Five Guys Burgers and Fries - Little Cheeseburger (3 stars)

1700 Kingfisher Dr
Frederick, MD 21701
Phone:  (301) 668-1500
Website:  http://www.fiveguys.com

International chain, across the United States and Canada

Time of Visit:  July 6, 2015 at 11:45 pm

My Order:  Little Cheeseburger

                     Little Fries
                     Sweet Green Tea

I hadn’t been to a Five Guys for a while, so I thought I would make it my next blog entry.  I’ll be honest and say I was a little disappointed this trip.  The meal wasn’t bad, but I feel it was overpriced for what I got.

Burger Rating = 3.4 (***)

Presentation, Overall Rating 3

Five Guys only has counter service and all their food comes out in a brown paper bag.  The burgers are always wrapped in foil and the fries come in a paper cup filled to overflowing, and then some.  The grease from the fries always seems to soak into the bag, giving it an unpleasant appearance, a 3.

Meat, Overall Rating 3

They cook their burgers using the smashed technique which normally gives the burger a nice flavorful crust.  However, this burger could have used either a little more heat on the griddle or a little extra time, as the crust wasn’t really developed.  The burger still had a good flavor, just not that exceptional flavor from a good browning, caused by what’s known as the Maillard reaction.  They use fresh meat for their burgers, but this one seemed to have a lot of pieces of hard fat, not a pleasant texture, so only a 3.

Bun, Overall Rating 4

Their bun is a typical soft, sesame seed coated bun.  It had a good texture and held up well during the meal.  My main complaint is that it was a little too thick for the single patty I had, but I know the use the same buns for both their single and double patty sandwiches, so it is probably sized for the double patty burger.  It also could have used a little bit more toasting, but it wasn’t bad, so I’ll give it a 4.

Toppings, Overall Rating 3.8

American cheese:  The cheese was well melted over the patty and provided a nice creaminess.  There was plenty of cheese for the size of the patty, so this time it gets a 5.
Mustard:  Good yellow mustard, but a little too much in relation to the other toppings, a 3.
Lettuce:  This lettuce wasn’t shredded, but it wasn’t good sized leaves either.  It stayed in place in the sandwich, but needed a bit more to provide more texture, a 3.
Chopped White Onion:  Since the onion was chopped, it was distributed across the burger better, but the smaller pieces also tended to fall out.  It had a good flavor, with a touch of sweetness, and wasn’t so strong it overwhelmed, so I’ll give it a 4.
Pickle slices:  These were good pickles that blended well in the burger.  However, they weren’t distributed well across the burger.  I had to redistribute them myself to keep from having all the pickles in only a few bites.  I’ll give them a weak 4.

Balance/Taste, Overall Rating 3

The burger held up well all the way to the end.  While the overall flavor was good, it overwhelmed the meat.  As I said before, their burger construction and portions is set up for two patties, so the proportions are off for a single patty.  It was a good flavor, but the balance was off, so no more than a 3.

 

Other Notes:

Location and Access

You have to look for this place to find it.  It’s located in the shopping center near the Giant off Route 26.  It’s not easy to spot.  The parking is limited but adequate, unless you’re there during busy times.  There is more parking over by the Giant, but you may have to walk a bit.

Facilities

This building is pretty new, so there are no structural problems.  There are several places to sit inside but no outside tables.  The restrooms were easy to find.  Even though they had only been open less than an hour, some of the tables needed to be wiped down.

Staff and Service

You order at the counter and then pick up your order when they call your number.  The menu is on the wall behind the counter and easy to read.  The young woman at the counter took my order quickly and accurately.  You get your own drinks at the drink station, which was easy to find and operate.  There was only a short wait as they cook the burgers to order.

Sides

Little Fries:  They always give you a lot more fries than you need.  Even with the Little Fries, there were more fries than necessary.  And these are not my preferred style of fries.  I appreciate the fresh cut fries, but they need to be cooked better.  I like my fries with a crispy exterior and the fries here are too often soggy.
Sweet Green Tea:  This green tea was light and refreshing, without being too sweet.  There was also a citrus note that was quite nice.

Value

I have always found Five Guys to be a little overpriced.  For the same price I could have gone to a fast casual restaurant and been waited on.