Why Five Guys burgers and fries are becoming the industry standard

Way back in the good old days, around 1986 in fact, a man named Jerry Murrell offered to help his sons start a burger joint, in lieu of sending them to college of course. The rest is history, as the kids like to say, as lo and behold the sons chose the burgers over furthering their education.

Thus, the Five Guys burgers and fries franchise was born, but it would be years before they would reach the growth spurt they experienced throughout the new century.

Five Guys burgers and fries...

As you can imagine, starting a burger business isn't the easiest thing to do, so Jerry and his four sons (yes, the original Five Guys... Once the youngest son Tyler was born, then dad stepped aside and he became the fifth 'guy') decided to develop a philosophy and a mantra right from the get-go...

They would only use the freshest and the best ingredients available for their food products, and there would be no advertising or gimmicky coupons to lure in a faux customer base. Sounds simple, right? Well, you'd be surprised!

The original Five Guys location was located in Arlington Virginia, and it was tucked away in a strip mall that was hidden from the main road, and the burger joint was actually tucked in behind the local Boston Market.

The theory developed by Jerry and his sons was that if they could build up a business in this location, then they would truly be onto something. They quickly built up a dedicated customer base and developed quite a cult following in the Metro DC area. How do I know this? Because, I used to frequent the original location.

Now, onto the Five Guys burgers and fries menu...

The menu is as simple as it is delicious. They set out to do a few things, and to do those things well, and I have to say I believe they found their niche. A lot of people will try to have a meaningless debate over which burgers are better... Five Guys versus In-N-Out burgers versus Fatburgers versus the local pub versus... who freakin' cares?!

I enjoy a good burger as much as the next guy, but where does this insatiable need to list everything in order of best to worst come from, and then have meaningless arguments about who's right and who's an idiot? Enough with that 3rd grade BS! Please don't read this and then try to tell me why you think your favorite burger is better than mine, 'cuz I simply don't care, and I will make fun of you openly, and embarrass you in front of your family!

I like Five Guys burgers, and I generally won't eat any other burgers unless I make them at home, because I know how to make them just like they do at Five Guys. The ground beef is 80/20 lean to fat ratio and it's hand-rolled into 3.5 ounce patties.

Then, it's fried on a flat grill until it needs to be flipped, whereupon it is smashed flat just one time. This helps the cooking time lessen as the burger is cooked well-done and juicy, being flipped several times as the bloody juices begin to run clear.

Five Guys burgers and hot dogs toppings

There are so many toppings to choose for the burgers and the Five Guys hot dogs, that there are literally over 250,000 possible combinations that you could come up with. The toppings are...

Ketchup, Mustard, grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, mayo (Hellmann's of course!), sweet relish, raw onions, lettuce, pickles, tomato, jalapenos, green peppers, Frank's hot sauce, Cattleman's BBQ sauce and A-1 steak sauce. Of course, salt and pepper is also available.

I literally have a different toppings combination every time I order a burger, and so should you. Why get stuck in a burger rut, when there is so much diversity to choose from?

The Five Guys fries and the Five Guys Cajun fries

The Five Guys fries are made using only 100% peanut oil, which has been highly refined to have all the proteins removed. This means that those with peanut allergies need not worry, because the stuff that afflicts those with peanut allergies is found in the proteins.

The fries are hand-cut each and every day by the dedicated staff, just as the burger patties are all hand-rolled each day. It's just the way things are done here. Nothing but the best, right?

Five Guys hot dogs are made with Hebrew National 100% all-beef dogs, and they are just as delicious as the burgers. All the same toppings are available for the dogs that are used for the burgers, so load them up to your heart's content.

If you say, 'give me one with everything,' then everything will be... ketchup, mustard, grilled onions and mushrooms, mayo, lettuce, pickles, and tomatoes. Of course, you can mix and match, delete and add, just get crazy with it...!

Simply put, you cannot go wrong with the food at Five Guys burgers and fries locations. The drinks are a bit pricey, so I recommend bringing your own. This isn't the movie theater or the ball-game, nobody's gonna hunt you down and beat you for bringing your own beverages, though they would be losing quite a bit of dough, considering that restaurants make most of their money on beverages. Just saying...

Enjoy!