Five Guys is the favorite burger chain of many, as their burgers are customizable and their fries are always fresh, but there are still some hacks that can make your Five Guys order even better. A lot of people make mistakes when ordering at Five Guys, and it's time to cut them out for good. When the chain offers 250,000 potential combinations of hamburger toppings (at no extra cost), you should really take advantage of it and try a few new ones. Let's take a look at a few mistakes that everyone makes when ordering a burger at Five Guys.
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00:00If you really want to make the most out of your trip to Five Guys, you need to make sure
00:04you don't mess up your order.
00:06Take note of these mistakes everyone makes when ordering a burger at Five Guys so you
00:10can avoid making them yourself.
00:12A big part of what makes Five Guys stand out from the competition is the almost unlimited
00:16options for burger customization.
00:18Five Guys customers have more than 250,000 ways to top a burger, so it comes out just
00:23to their specifications.
00:25That gives you no excuse not to get creative when it comes to designing your ideal burger.
00:29The best part is, with few exceptions, all of the toppings you can choose from on the
00:33menu are free.
00:34They range from the classics, ketchup, mustard, relish, onions, to more unusual choices, hot
00:40sauce, grilled mushrooms, jalapeno peppers.
00:43While it might be tempting to order the same thing every time you go to Five Guys, the
00:46smart cookies take advantage of all the topping options you can't get anywhere else.
00:50I get it with mayo, extra hot sauce, and extra bacon.
00:54Extra hot sauce?
00:55Yes.
00:56Is that what I should try?
00:57It's very, very good.
00:58There are plenty of chain restaurants out there that offer secret menus with items that
01:02don't appear on the normal menu, so those in the know can take advantage.
01:06But the secret menu at Five Guys takes it to another level.
01:09Perhaps the most famous item is the Double Grilled Cheeseburger.
01:12It's basically two rich, melty grilled cheese sandwiches with a burger patty between them.
01:16There's plenty of cheese and all the extra toppings you could ever dream of.
01:20If that sounds like perhaps a bit too much for your stomach to handle, there are plenty
01:23of other items to choose from, including the Patty Melt and the Burger Bowl.
01:27Next time you stop in at Five Guys, be sure to expand your horizons.
01:31The fries at Five Guys are super fresh.
01:33You may even see bags of potatoes around the store.
01:36The chain doesn't use frozen, pre-sliced fries.
01:38They make them fresh in the store from real potatoes.
01:41Yes, the very ones in those bags.
01:43Fresh french fries just taste better, which is already a reason to love Five Guys.
01:47But this chain takes its fry game to an even higher level by loading customers up with
01:51a ton of potatoey goodness.
01:53A board shows where the spuds come from each day.
01:56Five Guys will give you the standard scoop in a fry container, but then they'll put a
01:59second scoop in your bag just so you feel like you're getting more.
02:02While most customers are happy to get more of the good stuff, not everyone wants that
02:06many fries, nor the greasy bag that goes hand-in-hand with all those extras.
02:10In most cases, a small order is enough fries for two people to gorge themselves on, and
02:14a large order can easily feed a table of four.
02:17Don't make the mistake of paying for everyone in your party to get their own order of fries,
02:21or at least half of them will end up in the trash.
02:23Don't want to waste?
02:24You can always ask the staff to leave out your extra scoop.
02:27Lots of food connoisseurs won't eat beef unless it's red or pink in the middle.
02:31Well done might as well be anathema to them.
02:33But don't dare to try to order a medium-rare burger at a Five Guys, because they simply
02:37won't make it for you.
02:38The chain only sells well-done burgers, no exceptions.
02:41This policy probably has to do with food safety.
02:44As delicious as a medium-rare burger is, it's not technically safe to eat.
02:48Unlike steak, burgers have to be cooked all the way through, since the surface of the
02:51meat, where the harmful bacteria can grow, is incorporated into the whole burger during
02:55the grinding process.
02:56Five Guys is likely just covering its bases and making sure its customers don't get sick.
03:00That said, even though the chain's burgers are cooked through, they're still as juicy
03:04as can be.
03:05Five Guys' full name is Five Guys Burgers and Fries.
03:08The restaurant tells you what it's good at right there in its title.
03:11While many fast-casual burger restaurants will offer a ton of other food options, the
03:15same can't be said for Five Guys.
03:16Apart from the burgers, milkshakes, and fries, you're not getting to see much else on the
03:20menu.
03:21But they do have hot dogs.
03:23Now, let's get this straight.
03:24We love hot dogs, and we are huge proponents of this classic American treat.
03:28We would never badmouth the hot dog in general, but it should be done well, and Five Guys'
03:32hot dogs don't really make the cut.
03:34The bread is soggy, the meat is average, and the toppings?
03:37Not our favorite.
03:38Somehow, putting a slice of American cheese on a normal run-of-the-mill hot dog doesn't
03:41do much for it.
03:42Add to the fact that the hot dogs here are ridiculously expensive compared to the hot
03:46dogs you can find at other fast food joints, and you'll see why it's something you should
03:49pass up when you order from Five Guys.
03:51Just go with the burger.
03:54Five Guys added hand-spun milkshakes to its menu back in 2014.
03:57These aren't just your basic milkshakes, either.
03:59If you want to take your classic vanilla milkshake up a notch, you can also get flavors like
04:03coffee, salted caramel, and even bacon, which may sound strange, but might just be the best
04:08item on the menu if you love a good sweet and salty mix.
04:11Here's some bad news, though.
04:12You won't be able to find the milkshakes at every location.
04:15The online menu stipulates that milkshakes are only available at participating locations
04:19around the country.
04:20So, before going into your local Five Guys, assuming you'll be walking out with a milkshake,
04:24make sure your location carries them.
04:27A lot of people wouldn't consider any burger joint to be an eco-friendly option, considering
04:31how much beef production contributes to climate change, but Five Guys seems to double down
04:35on its eco-unfriendliness.
04:37When you buy a meal there, it's going to come out as a to-go order no matter what, even
04:40if you choose to dine in.
04:42That means it comes with a paper bag with extra napkins, and your burger will be wrapped
04:45up in foil.
04:47This policy creates a lot of unnecessary waste, especially when you consider all the customers
04:51that just carry all that packaging to a table a few feet away.
04:54As you can imagine, this isn't a popular policy with many of Five Guys' customers.
04:58A move-on petition was created to encourage the fast food chain to recycle and cut down
05:03on its waste.
05:04Luckily, word has it that Five Guys is now studying how it can reduce waste in its stores.
05:09Calling all influencers
05:10If you want a signal boost, Five Guys might be the place to start.
05:13The brand works with influencers, but it also shares pictures from everyday customers who
05:17submit their photos.
05:19From the ability to submit your Five Guys photo to the company's website, to your chance
05:22to participate in hashtag challenges on Instagram, the chain really goes above and beyond when
05:26it comes to customer engagement.
05:28So the next time you're at a Five Guys enjoying your meal, don't forget to snap a picture
05:32or two.
05:33Share it with the company online using the Five Guys fans hashtag, and you may just see
05:36yourself on the Five Guys social media pages.
05:40Former U.S. President Barack Obama is no stranger to good food.
05:43State dinners under the Obama administration often included veggies from the White House
05:47Garden and the former president famously appeared on Anthony Bourdain's series Parts Unknown,
05:51in which the TV personality took the then-president to a small, casual restaurant in Vietnam.
05:56Obama is known for keeping his diet especially healthy, but that won't stop him from indulging
06:00in a burger from time to time.
06:02Soon after becoming president in 2009, he stopped by a Washington Five Guys and ordered
06:06a regular cheeseburger.
06:07Let me get the jalapenos and tomatoes, mustard."
06:17Sounds like a pretty tasty combo.
06:19It was good enough to become its own secret menu item, in fact.
06:22If you want to take a page out of Obama's book, make sure you order the presidential
06:25the next time you go.
06:27Until 2019, loyal Five Guys fans would almost certainly put a lack of delivery options on
06:32a list of the worst things about the chain.
06:34While it's not usually too challenging to visit a restaurant yourself and pick up your
06:37order, it's not always the ideal situation when you're feeling lazy.
06:41You have a million other things to do or there's some other reason you'd prefer not to go into
06:44a restaurant.
06:45Five Guys seemingly got wind of the frustration because the company now offers delivery services.
06:50You can now order Five Guys through a variety of apps, including Postmates and Grubhub.
06:54Just place your order through the app and wait for your order to arrive at your door
06:57if you're within a location's delivery area.
07:00If you suffer from an allergy to peanuts, you may want to avoid eating at Five Guys,
07:04a restaurant very closely associated with that sometimes dangerous food.
07:08Five Guys prides itself on using peanut oil for all of its frying.
07:12While food allergy research and education says that most people with peanut allergies
07:15can safely ingest peanut oil, it's best to check with your doctor if you're in doubt.
07:20The oil isn't the only thing you have to worry about if you're concerned about your allergies
07:23flaring up.
07:24You might also have to watch out for the milkshakes, which may contain a small amount of peanuts.
07:28More important, though, is that most locations offer free peanuts for guests to snack on
07:32while they're waiting for their food.
07:34This may not be a problem if you don't grab one to try for yourself, but sometimes customers
07:38scatter shells on the floor, possibly exposing others to allergens.
07:42The entire store is more or less contaminated, which should be a consideration for anyone
07:46with a very sensitive allergy.
07:48So folks with peanut allergies should either take some extra precautions, or pass up Five
07:52Guys in favor of another burger restaurant.
07:54Burgers and fries are about as unpretentious as food can get.
07:57The coupling may not be fancy, but it is delicious.
08:00Fast food burger chains like McDonald's have boosted the narrative of affordable American
08:04hamburger and fries considerably.
08:06Where else can you reliably order from a dollar menu?
08:09But Five Guys hasn't quite adopted the same strategy.
08:12Five Guys is often downright expensive for a burger joint, and many customers aren't
08:15having it.
08:16There's a good chance that this is a big reason why Five Guys isn't expanding as fast as other
08:20burger chains across the country.
08:22Yes, the quality of the food may be better than the stuff you'd find at a typical fast
08:26food chain, but places like In-N-Out offer comparable quality for a lower price.
08:30That said, Five Guys still has a loyal following, and there are no signs that these diehard
08:34fans are going anywhere anytime soon, even with the higher-than-average prices.
08:39I want it.
08:40Pay anything."
08:41Yes, Five Guys might be more expensive than much of the competition, but that's all the
08:45more reason to maximize your dollar and get all the freebies you can.
08:49There are two add-ons that you won't see on the free menu, bacon and extra cheese.
08:53That's because they do charge for those items by changing your base order from a hamburger
08:56to a cheeseburger, or bacon cheeseburger, both of which are slightly more expensive.
09:01But what they don't advertise is that once you're paying for these add-ons, you don't
09:04have to settle for the standard amount of either.
09:07Taste of Home revealed that you can ask for extra bacon and or cheese without paying a
09:10single cent more than you would have otherwise.
09:13Will this Five Guys hack help you meet your health and fitness goals?
09:16Probably not, but it will absolutely ensure that every burger you order at the restaurant
09:20is ten times better.