I do love a good burger. But, as Americans, I think that’s a requirement. I recently wrote a post about a gourmet burger I had at an upscale restaurant in lower Manhattan. It was a $25 burger…
Don’t get me wrong, it was good, but, the conclusion to which I came was that anything over $10 for a burger is unnecessary – I’m just fine with Five Guys… and $10 gets me fries too…
So I decided to create yet another experiment for myself… the bargain burger experiment. That basically means, I did a taste test between my beloved Five Guys Burgers and Fries and Shake Shack. Here’s what I came to…
I tried two staples: Cheeseburger, Hot Dog. To be in full disclosure, I did have other items like the fries in both places and now that Five Guys has shakes – Shakes in both places…
Cheeseburgers: Five Guys just seems more substantial than Shake Shack. Taste is better too. They’re fairly comparable in choice of toppings, but, Five Guys is just better.
Hot Dogs: This was the deal-breaker I think… Shake Shack does a Chicago-style hot dog, which, isn’t so great just as a style. And it’s not grilled. Five Guys makes the best hot dog I have ever had at a restaurant. It’s grilled, so that makes a difference, but, the choice of toppings is the same as the burgers. Feel free to turn that thing into a smorgasbord… I do…
Fries: I almost didn’t mention this because there’s really no contest here. Five Guys fries are hand cut; Shake Shacks fries are crinkle cut… like the one’s you can buy at the grocery store… No…
Shakes: I had shakes in two different Five Guys locations and had dramatically different outcomes. Best outcome was just as good – possibly better. But, to be fair, Shake Shack offers custard, malted shakes, cones & cups and floats. They also have what they call concretes; Frozen custard with mix-ins. They win, But, they’re called SHAKE Shack, so…
But the final judge is price. My highest total bill at Shake Shack was almost $20; My highest total bill at Five Guys was under $15 for comparable items. Four of five categories, Five Guys wins…
So the next time you think to yourself, “I’d like a great big gourmet burger,” STOP. Go to Five Guys Burgers and Fries, have yourself a great big burger, then take the extra $15 and buy yourself a couple happy hour drinks instead…
Cheers to you…
