Disclosure: Crummy iPhone pictures are stand ins for the I-wish-I-brought-my-DSLR-with-me but what are you gonna do? Deal with it. Also, I have a feeling you might want a burger after you read this so be prepared.
Typically I maintain a healthy diet. But every now and again the fat kid in me needs a little junk food. You know what I mean right? I’m sure there is a little fast food that hits that junk food craving spot for you.
In N Out Burger in CA is so bomb. I would like some right now. In the Midwest people claim that Five Guys is awesome and comparable or better then In N Out Burger. So of course I had to taste for myself. A true scientist would say the sensory evaluation could not be properly carried out because I don’t have an In N Out Burger to directly compare to my Five Guys burger. Thankfully, I’ve eaten many In N Out Burgers and have a good idea of the taste, texture, and amazing-ness of the burger. But to maintain a highly rigorous sensory testing atmosphere I have decided to compare a 1 burger patty cheeseburger which is what I would order at In N Out and regular French fries.
I am just gonna break it down:
Five Guys Cheeseburger:
Pro:
- Larger patty
- Sandwich with toppings much larger volume
- Add-on’s are all free
- Peanuts available for consumption while waiting in line
- Thicker cut french fries with more skin left on, homestyle ( a pro in some books not mine, but some)
Con:
- Super greasy French fries
- French fry portion too large for one person (small serves 1-2)
- Burger patty dry
- Grilled onions- not so grilled
- No special sauce
- Cheese not completely melted
- Burger toppings flavor-less (lettuce, tomato, etc)
- Served in a greasy paper bag even when dinning in
- Cheeseburger has 840 Calories and 55g of fat
In N out Cheeseburger:
Pro:
- Moist patty
- Fresher toppings (tomatoe, lettuce, etc.)
- Special Sauce
- Fresh French fries, thin cut. Processed in front of you.
- Real grilled onions
- Cheeseburger has 480 Calories and 27g of fat.
- You can add “animal style” to any order
Con:
- Limited menu selection
- Thinner patty
- Few locations outside of California
The following conclusion may be drawn from the above information: In N Out stomps on Five Guys. Period. End of story. I think what happened here is five guys, literally five dudes, traveled to California had In N Out and were like wow this is bomb lets start a restaurant like this. Oaky, that’s not really what happened, but it sounds better then some family had five kids and started a restaurant. That being said I did eat my entire burger although as aforementioned it was hella dry. If you’re going to make a larger patty it’s crucial that it’s moist and juicy and finger licking good. Not the case. However, the fries were another story, I was fully disgusted in the grease bath that was the French fries. One of a couple of things can happen to create disgustingly greasy French fries; I suspect that the oil was not hot enough when the potatoes were fried thus resulting in extra oil logged fries as they soak up large amounts of oil when the oil is not properly heated to the correct temperature.
(even this crummy photo can show the grease soaked fires)
The calorie and grams of fat difference between the two burgers is substantial Five Guys coming in at almost double the calories of its In N Out counter part, totally not worth it in my opinion. All in all my experience at Five Guys would deter me from a return trip to the restaurant, in other words I’ll wait till I visit California again for a nice fresh In N Out burger!
Discolusre: The opinions of this article are my opinions, I was not paid or offered any compensation in the reviewing of these restaurants.
The In N Out and Five Guys logos are registered trademarks of the respective restaurants and have been used from their respective corporate websites.
