In-N-Out vs Five Guys

One of the things that everyone is 'supposed' to do when visiting California is to eat at In-N-Out Burger. Famous for their double-patty burgers, which Five Guys on the east coast supposedly copied, In-N-Out has built an exclusive reputation due to their refusal to expand their franchise nationally. Everybody knows Five Guys is awesome. So how does In-N-Out stack up?

When you first pull into an In-N-Out parking lot, you see that the drive-thru line is about 15 cars long. There is actually an employee going from car to car taking orders to speed things up, so that you don't have to wait to get to the speaker to order. I chose to order my food inside. I walked in and there were only two people in line ordering, although every table was full, so this would have to be a to-go order. The menu is simple, hamburger, cheeseburger, double-double (the 2 patty burger), fries, and drinks/shakes. I ordered a double-double cheese burger and fries. Total was about $4.50. While I waited for my food, I saw a guy hand cutting the french fries by endlessly pressing peeled potatoes through a cutter. Here are the contents of my order:



So what is the verdict? I started off with the fries. Not very good. They were very thin and bland, too soft and soggy, and you get a very small amount. Not even ketchup could save them, and by the time I was halfway done with them, they were cold and difficult to stomach. What about the double-double burger? Not very impressive. The topping options were american cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, and mayo. I opted for no onions. The patties were tiny, barely bigger than a McDonald's double burger. The iceberg lettuce was dry and only took up space. There was entirely too much mayo and the buns tasted cheap like McDonald's buns. The cheese was your standard american cheese, couldn't really complain. The best part of the burger was the tomato. Overall, the burger was tiny and unsatisfying, and combined with the small amount of thin fries, the entire meal was unfulfilling.

East Coasters, don't be jealous; you have a superior option in Five Guys when it comes to getting your burger fix, especially with the amazing amount of topping options and thick juicy patties. Five Guys is the burger champion.

Oh, and here is a blurry cell phone picture of my burger for your enjoyment:

In-N-Out Burger: http://www.in-n-out.com/

Five Guys: http://www.fiveguys.com/