Five Guys are an American burger chain, obviously hoping to cash in on our burger craze over the last few years. The problem is, they've clearly missed the bandwagon, in London and Manchester anyway. That ship has long since sailed. Despite this, I was curious to go and try the new one in
The Trafford Centre for myself. I very rarely go there, as I hate the place, but as luck would have it, I spotted the large signs for Five Guys at the food court entrance.
I went for the
'Little' Bacon Cheeseburger with all the (free) toppings (£6.75) and 'little' fries (£2.75) plus a regular drink (£2.50) which you can go back for as many times as you want. The staff were lovely and I had a short wait until my food came out.
Was it worth the wait and the £12 I spent?
No, not really. The burger wasn't the very worst I've had, (that would be the woeful
Horse and Jockey) but the problem was because it's cooked well-done, the actual meat has very little flavour. In fact it tastes of nothing. What you can taste are the toppings, a sort of homogenised sludge. I didn't actually mind this too much and I think burgers are actually getting too big these days and overdone, bigger is not always better.
I've not had a
McDonald's burger for several years, but I don't remember them being so much different to these. But these burgers are twice the price. I read on-line that the US version of Five Guys sells burgers at around $5 so it seems like we're being ripped off yet again. (I've nothing against Maccy D's by the way, but it's priced fairly for what it is).
These burgers are
nowhere near as good as our home grown Manchester ones (which are usually cooked pink,)
Almost Famous and
Solita etc and the prices are comparable. They're not even as good as
GBK and certainly
Byron are way superior too. The fries weren't too bad though.
In conclusion, they've mistakenly positioned themselves at the wrong end of an over saturated market and their product simply doesn't match this price point.
Or to put it more succinctly; don't bother.
2/10.
 |
| Fries; not bad. |
Marginally better than McDonalds but definitely far too expensive. I remembered it as better the last time I had it but that may have been because I was a fair few drinks in at the time. The cajun fries are pretty tasty but a bit soggy.
ReplyDeleteWe tried out the Leicester Square branch at Frightfest last year. Agree with you all the way, the quality falls way short of the price. It's not like there's a lack of choice in burger chains right now, but Five Guys seems to have the most aggressive expansion strategy of the lot, which is bad news for everyone.
ReplyDeleteIts such a shame, the Trafford Centre is crying out for a decently priced casual dining option (or at least an alternative to Barburrito). This definitely isn't it. Even Shake Shack would've been a better option.
I grew up where Five Guys started, and it is the worst. Im amazed that the price here was so high (although for me the prices at Mickey Ds are high too compared to the US) I used to just go with my friends when i was in school and eat the free peanuts, which they probably don't even have at the one here. It is definitely better to spend your money somewhere with burgers at least half an inch thick so they can cook them pink on the inside. In the US they are expanding east to west, and In-n-Out is expanding west to east, so hopefully In-n-Out will win over five guys haha
ReplyDeleteover priced and over rated..il stick with almost famous thanks
ReplyDeleteI, for one, am a fan of Five Guys. I discovered it in the states last year and fell in love with it. I'll agree it's overpriced here, especially at the conversion rate etc. but the quality is FAR beyond the likes of BK and McDonalds. I'll agree it's not as good as the likes of Almost Famous or Solita, but I still look forward to my next visit to Five Guys! (It's all I'll go to the Trafford Centre for anyway lol)
ReplyDelete