The Key Reason Five Guys' Food Is So Delicious
We can all agree, there's only one McDonald's. And no matter how hard you may try to search, there's never going to be more than one In-N-Out, Whataburger, or any of those "regionally exclusive" restaurants you hear so much about. But today, we're not going to be talking about just one single burger chain in particular. We're focusing on Five Guys.
Having first opened in Arlington, Virginia in 1986, Five Guys stands out from the usual fast-food competitors for a variety of reasons, each centered around one idea — really good, high-quality food. For example, Five Guy's own in-house recipe for its "cake-like" buns includes flour, yeast, eggs, milk, and even sugar (via Facebook), giving the buns that sweet, chewy, texture to go with the salty and juicy slab of beef. If eating a pretty heft hamburger isn't enough to fill you, then maybe the cartons of free peanuts will hold you over until you get your hands on a serving of fries (via Mental Floss).
Perhaps one of the most defining characteristics of Five Guys that separates it from most other mainstream fast food restaurants is how the food itself is stored.
You'll hardly find frozen food at Five Guys
You may have heard Wendy's go on about "never-frozen beef" before. Heck, it's one of its main selling points! While the Wendy's claim may be true, they certainly aren't the only restaurant offering fresh beef. According to Five Guys, there are no freezers at any Five Guys location, only coolers.
But wouldn't a lack of freezers mean all that fresh meat would be in danger of spoiling? An apparent employee of Five Guys answered this question on Quora, noting that each morning, the meat is prepped straight from the cooler, dated, and rotated to prevent any "old" meat from being reused by the employees. In fact, the opening manager supposedly has the job of inspecting the meat every morning before it goes on the grill.
One Five Guys employee, per Reddit, admits that the burger patties are "technically frozen," as they are stored in a massive cooler that's just below freezing temperature. But this is only for a brief period of time at best instead of sitting in some walk-in freezer for weeks on end. While this would mean Five Guys isn't being completely honest about the burgers being "never frozen," it's most likely a safety measure to prevent the meat from spoiling.
As long as the burgers are still delicious, does it really make a difference?
Five Guys makes its fries in peanut oil
While a cheeseburger made with fresh, "never-frozen" beef is pretty good, one cheeseburger alone does not a Five Guys make. You need something else to compliment that hefty burger, so why not grab some fries? Just like its burgers, the company has its own standards for its fresh-cut fries.
According to Reader's Digest, Five Guys refuses to use anything but peanut oil to deep-fry its French fries. As founding member Jerry Murrell explains, the use of peanut oil rather than hydrogenated oils gives the fries a "melt-in-your-mouth buttery taste." This, combined with the explanation that fryers are kept strictly for fries instead of "doubling up" on anything else from the menu, means that the fries will taste exactly as a French fry should — crispy on the exterior and soft on the inside.
The frying process also has its own unique secrets to it. According to TODAY, a viral video on how Five Guys fries are made details how the potatoes are cut in-store, washed, and then actually cooked twice — once to "pre-cook" it, and the second time to finish them off. It's a far cry from the usual stereotype of frozen pre-cut fries being dumped straight into a boiling hot fryer of oil.
Although Five Guys may not be considered a healthy meal, one can take some comfort in seeing how much dedication and pride is put into making the food.