NFT: 5-Guys Voted America's Favorite Burger Joint

over In-N-Out, Shake Shack, Smashburger, etc.

I will preface this by saying I haven't had a fast food or expensive fast food, or whatever they call it these days, burger in about 10 years.

I lived across the street from the original 5-guys in Arlington, VA in the mid 90's and would go there occasionally. I thought it was ok, nothing special, fries were so greasy I felt like I needed to take a shower after eating them. But the burgers were cooked to order and they had a lot of toppings. People valued that as unique IMO vs fast food and they started to get a decent following and expanded.

but I know this topic generates some good discussion, mainly because In-N-Out has some loyal fans. If it's any consolation it seems like the author is indicating 5-guys wins because they're more widely accessible.

One salient quote:

Quote:

....“In-N-Out has slipped from its high. The other players are claiming mind and market share. Five Guys has expanded at a much faster rate. In-N-Out has taken a slower approach to expansion, and its locations are geographically contiguous — mostly on the West Coast,” he said. Thirty years after Five Guys first opened, there are nearly 1,500 locations globally and another 1,500 in development. Five Guys operates across the U.S. as well as in the UK, Spain, Portugal, France and Germany. In contrast, In-N-Out operates around 330 locations in six states — California, Texas, Arizona, Nevada, Utah and Oregon. The company has plans to open as many as 50 locations in Colorado over the next several years. While the affordable brand has cultivated a strong, loyal following, most consumers haven’t had a chance to try the food. “Familiarity holds In-N-Out Burger back in the standings as a majority of consumers “just know the name” of the brand (35%),” according to Kanpurwala. There is a wide pricing disparity between the two brands. A burger at Five Guys starts at $7 while you can grab one at In-N-Out for $2.10. Kanpurwala noted that pricing does play a factor, but doesn’t translate to less brand power. “Five Guys is a lot more expensive than In-N-Out, but that doesn’t come through in many of our metrics. Five Guys actually comes ahead of In-N-Out when it comes to future consideration, or whether you would return for more. So that was a very surprising finding.” ...

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