, every location in the Five Guys chain has no timers in the kitchens because
32:58good cooks learn to recognize when food's ready.
33:01This forces employees to learn how to cook by sight and feel for every item on the menu,
33:07including the fries.
33:08While this is a lot harder than, say, setting a timer and forgetting it until you hear beeping,
33:13the processes that Five Guys put in place ensures employees learn to recognize a consistent
33:18fry texture and taste.
33:20Still, it's not like the cooks are flying blind.
33:23The quality would be all over the map if employees didn't have at least some sort of method to
33:27make sure each fry at each location turns out the same.
33:31When Five Guys was featured on Destination America, an employee described the smoosh
33:35test as the way to make sure the batch is good to go.
33:39After the first cook, if you push down on the fry and it sticks together, then it's
33:42a good cook.
33:43If it snaps, that's no good.
33:46Then for the final cooking section, which takes between two and two and a half minutes,
33:51workers know the French fries are ready to take out of the oil when the fries float to
33:55the top of the basket and the bubbles go away.
33:58In the end, each fry has a golden crunchy outside and the texture of a baked potato
34:03on the inside.
34:05Other than the sacks of potatoes all over each Five Guys location, one of the most noticeable
34:10things a customer interacts with are the free peanuts.
34:13By some accounts, those peanuts are there to distract customers as the food cooks, since
34:17making food from scratch takes a little longer than your typical fast food joint.
34:21Yet, those aren't the only place you'll find a peanut product.
34:25It turns out the fries rely on peanuts as well.
34:28In September 2014, Five Guys tweeted this,
34:31We use 100% refined peanut oil because it does a great job of sealing in flavor.
34:37This sounds like a bummer for the millions of people in the United States who are allergic
34:41to peanuts, but peanut oil is on the safer side because of how it's processed.
34:46Essentially, refined peanut oil lacks the stuff that gives people an allergic reaction.
34:51There's nothing to be done about all those free peanuts, however, so maybe having someone
34:54go in to order takeout for you is the best option.
34:58According to Taste of Home, Five Guys fries are the most unhealthy fries in America.
35:03Case in point?
35:04A small fry has 528 calories and a large has 1,314.
35:10As Taste of Home points out, that's as many calories as a Five Guys hamburger patty, bun,
35:16and milkshake combined.
35:17And then there's the fat and salt — 57 grams of fat and 1,327 milligrams of sodium.
35:25That's not to say that the fries are necessarily worse for you than your average fry.
35:29It's more about the amount of fries you get every time you receive an order.
35:33The people in charge of Five Guys are well aware of how the extra fries impact the restaurant's
35:38healthiness rating.
35:39Here's what Jerry Morrell had to say to Food Republic,
35:42Every time they do a calorie count on us, it looks pretty bad.
35:46Free peanuts, free toppings, and massive fry portions — there's a lot to love about
35:51Five Guys, but is the company really as good as it makes itself out to be?
35:56You won't believe the things Five Guys has tried to make us believe.
36:00Perhaps Jerry Morrell should have thought twice before naming his restaurant after the
36:04number of people in his family business who happen to have a Y chromosome in their genetic
36:09makeup.
36:10Why?
36:11Because families change and grow.
36:13Five Guys used to represent Morrell and his four sons — Jim, Matt, Chad, and Ben.
36:18The name suited the growing restaurant quite well — or at least it did until little Tyler
36:23showed up.
36:24His appearance turned the Five Guys into Six.
36:27Running a business with your family has tremendous advantages if they all get into it.
36:32Could Five Guys really change their name to Six Guys Burgers and Fries?
36:37If they did, it would be like Burger King switching over to Burger Prince, or Habit
36:41Burger Grill becoming Hamburger Choices.
36:45Six Guys arguably wouldn't garner as much attention as the more catchy Five Guys Burgers
36:50and Fries.
36:51At any rate, Morrell can claim that it's all about his five sons now, even if that's not
36:56what he initially meant.
36:58Now, it's sort of true that Five Guys does not advertise, but it's not that they don't
37:03have the funding for it.
37:05Instead, it's more that they want to stay true to their roots and let the food and experience
37:10do the talking.
37:11In an interview with Retail and Hospitality Hub, Five Guys Senior Director of Global Logistics
37:16Jason Lee confirms the chain's refusal to engage in standard advertising.
37:21He said,
37:22"...we don't do any advertising, promotions, limited-time offers, or traditional marketing.
37:27We have total faith that the product markets itself."
37:30However, many argue that this is itself a form of advertising.
37:35One former employee on Quora takes it a step further by divulging the following ad strategy
37:40implemented by Five Guys, that greasy brown paper bag.
37:44They said,
37:45"...a big thing to Five Guys was word-of-mouth advertisement.
37:49Paper bags are a big part of word-of-mouth advertising."
37:52That greasy brown paper bag, sans logo, is meant to set Five Guys apart from other fast-casual
37:58dining establishments.
38:00One employee wrote,
38:01One of the most fascinating things I ever learned about Five Guys was their advertising
38:06techniques.
38:07They also don't use a bag with their logo on it because they feel like they don't have to.
38:13Isn't it sweet that Five Guys is so invested in curbing your hunger?
38:17While you're forced to wait the practically unbearable stretch of 10 minutes as your order
38:21is being prepared, you can at least snack on handy bins of peanuts, though you'll have
38:26to shell them yourself.
38:27It seems like they've thought of everything, but are these complimentary legumes really
38:32just because Five Guys is worried you might experience tummy grumbles?
38:36Maybe.
38:37But according to a former employee who spilled the peanuts on Reddit, those treats are actually
38:41meant for the comfort of the employees.
38:44No one likes a nosy Nancy staring them down while they're trying to properly prepare fast
38:48food.
38:49But if looky-loo customers are distracted by the free snacks all around them, employees
38:54can hopefully work in peace.
38:57Everything in life is free.
38:58Neither are fast food toppings, even at Five Guys.
39:02Restaurant owners go to great lengths to calculate the cost of food, labor, and other important
39:06factors when operating a dining establishment.
39:09It's worth remembering that condiments, in general, aren't too expensive, though they
39:14could seemingly break the bank at Five Guys.
39:16That's because the chain is dedicated to using premium ingredients like fresh burger meat,
39:21according to Insider.
39:22But free still isn't exactly right when we're talking about Five Guys toppings.
39:27That's because things like those apparent freebies are calculated into the overall price
39:31of the food.
39:32They're just labeled free because it sounds good.
39:35People like a good deal, it makes customers feel special, and it all comes off as a clever
39:40marketing tactic.
39:41This is also one of the reasons why Five Guys prices are a bit higher than a standard fast
39:46casual restaurant.
39:48You're getting what you pay for, which, sure, includes fresh, premium products, but you're
39:52also paying for what you don't necessarily get.
39:55So next time you go to Five Guys, get all the toppings you want and then some, because
39:59you're already paying for them, whether you want to or not.
40:03While it might be one of the fastest-growing restaurant chains in the world, according
40:07to Forbes, the decision to franchise while maintaining high-quality food is what fueled
40:11their expansion, enabling them to sell more than 300 options for units in 18 months.
40:17Of course, the public's need for crispy, seemingly endless french fries was also helpful.
40:22If you've ever been to a Five Guys restaurant, then you know that regardless of what size
40:26you order, there's always a topper, which is that extra scoop of fries piled into the
40:31bottom of the bag.
40:32The idea behind giving customers so many extra fries is that the guests think they're getting
40:37a great deal.
40:38The extra fries, however, are factored into the menu pricing, so it really is just an
40:43illusion of receiving more than your money's worth.
40:46According to Reader's Digest, the founder of the restaurant, Jerry Murrell, it's better
40:50for customers to feel that their serving of fries was too large.
40:54As he explained to Food Republic,
40:56"...people complain that they get too many fries.
40:58I just tell them to make hash browns with the leftovers.
41:02I teach my managers that if people aren't complaining, then you're not giving them enough.
41:07Whether you're hungry or just need those extra fries in the bag to dip in a thick and creamy
41:11milkshake, there should never be a shortage when you eat here."
41:15While some people complain that the brand creates too much waste by only serving food
41:18in to-go fashion, this is also what allows them to provide those extra fries.
41:23Without the paper bag, there would only be a cup of fries and no topper.
41:27While the topper might be a clever marketing ploy, you can always continue to think the
41:31Five Guys employees are simply treating you to some extra fries for being awesome.
41:36If you are someone who values the crispiest fries in the bag above the rest, then you
41:41can order all of the fries that crisp at Five Guys.
41:44To get an order of perfectly crisp fries, though, ask for them to be extra well done.
41:49This should yield a cup and a topper of nothing but incredibly crunchy French fries made from
41:54munching and dipping.
41:55Other customizable ideas include making your own sauce or mixing in Cajun seasoning.
42:01The menu offers mayo, ketchup, mustard, barbecue sauce, a one-sauce, and hot sauce as a part
42:06of their free toppings.
42:08This means you can mix any of your favorite sauces for your own signature dipping sauce.
42:12Don't forget that it can be combined with their Cajun fries, too, for an extra kick.
42:17Most fast food, quick service, and coffee shops have a secret menu these days, and Five
42:22Guys certainly does as well.
42:24One employee suggests trying Confetti Fries, which have barbecue sauce, mayo, and Cajun
42:30spices added on top before being tossed in the bag to lightly coat the crispy potatoes.
42:35Another secret menu item is Cheese Fries.
42:38Just ask for a bit of cheese on your fries when you order.
42:40With so many options, all of those extra fries might be even more tempting than before.