November 20, 2007
Five Guys Opens in Midtown; NY Grinds to Halt
We missed this when it happened a couple of weeks ago, but is it really ever too late to point and laugh at New Yorkers? We didn't think so.
So, people are probably aware that Five Guys franchises are proliferating across the Eastern U.S. like nuclear weapons in central Asia. The greasy, peanut-laden fingers of our locally born burger stand have spread as far as Delafield, Wisconsin; Nashville, Tennessee; and Miami, Florida. They've even broken into New England, joining the miles of strip malls and parking-lot freeways that is Connecticut. But they're not content to join in the fun of nail salons and Christmas Tree Shops; no. Five Guys have drilled deep and hit retail gold: Midtown Manhattan.
On November 2, Five Guys opened their first store in the borough of Manhattan, having already warmed up in New York with stores in Brooklyn, Queens, and tastemaking Schenectady. Having demanded their own, Manhattanites received the new store at 43 W 55th Street in true New York fashion: they went apeshit.
Midtown Lunch describes the scene when the restaurant flung its doors open to people who wanted burgers, even though it was "friends and family" day: a half hour wait for food. Eater.com covered the bedlam on the official opening day: a half hour wait in line to order, then an hour and a half wait for food after that. W. T. F.
We know New Yorkers turn out in a horde for new openings, but two hours for a Five Guys burger? C'mon people, that's crazy. First, it's not as if the hamburger is the new hotness; there is no shortage of menus in New York featuring the sandwich. Second, (and I'm ready to duck, here) the Five Guys hamburger isn't even that good. A fat puck of two patties of leathery meat bound together with two pieces of melted plastic cheese, lubricated with a mixture of ketchup, mustard and grease, sliding around on a haphazard array of toppings (which are fresh, at least) and an insubstantial bun is not cause for a pilgrimage en masse. It's not even cause for the hike plus a bus ride that our big brother made to try the burger at New York's first outpost. Frankly, I'd rather sit on my couch and make a meal out of marshmallows and bourbon; eating a Five Guys burger is less an experience of eating a burger well-made, and more of an exercise of whorfing the thing down before it ejaculates grease and lettuce onto your lap. Five Guys' biggest draw is birch beer on tap.
With that, we welcome Manhattan into the era of Five Guys. Two more shops, one on Bleecker Street and another on LaGuardia Place, will open up in January and February 2008, respectively. The newest local store will be at P.G. Plaza, but you can find their other locations here.
Photo from mrmatt.
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I like Five Guys, Adam! It's not the greatest burger on earth but it's still tasty.
yeah, that's stupid. shake shack burgers are much better, and around the same price.
Really? First Cleveland today, and now New York? First you beat up on the national whipping boy, and now you’re feigning superiority due to a reaction to a chain burger. Insecure much?
What's wrong with with Five Guys Five Bypass burger and fries??
Seriously though, the fries have an odor that makes me want to blow chunks!
Hey, what the heck is going on with these formerly mom and pop places going nuclear overnight. Take Potbelly sandwitch works. They had one location for about 25 years on the near north side of Chicago (Lincoln Park) and then you turn around and they are easier to find than a Washington Post newspaper box!
I love Five Guys. It's one of the few burgers that doesn't make you feel bloated. Of course I get the little/mini version but at least they offer that option!
I like (but not love) Five Guys, but a 2 hour wait is beyond insane. Their food is not that wonderful.
Five Guys has beer? Is that true for most locations? I know the one in Dupont doesn't.
Sommer, I'm gonna have to take Adam's side on this. I'm glad somebody's finally spoken the truth about Five Guys. I've yet to eat there without feeling ill afterwards. The part that really hit the nail on the head was the flimsy buns -- if you're loading that much crap onto a sandwich, put it in something that holds!
I'll always defend 5 guys. Compare it to any other available fast-food burger (NO ONE SAY IN-N-OUT!, THERE ARE NONE HERE) and it blows them away. Still, it is pretty amazing how fast the chain has grown and what a craze a DC chain has brought to Manhattan.
@ trebek26
Birch beer. Like root beer, but sweeter. But not creamy like sarsparilla.
MARSHMALLOWS AND BOURBON! Jeezus-effing-manatee-muffins, batman, but that's a taste treat! I'll be vomiting frothy rainbows into the velvet night! It's DOOM, I tell you!
DC has not contributed much to North America's culinary scene, but Five Guys is definitely one of those contributions....
5G is a crapshoot, literally. depends entirely on the store.
Counter Burger will soon be in Reston, Dupon, and Georgetown, so I will soon have NO reason to go to Five Guys.
Five Guys fries are pretty good. They opened directly across the street from the 'O' in Pittsburgh, a bold move considering the 'O' is a landmark known for its fries in a town that puts them on everything including salad. Five Guys is looking to fill the missing In-N-Out Burger niche on the east coast.
I just don't get why they're so anal about letting you take peanuts off the premises.
I really like 5 Guys, but I wouldn't wait 2 hours for it. But I do really like those little bacon cheeseburgers!
Unfortunately, they've got to be anal about the peanuts because of potential lawsuits.
I like Five Guys. But I would be in heaven if In-n-Out came east. Fortunately, I'll be in California this weekend so I can satisfy in cravings.
I'm a fan of the Five Guys, but perhaps partially due to the nostalgic factor that comes from having grown up near one of the originals spots.
Mom seldom approved of the place so a visit to Five Guys was always a special Saturday afternoon treat while running errands with Dad. We'd bond over burgers and visits to the used car lots where it seemed we were always looking but never buying.
The trick for me is to get the Little Burger. Forget and order a regular and you are only tempting whichever god is responsible for good digestion.
Here here! My wife loves 5 guys, but I can't stand it. Where's the bun? It falls apart 2 bites into the burger, leaving you fingering two greasy, ketchupy slabs of meat into your mouth like a 2 year old on a high chair. Fries are substantial but really greasy.
Try Elevation Burger in Falls Church - much better, but the parking situation there sucks.....
The thing about NYC is that it doesn't really have that many chain lunch places. The NYC lunch scene is dominated by those asian buffett places and small delis. For the ridiculous numbers of people in midtown or downtown around lunch time, it's actually surprising how poor the lunch options are. That's why places like Five Guys can do so well and why Potbelly would E X P L O D E, if it were to move in.
Unfortunately, they've got to be anal about the peanuts because of potential lawsuits.
The grease miasma from the peanut oil filled fryer would probably be an issue for any allergy sufferer. Some spots have a barrelful peanuts in shell to eat while you wait (shells on floor - nice!). They also have very stern signs about NOT taking peanuts off premises. I can understand not wanting this offer abused, but if I have a handful and my order is up, what am I supposed to do -- put them back?
"...the miles of strip malls and parking-lot freeways that is Connecticut"? Are you kidding me? Try heading north of the I-95 corridor sometime.
I agree that the hamburgers and fries are overrated.
Have you tried the hot dogs? Try the hot dogs.
Christ, I want a Five Guys burger.
In N Out is great, but I crave that peanutty-greasy goodness.
Comparing the two, in my opinion, is apples to oranges.
And I never had problems with the buns.
The hot dogs?! The hot dogs are nothing short of a culinary abortion. I love a hot dog, and the Five Guys hot dog is ass. The best hot dog in the city is at Trusty's on Penn Ave. SE. There is also a cart on 17th across from the OEOB that does a fantastic half smoke.
Monkey is right. It depends on the store. One of the original stores out in Springfield is terrific. The one in 'Chinatown' is terrible. I don't know what the difference is, other than maybe the staff.
Funny, just walked past the new one in Dupont and really wanted to go in, but it was 4:30 and I wasn't hungry yet. Could use one in Union Station's food court.
Also in the Le Parker Meridian hotel on 57th is the Burger Joint. Which has a 5 guys kinda vibe... only with a new york slant. seats like 15 people and is in this side corner of the posh modernist hotel. how they keep the grease smell out of the lobby is an amazing feat. It isn't as if nyc is devoid of a decent cheap burger shack. this isn't the only one...
I'm not capable of adding a link but google burger joint if you're headin' up north...
i just want 5 guys to start making milkshakes. just chocolate and vanilla. nothing fancy.
Fat Burger is the best!
Anyone who waits more than ten minutes in line for fast food, let alone two hours, is an idiot.
My dad and his friends all were asking me about Five Guys when they saw one was opening near them in Levittown, NY. They really like eating lunch there, and it's tricky to please hungry cops. I think it's so popular since it's hard to get a good burger on Long Island (outside of a diner) now that a lot of the A&W's are closing.
Damn! Bring on the A&W burgers! Although, I heard they no longer serve the rootbeer in chilled mugs, which is half the fun. Tastee Freeze still does a pretty good sloppy burger, but their numbers are dwindling, and most stopped carrying the terrifying foot-long chilidogs.
There's a rootbeer joint in Baltimore (off Pulaski Highway maybe?) that served steamed cheeseburgers. One of those revolting concepts that transcends its own disgustingness; like fois gras or sweetbreads or representative democracy. Nothing like the steamed cheeseburgers in Connecticut (done in a special cooker with a big slab of Vermont white cheddar on top), but still better than the rockhard, well-done s***cakes you'll find at half the 5 Guys in this area.
When visiting the area, I went to a Five Guys at the urging of my sister-in-law. It was OK, but not even in the top 10 of best burgers I've had. I still like the cheeseburger at Houston's.
"they've got to be anal about the peanuts because of potential lawsuits."
That's only what they want you to think. I mean, really, think about how many stores sell peanuts that you can take off the premises, or a peanut cart in NYC. In reality, they just don't want people taking bagfuls of peanuts for the road.
As a native of Schenectady and a new D.C.-area resident via San Francisco, let me just say two things:
1. Five Guys is not all that great. Great locally maybe, but nothing compared to In-N-Out. Yes, I know In-N-Out isn't here and Five Guys is. That's a shame. That still doesn't make Five Guys great though. Bravo to Adam for saying what we all know.
2. If I were still in Schenectady, I'd be thrilled to have a Five Guys. Why Five Guys picked Schenectady, I'd be interested to know. Certainly not an obvious rational business move if I were them. I wonder if we'll ever find out.
Union Station's food court would seem to be perfect for 5 guys. Lots of foot traffic, and would expose them to people from other cities coming into DC, so they'd increase their brand awareness and all that.
Five Guys is a step above fast food. It cures hangovers and satisfies cravings, but it is fresh, cheap and cooked to order. The best time to go is when that original Five Guys feel has been magically implemented into each new employee. About 2 weeks after the grand opening. I can't get enough! Try the dogs then! In and Out will be in and out of your head.