Don't Eat At Five Guys Until You Read This

What started in 1986 as a small, family-owned burger joint in Arlington, Virginia has grown into a massive fast-casual chain with legions of loyal supporters. In 2017, Five Guys won the title of America's favorite burger chain, and as of 2019, there are almost 1,500 locations across the world, with another 1,500 in development. 

At Five Guys, the food is so fresh they don't even have freezers on the premises at any of their restaurants. It's coolers all the way, baby. From fresh beef to fresh-cut fries, Five Guys does not skimp when it comes to delivering the best iteration of a favorite American meal. 

Whether you're a longtime enthusiast who satisfies your double burger craving once a week, or one of those people who finds yourself saying, "I still haven't tried Five Guys," there are definitely some things you should know about the chain before your next (or first) visit to ensure the best (and tastiest) Five Guys experience possible.

If you or someone in the crew you're planning to hit up Five Guys with has a peanut allergy, you might want to take some extra precautions. For starters, the chain cooks all of its french fries in pure peanut oil. According to FARE, "highly refined peanut oil is not required to be labeled as an allergen," and studies have shown that most people with a peanut allergy can safely eat foods fried in highly refined peanut oil, but it's always a good idea to check with your doctor first. Aside from the fries, the breakdown of potential allergens in their menu indicates that peanuts or peanut oil might be present in the milkshake base and some of the add-ins. 

If you're okay with peanut oil, and you're planning on skipping the milkshakes, there's one more potential concern: The free peanuts that are available as a snack to those waiting on their order to be prepared. There are ginormous boxes of peanuts sitting in the middle of the restaurant, and the shells can make a bit of a mess. 

So, needless to say, there's a lot of peanut action happening in each Five Guys restaurant. While there are definitely menu items that do not have any trace of peanuts, depending on how severe the allergy is, all that peanut essence floating around could be a deal breaker for some potential diners.

If you think you're gonna roll up to Five Guys asking for a medium-rare hamburger, think again. While there are lots of different ways to top your burger, there is only one way it can be cooked, and that's well done. This is apparently an across-the-board Five Guys policy that every location must enforce. It's alleged that they maintain this protocol mostly for food safety reasons (nobody wants their burger with a side of E. coli or salmonella), but it could also be because they know this will make for a uniform taste at every location. 

It also makes the whole cooking process that much more efficient since cooks aren't waiting on the various burger temperatures in your order to be executed to perfection. If you're looking to customize the temperature of your ground beef to something below the FDA's recommended 160 degrees Fahrenheit, you should probably hit up a steakhouse, not your local fast-casual burger joint.

Most fast food lovers can probably agree on one thing: There is nothing worse than a soggy french fry. And if the thought of soggy fries makes you shudder with dread, you can always order your fries well done when you go to Five Guys. 

Getting the perfect french fry is very important to the Five Guys brand and they go through a meticulous process of making sure they always deliver on the delicious fries front. Beyond their usual recipe though, they're happy to fry their signature Idaho (or sometimes Washington) hand-cut potatoes slightly longer in the peanut oil order to ensure plenty of crunch.

It's not necessarily something they advertise but it definitely falls in line with one of the many ways you can customize your order at the chain. It might take a little bit longer to get your food, but for someone passionate about the art of the crispy french fry, it seems like a perfectly reasonable sacrifice to make.

Can you imagine finally giving in to that burger, fries, and a shake craving you've been having for weeks, getting in your car and driving to Five Guys, only to discover that this particular Five Guys location does not serve milkshakes? The horror is unspeakable, but it could happen to you. Make sure you check before you head to the Five Guys in your area because as their website confirms, they do not serve milkshakes at all of their locations. 

This just seems important to note, especially for a first time Five Guys-er. Because if you're gunning to get the full experience and are thwarted by a lack of shakes, you may never recover. For those locations that do serve up the tasty treats, you can look forward to adding in whatever mix-ins you choose, like bacon, salted caramel, and coffee, to name a few.

Most folks hear Five Guys and automatically think burgers, but the chain also has hot dogs on their menu. The kosher style dogs are cut lengthwise and grilled, which isn't your typical hot dog protocol. So, points for creativity but maybe no points for price point. Why not? The basic dog comes in at a little over $5. That's pretty steep for a tube of processed meat on a bun (but don't forget, you can customize your order with any of the usual burger toppings, so that might help quell the sticker shock).

In 2016 Business Insider did a side by side comparison of hot dogs from some popular fast food chains — Five Guys, Burger King, Shake Shake, and Checkers — and Five Guys didn't really measure up when it came to price. The Checkers dog was less than a buck, while the Burger King hot dog came in under $3. The Shake Shake dog sets you back $3.59, and they dole it out plain and make you add condiments yourself like some sort of savage. While the comparison indicates that the Five Guys dog was slightly heftier than the rest, it still seems like you can find something similar for much less elsewhere. Do we even have to remind you that for $1.50 you can get a giant hot dog and soda at Costco? Maybe stick to what always works at Five Guys: burgers and fries. 

Yes, it seems that unicorns do exist and Five Guys' ultra cool secret menu is proof of that. Secret menus have become sort of an underground sensation in the fast food world, and Five Guys' doesn't disappoint, particularly when it comes to the burger/sandwich mashup that is the Double Grilled Cheeseburger. 

This divine sandwich uses two grilled cheese sandwiches in place of what would normally be the bottom and top of a traditional hamburger bun. In between the grilled cheese sandwiches (two of them!), you choose the number of beef patties, and, of course, the toppings are also all up to you. The bread they use for the grilled cheese is inverted burger buns that taste like Texas toast when they're grilled, so if you mouth wasn't already watering, well, there you go. It doesn't really get any more delicious than that.