Originally Posted By smd4 Moved to Wake Forest NC from Winnetka CA 10 years ago. Bought a 2,000 sq. ft. house for cash. Couldn't have made a better move. LA is no place to raise kids. When I tell folks the freeway signs in LA are wrapped in razor wire, they don't believe me. And 5 Guys pretty much puts In-N-Out to shame (although I still like 'em).
Originally Posted By Dabob2 It's funny. I started hearing about 5 guys some years ago, and I resolved if I saw one I'd have to go there. First one I saw was driving through MD of all places and I had to stop. And I wound up thinking "Eh. Good. But not as good as the hype." Wanting to make sure it wasn't just an outlier, I tried others as they came closer to where I live. Same reaction. Similar reaction to what a lot of SoCal'ers seem to think about In-n-Out. I think a lot of it is how much hype you hear before you try something, vs. just going somewhere "organically" and enjoying it and becoming a fan.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>I think a lot of it is how much hype you hear before you try something, vs. just going somewhere "organically" and enjoying it and becoming a fan.<< I think that's true. And for that reason, 5 Guys has never been "all that" to me. Plus, everything there is sort of a greasy mess. Their hot dogs, however, are really underrated and quite tasty. I think The Habit kind of tops both of them in terms of pure flavor.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan The other thing about 5 Guys I don't care for, and maybe this is just at my local one, is that the "decor" consists of red and white signs all over the place emblazoned with quotes about how amazing their food is. Its sort of like eating in a car showroom. Are they all like that?
Originally Posted By berol Some have been redecorated and look kinda like a Starbucks or Panera Bread.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 There's one in my neighborhood now, and luckily it isn't. I think they'd catch hell for it because a). it's Brooklyn, and b). there is an AWESOME non-chain burger place a very short walk away. And of course what I wanted to say earlier was "Similar reaction to what a lot of NON-SoCal'ers seem to think about In-n-Out."
Originally Posted By CuriousConstance Does the perfect burger really exist? I'm thinking maybe burgers have a max potential limit. I've never found one that I fell over for.
Originally Posted By Goofyernmost What I noticed recently about Five Guys (we don't have an in n out here in the Raleigh area) is that their burger patties have gotten smaller, but, the price hasn't. They still give out a massive amount of fries, but, I don't eat fries so I have to make it up in peanuts.
Originally Posted By smd4 I had never heard about them before I tried them. Thought it was a men's clothes store (don't ask me why).
Originally Posted By smd4 >>The other thing about 5 Guys I don't care for, and maybe this is just at my local one, is that the "decor" consists of red and white signs all over the place emblazoned with quotes about how amazing their food is. Its sort of like eating in a car showroom. Are they all like that?<< I don't go there--or any other fast food place--for the décor or ambiance. I go there for the food. In-N-Out really isn't any different. But I can get my Bible verse on the cup, I guess. YMMV.
Originally Posted By smd4 >>And I wound up thinking "Eh. Good. But not as good as the hype." << You're seeing that same response here to In-N-Out.
Originally Posted By mawnck >>And 5 Guys pretty much puts In-N-Out to shame<< To me Five Guys is exactly what In-n-Out would look like if you set the MBAs loose on it. (So the burgers are smaller now, eh?) They even made it look as much like In-and-Out as possible short of getting sued. I like their food OK (yes, the hot dogs rock), but hate absolutely everything else about it - and it's not THAT much better to make it worth the much higher prices. +1 for The Habit. Much nicer atmosphere than Five Guys. More reasonable prices too IIRC. There's a little hole-in-the-wall place here on the scruffy side of Tustin called Peter's Gourmade Grill that kicks all their butts.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip No one here but me has ever had the ultimate burger and probably never will. <a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.lionstap.com/">http://www.lionstap.com/</a>
Originally Posted By ecdc >>No one here but me has ever had the ultimate burger and probably never will.<< False. <a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://static3.techinsider.io/image/562ee919bd86ef14008c4e93-1190-699/screen%20shot%202015-10-26%20at%2011.01.15%20pm.png">http://static3.techinsider.io/...20pm.png</a>
Originally Posted By Malin When you say LP is dead, I'm assuming you are talking about the message boards. The actual website is still going strong with daily content from some great writers. The sites social media accounts are updated frequently with the latest Disney news and articles.
Originally Posted By perlster Does the [as always, 100% accurate] LiceRat revelation that Paint The Night will be gone with the 60th in September change your opininon about burgers/this place being dead/turtles/anything?
Originally Posted By Dabob2 >>And I wound up thinking "Eh. Good. But not as good as the hype." << <You're seeing that same response here to In-N-Out.> Yeah, and I get that. It's like I said - if you "discover" a place like SoCaler's did with In-n-Out whenever they grew up (the 60s' in my case), and it's good (and better than the better-known larger chains like MacDonalds and Burger King) you may over-inflate it to "greatest ever!" Whereas if you hear the "greatest ever!" hype before you try it, and it's actually only just good, you may under-inflate it in your mind.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan I don't go there--or any other fast food place--for the décor or ambiance. I go there for the food.<< I don't either, but i thought it was worth mentioning. To me, the "ambience" at my local Five Guys is not warm and welcoming. Instead, it's hard sell. While most fast food places don't try to be a fine dining restaurant, most go for a casual, clean, welcoming sameness. Five Guys' decor looks like you stepped into a ValuePac coupon mailer.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan Also, i don't like peanuts. So people chomping on peanuts and shells everywhere feels gross to me. Fine for an old west saloon atmosphere, or the circus, but feels grungy in a fast food place.
Originally Posted By CuriousConstance "False. <a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://static3.techinsider.io/...20pm.png">http://static3.techinsider.io/...20pm.png</a>" EWWWWWWWWW!!!!
