I didn’t even know Five Guys was a restaurant.
I was up in Riverdale getting the weekly supplies when my stomach told me it was lunchtime. I’ve eaten just about every obvious place there, so I pulled out my phone to try to find something new around me. When Five Guys came up I couldn’t place ever seeing it before. That’s because it’s where Green Mill used to be. A casual glance at the outside of the building and you’d never know it was a fast food joint.
I walked and the decor was a modern take on a 50’s style diner, red and white with rounded corners, but with some weird features. There was a stack of potato bags right at the entrance and when you walked up to the counter to order there was a whiteboard telling you what farm today’s potatoes we from. Also there was a box with peanuts, some paper trays, and a scoop, more on that later.
Another thing that struck me right way was the limited menu: burgers, hot dogs, a few sandwiches, and fries. I ordered the Little Bacon Cheeseburger, Little Fries, and Regular Drink. It wasn’t cheap, I ended up spending almost $12.
Once you order they give you your drink cup and a number and you have to wait. I grabbed a cherry sprite from the touch screen soda fountain and sat down to wait. It was taking a few minutes and I remembered the peanuts. I walked over to scoop a few into a tray and sat back down munching, still waiting.
Finally my number was called. I thought that this better be some damn good burger and fries for the price and the wait. I opened my paper bag and found skin on fries spilling all over the place and a foil wrapped burger peeking out from underneath. I dipped a couple of fries into the ketchup and tested the fries. They were okay. I saw awards all over the store for their fries, but I really didn’t think they were that special.
I unwrapped the burger and took a bite. I was much more satisfied with the burger. It tasted pretty good, but I really didn’t think it was worth the price or the wait. As I was eating I looked over the menu. I noticed that they also sold cajun fries, something I missed when I was ordering. I probably would have enjoyed those more.
Overall I wasn’t really impressed with Five Guys. While the atmosphere, limited menu, and build to order burgers were different. I really didn’t think it justified the price of my meal. I’ll probably go back to try the cajun fries at some point, but I think I’d rather go back to Popeyes next time.