L.A.Times has this story in the Business section today, about
expansion of the Five Guys chain into California where inevitably
they have to compete with In 'N Out.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...,7319175.story

The story notes that Five Guys doesn't do the drive thru window--only
sit down inside--which would seem to me to mean that they can't make a
serious inroad into In "N Out's bottom line. And the story wisely
doesn't attempt to compare the quality of the chains' food, noting
only that Five Guys offers bigger and more expensive items.

Being a long time SoCal resident and fan of In'NOut since inception
I'm curious whether east coast rfc-ers have opinions about the quality
of Five Guys' food. I think the story tries to make it sound as
though the competition is more direct than it really is, but for the
ordinary consumer like us, the story raises curiosity. -aem

On Apr 8, 2:23*pm, aem > wrote:
> L.A.Times has this story in the Business section today, about
> expansion of the Five Guys chain into California where *inevitably
> they have to compete with In 'N Out.http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...,7319175.story
>
> The story notes that Five Guys doesn't do the drive thru window--only
> sit down inside--which would seem to me to mean that they can't make a
> serious inroad into In "N Out's bottom line. *And the story wisely
> doesn't attempt to compare the quality of the chains' food, noting
> only that Five Guys offers bigger and more expensive items.
>
> Being a long time SoCal resident and fan of In'NOut since inception
> I'm curious whether east coast rfc-ers have opinions about the quality
> of Five Guys' food. *I think the story tries to make it sound as
> though the competition is more direct than it really is, but for the
> ordinary consumer like us, the story raises curiosity. * *-aem

Five Guys prices are certainly high, and I've never seen any discounts
for them, unlike Fuddrucker's.

--Bryan

On 2011-04-08, aem > wrote:

>
> The story notes that Five Guys doesn't do the drive thru window--only
> sit down inside--which would seem to me to mean that they can't make a
> serious inroad into In "N Out's bottom line. And the story wisely
> doesn't attempt to compare the quality of the chains' food....

Other than the line about 5 guys having "hand cut" fries. What? They
use a paring knife?

A CA scarf-n-barf w/o a drive-thru is like a cheetah w/o legs. Gonna
die! Note how even Weinerschnitzel and Taco Bell added drive-thrus.

nb

On Fri, 8 Apr 2011 12:48:58 -0700 (PDT), Bryan
> wrote:

>
> Five Guys prices are certainly high, and I've never seen any discounts
> for them, unlike Fuddrucker's.

The Fuddrucker's nearest me went out of business a couple of years
ago. Maybe that's why they had discounts.

--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

On Fri, 8 Apr 2011 12:23:45 -0700 (PDT), aem >
wrote:

>L.A.Times has this story in the Business section today, about
>expansion of the Five Guys chain into California where inevitably
>they have to compete with In 'N Out.
>http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...,7319175.story
>
>The story notes that Five Guys doesn't do the drive thru window--only
>sit down inside--which would seem to me to mean that they can't make a
>serious inroad into In "N Out's bottom line. And the story wisely
>doesn't attempt to compare the quality of the chains' food, noting
>only that Five Guys offers bigger and more expensive items.
>
>Being a long time SoCal resident and fan of In'NOut since inception
>I'm curious whether east coast rfc-ers have opinions about the quality
>of Five Guys' food. I think the story tries to make it sound as
>though the competition is more direct than it really is, but for the
>ordinary consumer like us, the story raises curiosity. -aem
>

I am a fan of both, though a customer of In-N-Out for a longer time.
Still, I am on the east coast, so don't get there more than twice a
year. They are great fun and do a nice burger.

Five Guys moved into the area a few years ago and they are really
terrific. It is true they have no drive-thru, but you can order online
and go pick it up, which makes it easy.

Boron

On 2011-04-08, sf > wrote:

> The Fuddrucker's nearest me went out of business a couple of years
> ago. Maybe that's why they had discounts.

Aren't those the morons that did the DIY thing? A lot of those places
died, and for good reason. Trio's, A&Ws, etc.

"Hey! Here's my money. If I want to do it myself, I'll eat at home,
ya' friggin' morons!"

Finally found a comedian that does this bit. Bill Burr. Goes on an
on about assemble-yerself restaurants and DIY checkout at sprmkts.
Hilarious.

nb

On Apr 8, 2:56*pm, notbob > wrote:
> On 2011-04-08, aem > wrote:
>
>
>
> > The story notes that Five Guys doesn't do the drive thru window--only
> > sit down inside--which would seem to me to mean that they can't make a
> > serious inroad into In "N Out's bottom line. *And the story wisely
> > doesn't attempt to compare the quality of the chains' food....
>
> Other than the line about 5 guys having "hand cut" fries. *What? *They
> use a paring knife?
>
> A CA scarf-n-barf w/o a drive-thru is like a cheetah w/o legs. *Gonna
> die! *Note how even Weinerschnitzel and Taco Bell added drive-thrus.

Disparaging all fast food chains with a term like "scarf-n-barf" isn't
cute and clever, it's cutesy and ignorant.
>
> nb

--Bryan

On 8 Apr 2011 20:35:43 GMT, notbob > wrote:

> On 2011-04-08, sf > wrote:
>
> > The Fuddrucker's nearest me went out of business a couple of years
> > ago. Maybe that's why they had discounts.
>
> Aren't those the morons that did the DIY thing? A lot of those places
> died, and for good reason. Trio's, A&Ws, etc.
>
> "Hey! Here's my money. If I want to do it myself, I'll eat at home,
> ya' friggin' morons!"
>
> Finally found a comedian that does this bit. Bill Burr. Goes on an
> on about assemble-yerself restaurants and DIY checkout at sprmkts.
> Hilarious.
>
I have never been inside a Fudruckers. It was next to a movie theater
we go to and that's the only reason why I've even heard of them. It
looked like a Rockin' Robin to me. RR is something I haven't been to
in years. Why? I didn't like it enough to go back. Same with Red
Lobster, Elephant Bar and Sizzler.

--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

In article <4557b760-1e2d-45cd-98f5-
>, says...
>
> L.A.Times has this story in the Business section today, about
> expansion of the Five Guys chain into California where inevitably
> they have to compete with In 'N Out.
> http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...,7319175.story
>
> The story notes that Five Guys doesn't do the drive thru window--only
> sit down inside--which would seem to me to mean that they can't make a
> serious inroad into In "N Out's bottom line. And the story wisely
> doesn't attempt to compare the quality of the chains' food, noting
> only that Five Guys offers bigger and more expensive items.
>
> Being a long time SoCal resident and fan of In'NOut since inception
> I'm curious whether east coast rfc-ers have opinions about the quality
> of Five Guys' food. I think the story tries to make it sound as
> though the competition is more direct than it really is, but for the
> ordinary consumer like us, the story raises curiosity. -aem

Five Guys burgers, the few times I've tried them, have been OK but not
wonderful. Their real strength is their fries.

In article >,
says...
>
> On 8 Apr 2011 20:35:43 GMT, notbob > wrote:
>
> > On 2011-04-08, sf > wrote:
> >
> > > The Fuddrucker's nearest me went out of business a couple of years
> > > ago. Maybe that's why they had discounts.
> >
> > Aren't those the morons that did the DIY thing? A lot of those places
> > died, and for good reason. Trio's, A&Ws, etc.
> >
> > "Hey! Here's my money. If I want to do it myself, I'll eat at home,
> > ya' friggin' morons!"
> >
> > Finally found a comedian that does this bit. Bill Burr. Goes on an
> > on about assemble-yerself restaurants and DIY checkout at sprmkts.
> > Hilarious.
> >
> I have never been inside a Fudruckers. It was next to a movie theater
> we go to and that's the only reason why I've even heard of them. It
> looked like a Rockin' Robin to me. RR is something I haven't been to
> in years. Why? I didn't like it enough to go back. Same with Red
> Lobster, Elephant Bar and Sizzler.

Rockin' Robin? Do you mean "Red Robin"? If so, I tried the place once,
their burgers cost more than at the Friendly's across the street and the
one I had wasn't as good.

As for Fuddruckers, the closest one to me is at the Indian casino--that
tells me all I need to know about it.

Locally, they opened up a Red Lobster and an Olive Garden in identical
buildings side by side some years back. The Olive Garden is still going
strong but the Red Lobster lasted about a year--it's now a locally owned
bar and grill.

aem wrote:
>
> L.A.Times has this story in the Business section today, about
> expansion of the Five Guys chain into California where inevitably
> they have to compete with In 'N Out.
> http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...,7319175.story
>
> The story notes that Five Guys doesn't do the drive thru window--only
> sit down inside--which would seem to me to mean that they can't make a
> serious inroad into In "N Out's bottom line. And the story wisely
> doesn't attempt to compare the quality of the chains' food, noting
> only that Five Guys offers bigger and more expensive items.
>
> Being a long time SoCal resident and fan of In'NOut since inception
> I'm curious whether east coast rfc-ers have opinions about the quality
> of Five Guys' food. I think the story tries to make it sound as
> though the competition is more direct than it really is, but for the
> ordinary consumer like us, the story raises curiosity. -aem

When I lived in LA metro I used to like In'N'Out, the one close to me in
Pasadena and the one close to work facing the runway at LAX. I also
used to like the original Tommys on Beverly and Rampart and the one
close to me on Colorado in Eagle Rock.

Here in Chicago metro I tried Five Guys Burgers and Fries to see what
the buzz was about. The nearest one was in a location where the parking
was miserable. Inconveniently I recently read a review of a superior
BBQ place about two blocks away. Maybe I'll order to-go from there ...

The burgers are the flat style that's a little bit crispy around the
edge. It's a different burger style than the ones with so many
trimmings. The crispy surface is called something like "Maliard
reaction", right? If you like that it will matter. I like that but not
overwhelmingly so. The burger was fresh and tasty. Smaller than a
quarter pounder and I did not mind that either. The sauce was simple.
My wife was so-so about the bun that came with it. It was a little
more like grocery store buns than Tommys or In'N'Out but it was toasted.
Over all I figure the burger itself beat Wendys and largely matched
Carls Jr or Hardees. Other than the crispy surface that would be sure
to please some, I didn't get the raves about it. Good yes, raving good
no.

Then I bit into one of the fries. OMFG. They use the Brussels system
of cooking them twice at two different temperatures. I don't know if
they use two different oils. Cooked to perfection brown but not dark
brown. Crispy to the point of crunchy. The order taken from the
draining rack seconds before our order was called. If you want to find
better fries there's maybe one place in all of Chicago metro that
"might" be able to beat them by a *tiny* amount - And Hot Doug's only
does their duck fat fried fries one day per week. In most metro areas
you'd be lucky to find fries this good even at a super expensive
place. These fries stand out like Everest was transported to Kansas.

We left three quarters of the fries behind. As extraordinairly good as
they were, the portions were larger than we had any interest in. It was
tempting to eat until I was that scene near the beginning of Monty
Python's The Meaning Of Life and I exploded.

Simple decor on the inside. I wasn't there for the decor.

Go for the fries and enjoy the experience. That place in the open mall
in Santa Monica that had the top rated fries in the US closed in 1998 so
the competition for fries is completely over. Other fries places aren't
even in the dust. Oh yeah, and while you're there have a burger, too.
They are nice. It'll help complete the experience.

Guess I'm the minority here. I live about a mile from the original
Five Guys, and have five locations within easy range. And I've visited
a half-dozen In-n-outs in the last two years.

Both chains make equally crappy, well-done only hamburgers. Five Guys
are floating in a pool of oil; In-n-out lovers I know tell me that
they go there for the toppings, not the burgers themselves, and
usually order off-the-menu combinations. They do make excellent French
fries, but you have to eat them as soon as they're handed over.
Otherwise they steam and get soggy in the bag in about 30 seconds.

Fuddruckers makes good, bar-style burgers. Cooking accuracy is, of
course, dependent on the local staff and local laws ( For two years a
few years ago, ours weren't allowed to cook burgers less than medium.
Buusiness dropped off a cliff, so they changed the rules.)
Unfortunately, Fudds has awful rach-style fries.

Find a local bar that makes great burgers -- it should be easy. Or
make them yourself, better yet.

-- Larry

In article cal>,
"J. Clarke" > wrote:


> Locally, they opened up a Red Lobster and an Olive Garden in identical
> buildings side by side some years back.

They seem to do that pretty often. I guess they figure the menu is
different enough that they aren't competing against themselves.

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

On Apr 8, 5:54*pm, wrote:
> Guess I'm the minority here. I live about a mile from the original
> Five Guys, and have five locations within easy range. And I've visited
> a half-dozen In-n-outs in the last two years.
>
> Both chains make equally crappy, well-done only hamburgers. Five Guys
> are floating in a pool of oil; In-n-out lovers I know tell me that
> they go there for the toppings, not the burgers themselves, and
> usually order off-the-menu combinations. They do make excellent French
> fries, but you have to eat them as soon as they're handed over.
> Otherwise they steam and get soggy in the bag in about 30 seconds.
>
> Fuddruckers makes good, bar-style burgers. Cooking accuracy is, of
> course, dependent on the local staff and local laws ( For two years a
> few years ago, ours weren't allowed to cook burgers less than medium.
> Buusiness dropped off a cliff, so they changed the rules.)
> Unfortunately, Fudds has awful rach-style fries.
>
> Find a local bar that makes great burgers -- it should be easy. Or
> make them yourself, better yet.

The Fuddrucker's here will cook them medium, and I think their fries
are very good.
>
> -- Larry

--Bryan

In article
>,
aem > wrote:

> L.A.Times has this story in the Business section today, about
> expansion of the Five Guys chain into California where inevitably
> they have to compete with In 'N Out.
> http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...,7319175.story
>
> The story notes that Five Guys doesn't do the drive thru window--only
> sit down inside--which would seem to me to mean that they can't make a
> serious inroad into In "N Out's bottom line. And the story wisely
> doesn't attempt to compare the quality of the chains' food, noting
> only that Five Guys offers bigger and more expensive items.
>
> Being a long time SoCal resident and fan of In'NOut since inception
> I'm curious whether east coast rfc-ers have opinions about the quality
> of Five Guys' food. I think the story tries to make it sound as
> though the competition is more direct than it really is, but for the
> ordinary consumer like us, the story raises curiosity. -aem

Son in AZ loves them. We've eaten there a couple times, once of
necessity, once of convenience. I like Culver's better. JMO.

--
Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
Holy Order of the Sacred Sisters of St. Pectina of Jella
"Always in a jam, never in a stew; sometimes in a pickle."
Pepparkakor particulars posted 11-29-2010;
http://web.me.com/barbschaller

On Fri, 8 Apr 2011 21:35:36 +0000 (UTC) in rec.food.cooking, Doug
Freyburger > wrote,
>Then I bit into one of the fries. OMFG. They use the Brussels system
>of cooking them twice at two different temperatures. I don't know if
>they use two different oils. Cooked to perfection brown but not dark
>brown. Crispy to the point of crunchy.

If that is the style of fries you like, remember to order your
In-N-Out "fries well done."

Chester tried to backpedal, with comical results:

>>>>>>Guess I'm the minority here. I live about a mile from the original
>>>>>>Five Guys, and have five locations within easy range. And I've visited
>>>>>>a half-dozen In-n-outs in the last two years.
>>>>>
>>>>>So you're in Vermont Larry? ....
>>>>
>>>>Alexandria, VA. This is where Five Guys started as a family operation.
>>>
>>>Yes I know
>>
>>Ok,then, I'll bite -- why did you ask if I was in Vermont?
>>
>>-- Larry
>
> Because I know the general manager here, he told me the first restaurant
> was in
> Vermont.

Then why did you respond, "Yes I know" when Larry said the first Five Guys
restaurant was in Alexandria, Virginia?

Face it, your only good response at this point is to say, "I made a
mistake." But you're too stupid to say that, aren't you?

Bob

In article
>,
aem > wrote:

> L.A.Times has this story in the Business section today, about
> expansion of the Five Guys chain into California where inevitably
> they have to compete with In 'N Out.
> http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...,7319175.story
>
> The story notes that Five Guys doesn't do the drive thru window--only
> sit down inside--which would seem to me to mean that they can't make a
> serious inroad into In "N Out's bottom line. And the story wisely
> doesn't attempt to compare the quality of the chains' food, noting
> only that Five Guys offers bigger and more expensive items.
>
> Being a long time SoCal resident and fan of In'NOut since inception
> I'm curious whether east coast rfc-ers have opinions about the quality
> of Five Guys' food. I think the story tries to make it sound as
> though the competition is more direct than it really is, but for the
> ordinary consumer like us, the story raises curiosity. -aem

There's a Five Guys near where I live in Southern New Jersey. I tried it
once. That was enough. The burgers there are much too greasy for my
taste. I also don't like how they serve their french fries, one size
"huge" in a big paper bag. The only thing Five Guys has over In-N-Out is
their selection of burger toppings, which is vast. The burgers there are
expensive too.

I go to Las Vegas on average about once a year and the first place I
always go to, even before I check into my hotel is In-N-Out. I love that
place.

In article
>,
Bryan > wrote:

> On Apr 8, 5:54*pm, wrote:
> > Guess I'm the minority here. I live about a mile from the original
> > Five Guys, and have five locations within easy range. And I've visited
> > a half-dozen In-n-outs in the last two years.
> >
> > Both chains make equally crappy, well-done only hamburgers. Five Guys
> > are floating in a pool of oil; In-n-out lovers I know tell me that
> > they go there for the toppings, not the burgers themselves, and
> > usually order off-the-menu combinations. They do make excellent French
> > fries, but you have to eat them as soon as they're handed over.
> > Otherwise they steam and get soggy in the bag in about 30 seconds.
> >
> > Fuddruckers makes good, bar-style burgers. Cooking accuracy is, of
> > course, dependent on the local staff and local laws ( For two years a
> > few years ago, ours weren't allowed to cook burgers less than medium.
> > Buusiness dropped off a cliff, so they changed the rules.)
> > Unfortunately, Fudds has awful rach-style fries.
> >
> > Find a local bar that makes great burgers -- it should be easy. Or
> > make them yourself, better yet.
>
> The Fuddrucker's here will cook them medium, and I think their fries
> are very good.

The Fuddruckers near me has great baked beans. I order those instead of
french fries whenever I go there. In fact, I have never had Fudd's
french fries before.

Stan Horwitz wrote:
> In article
> >,
> > wrote:
>
>
>> L.A.Times has this story in the Business section today, about
>> expansion of the Five Guys chain into California where inevitably
>> they have to compete with In 'N Out.
>> http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...,7319175.story
>>
>> The story notes that Five Guys doesn't do the drive thru window--only
>> sit down inside--which would seem to me to mean that they can't make a
>> serious inroad into In "N Out's bottom line. And the story wisely
>> doesn't attempt to compare the quality of the chains' food, noting
>> only that Five Guys offers bigger and more expensive items.
>>
>> Being a long time SoCal resident and fan of In'NOut since inception
>> I'm curious whether east coast rfc-ers have opinions about the quality
>> of Five Guys' food. I think the story tries to make it sound as
>> though the competition is more direct than it really is, but for the
>> ordinary consumer like us, the story raises curiosity. -aem
>>
> There's a Five Guys near where I live in Southern New Jersey. I tried it
> once. That was enough. The burgers there are much too greasy for my
> taste. I also don't like how they serve their french fries, one size
> "huge" in a big paper bag. The only thing Five Guys has over In-N-Out is
> their selection of burger toppings, which is vast. The burgers there are
> expensive too.
>
> I go to Las Vegas on average about once a year and the first place I
> always go to, even before I check into my hotel is In-N-Out. I love that
> place.
>
We took a cab from our hotel in Las Vegas to In-N-Out. I asked the cab
driver if he should wait for us and he told us that cabs were there all
day long. He was right. As soon as we walked out a cab pulled up, a
couple got out, and we jumped in. In-N-Out would do well on the strip!

Stan Horwitz wrote:
> In article
> >,
> > wrote:
>
>
>> On Apr 8, 5:54 pm, wrote:
>>
>>> Guess I'm the minority here. I live about a mile from the original
>>> Five Guys, and have five locations within easy range. And I've visited
>>> a half-dozen In-n-outs in the last two years.
>>>
>>> Both chains make equally crappy, well-done only hamburgers. Five Guys
>>> are floating in a pool of oil; In-n-out lovers I know tell me that
>>> they go there for the toppings, not the burgers themselves, and
>>> usually order off-the-menu combinations. They do make excellent French
>>> fries, but you have to eat them as soon as they're handed over.
>>> Otherwise they steam and get soggy in the bag in about 30 seconds.
>>>
>>> Fuddruckers makes good, bar-style burgers. Cooking accuracy is, of
>>> course, dependent on the local staff and local laws ( For two years a
>>> few years ago, ours weren't allowed to cook burgers less than medium.
>>> Buusiness dropped off a cliff, so they changed the rules.)
>>> Unfortunately, Fudds has awful rach-style fries.
>>>
>>> Find a local bar that makes great burgers -- it should be easy. Or
>>> make them yourself, better yet.
>>>
>> The Fuddrucker's here will cook them medium, and I think their fries
>> are very good.
>>
> The Fuddruckers near me has great baked beans. I order those instead of
> french fries whenever I go there. In fact, I have never had Fudd's
> french fries before.
>
Our's is long gone. Now a beauty supply store. I miss our quarterly visit.