Five Guys

Based on what I'm seeing while driving by, which is by no means credible, I would estimate that they will be up and serving within 4 to 6 weeks.

Where?

Sorry to be so long in replying but the new Five Guy's is located on the same side of the road but directly across the road from Ruby Tuesday's and also located across from Fatboy's restaurant or directly across from the new Bank Independent branch.  Three places to eat and one to get your money out if you need on the same corner (not to mention adding Fatboy's, Buffalo Wild wings, Captain D's, Sonic, Taco Bell, and Hardee's all within a stones throw also.  No one going hungry around this intersection. 

 

That intersection will now have the following businesses .... (starting in the northwest corner) Ruby Tuesday's .... small strip mall with Five Guys and one unknown tenant ... Bank Independent's new branch location and then Logan's Roadhouse.

 

 

Bon Appétit  y'all 

Talked to the construction guy a few weeks back, said they were a bit behind because they had been waiting on tile for three weeks.   Said look for them to be open about early to mid july.   Sorry can't really be anymore precise than that.

Seems July is correct. They also posted they are looking to workers now on their FB. 

looking forward to them opening, and once they do, Fatboys might as well go ahead and shut their lunch service down. 5 Guys is fast, have better burgers, and will definitely cost less. last time me and the wife went FB it was $23...for lunch!...we can leave 5 guys for around $15 and be just as full. so stoked.

I love 5 Guys. Great burgers and they don't skimp on the fries. Here's a tip for you. If you take a friend to lunch at 5 Guys, buy a small order of fries and split it. They are very, very generous with their fries.

yep, you can easily get enough fries to feed 2 to 3 people

I only went to Five Guys once. I ordered a double bacon burger, large fries, large coke. It was 10.99$ I'm impressed you feed 2 people on 15$

2 regular burgers and we share the regular fries. also two regular sodas.

This will be just like BWW.  Everyone thought that other places would shut down once they opened.  Once the new wore off, it's just another place to eat.  My wife and I can eat at Fatboys for $15 or less. I too went to Five Guys and my order was over $10 and I wasn't impressed.

im looking at it from a lunch perspective, where you only have so much available time. it takes me and my coworkers at least an hour to eat at Fatboys because they're so freaking slow. 5 Guys have a much better system and they get their food out quick, not to mention their burgers aren't OVERCOOKED.  you can eat cheap at any restaurant if you order right and share. but there's no way me and wife couldv'e got the amount of food we did though for less than $20, seeing as how each meal was 9.99 + a drink, and the amount of fries we were given would barely feed 1 person much less 2, and i definitely don't think we were given $23 dollars worth of food, neither from quality or quantity. however i must say that Red Robin owns both of these places, but that'll never happen here. on topic...5 guys is awesome, so stoked for their grand opening!!!

I don't recall a lot of people thinking BWW would force others to close.  In fact, how could it?  There is nothing else here really like BWW.  If anyone thought that, they were shortsighted at best, and disingenuous at worst.   

 

Now, back to Five Guys.  I can just about guarantee they will do great here and continue to do great for quite sometime.  Go to the one's in Hunstville.  It doesn't matter what time, what day or which one you go to, they are packed.   And both the Huntsville establishments have been there quite sometime.  You may not like it, and that is definitely your prerogative, but they put out a quality product have a very good business model.   They'll do great here for sometime to come.  

5 Guys is great if you just want a burger, but Fatboys has a wider selection, so I'm not really sure that it's competition.

Well, I have only had five guys once. Maybe I don't have the authority to express an opinion. But, like I said, i got a double bacon cheeseburger, large fries and a large drink. I ordred those large portions out of ignorance. I was starving and I did NOT know that five guys had such a LARGE, large fries. The maint hing I remember is how dry and unappealing the fries were. They seemed really unseasoned and VERY, very dry. I ate about half my order. I was only able to down them with massive amounts of ketchup and soda. The burger was OK. But, again, I didn't notice a large amount of "seasoning." Its definitely not a place I would choose over fatboys, bww or logans in that little corner.

Since someone brought up price.  I went to Red Robin for the first time.  It was ok but not yum.  Original bacon burger, bbq burger with fries on both and two sweet teas-$24.99.  Now that is expensive.  As for Five Guys, I hope it does good but it's not worth my drive over there just to eat at it when there are numerous other places. 

WOW!!

all these threads about a place you can't even get a beer to go with your burger?!?!?!

 

i'll be across the street, burgers are just as good and the beer is cold!!!!

Five Guys and Fatboys will both be out of business before Christmas.

I'd be willing to take that bet.   Fatboys very well could be closed before then, but with new management (or at least some new management), I give them a punchers chance.   However, there's no way Five Guys will be out by then. 

You're crazy on at least half of that!

I've never eaten a 5 Guys burger but I'm assuming the pricing will be the same as Logan's which has atmosphere and beer, not to mention free peanuts. Other "fast food" gourmet burger joints, such as Backyard Burgers, bit the dirt pretty quick off. The only thing that will save 5 Guys is the fact that they're a chain but I bet there'll be a pic n pay in that location this time next year.

backyard burgers gourmet? lol...no, they were in the same boat with BK, Wendys, MCD, etc.

 

man i'm craving one of these greasy cheese covered burgers as we speak, and about a half order of their fries drizzled in malt vinegar...mmmm so good. of course if i wanted a "dry" burger i can go across the street.

FWIW, the city council approved a license for Fatboys to sell beer today. 

BYB is not gourmet but still a great burger

Ok, I wanted to see what all the fuss about Fatboys was so I went this afternoon and got a Fatboys Burger, add jalapenos with seasoned Idaho french fries.  I split it with my wife so I could taste it, but still not become what the burger is named.  It was good, but Five Guys is hands down a much better burger.  It's only advantage was maybe the bacon, and maybe the bun.  The jalapenos were out of a jar not fresh like at FG's.  The bacon seemed like high quality bacon.  The bun was a sweet bun.  The fries tasted like they were frozen.  I've yet to have fries ANYWHERE as good as what I've consistently gotten at FG's.  None of that is a knock, it just doesn't measure up to the bugers I've gotten at no less than 6 different FG's throughout the southeast.

 

Also, about a year and a half ago, Staggs seemed to have slipped a little.  Within the last 8 months they've really kicked it up.  Their burgers have a different spin on them vs. FG's, but still seem to be the same kind of blue collar burger (not like the fancy burgers at Red Robin, which are good, but not as good as FG's or Staggs to me).  Even though Staggs' fries are frozen too, they are really good and I don't mind them being frozen.  They compliment their style of burger perfectly. 

 

Here's how I'd rank the burger establishments:

1. FG's (multiple Nashville, Hunstville, Decatur, multiple Bham, Panama City, Augusta), Staggs...the one and only!!!!!!

2. The old Citgo at the corner of Hwy 43 & &2 in Tuscumbia...now a Shell, Smokehouse

3. Fatboys, Ruby Tuesday, et al

4. BK, McD's, Wendy's, Hardees

I still don't see how 5 Guys has anything to do with Fatboys. I don't go to Fatboys for the burger. I go there to get stuff that I can't get off of a menu from other places. Oh, well. Maybe that's just me.

They were juxtaposed in a couple of posts.  Burger for burger, FG's is better, but I really liked the other stuff on the menu.  I hope FB's does really well.

If the Five Guys here is anything like the ones I have been to, and since it is the same owner as the two in Huntsville, I will assume that is a yes, then it will easily be my favorite burger in Florence.  For many years Staggs was my favorite burger here, and it's still up there, but On The Rocks has surpassed it and is my favorite burger in florence for the time being.  

Five Guys continues to get great press and reports as one of the best burger joints across the country.  While their prices are higher than the McDonalds and Burger Kings their quality is great and give you something you just can't find in the fast food places and that is a handmade burger from fresh ground meat and cooked before your eyes (if you care to watch).  Other places may have a good burger most, if not all, give have frozen patties placed on a grill, precooked and then warmed up when you order it or brought out of a warming tray where it was precooked and is now being kept warm.

 

As for me I hope Five Guys does great here but I had my doubts given the thoughts of many people about eating out and restaurants.  A lot of folks think McDonalds and Burger King are too high and well wouldn't enter a place that had a hamburger that cost in excess of $3.50.  As for myself and my family we'll be there anytime we want a great hamburger/cheese burger because I believe they make up in quality and taste what extra they charge.

Since some people on here are talking about FG's fries and how good they are, this just came out today.

#1 Worst Side Item-Five Guys Fries

1474 calories

71g fat

213mg sodium

If you ate one large order of these things every week for a year, you would take in more than 8 pounds of pure fat, all of it straight out of Five Guys’ deep fryer.

From yahoo health. 

Duh!  They're french fries...it's not like you're gonna order them ANYWHERE and they be low in calories or fat.  However, that seems to be a rather low number for sodium.  This is the kind of food you don't eat every week...more like every two weeks at most.  Besides, if a person can sit down and eat a large portion of their fries with a burger, they are not practicing portion control. 

 

 

 

 

BTW, FG's had table n chairs set up last night...looked like the only thing left that needed to be done was turn on the lights!  I can't wait!!!

also, in the latest issue of Consumer Reports, they have a list of the top 20 burger restaurants based on customer reviews, and Five Guys came in at #3, with In and Out Burger at #1 and Burgerville being #2. And yes the worst side according to Eat This Not That is the fries at 5 Guys, but, those fries aren't meant to be eaten by one person, but i'm sure there are some that do it. And i was the one who mentioned Fatboys to begin with, just said that 5 Guys would give them A LOT of competion for the lunch crowd. It'll be interesting once 5 Guys is open...heck i may even gain some of my 50 pounds back.

I had to comment on this b/c last night we were out late and for the first time in probably a year or two I got a burger at BK, as they were about all that was open.  I got the Whopper Jr. combo.  It tasted ok, but what I really hated was the combo was $3.89 and it was smaller than it was when they charged $1.99!!!  I know meat prices have risen, etc.  But I was amazed at how small it was compared to what they're charging now.  I'll gladly pay $8ish for a burger, fries and drink at Five Guys or Staggs.  At least they're real meat and you actually have something more than a kids meal.  In the world of burgers BK is to FGs the same as cheap laminate is to hardwood!  I'll just eat my Clif Bars next time!

For those following Five Guy's thought I would pass along that I did stop by and ask about the opening and was told that they would open to the Public this coming Monday (July 18) for lunch.  It can be assumed that Lunch means 11:00AM but could be earlier so I don't know for sure about that.

Just to correct my last post their opening will be at 10:30 AM (Monday, July 18) according to an employee

I seen some cars in the parking lot today.

All restaurants, especially new ones, have a trial period where they open and serve, usually to employees relatives, just as a break in and do so without charging anyone.  The first commercial (money making) day will be Monday 10:30AM.  What you saw today were most likely relatives of the workers, specially invited VIP's such as Chamber of Commerce leaders, City leaders and Politicians and whoever the owner wishes to extend an invite to for a free meal.

 

I wish the participants of the Food Forum were among those invited to these places but that's just wishful thinking.

Like many, today, I was there, along with the family, and we tried it out.  The general opinion of our family was disappointment.  Sure the prices are higher but we didn't think out of what you would expect in a quality restaurant for quality food.  The regular Fries were $2.49 for enough for two or three which isn't that far out of line when you compare Staggs at $2.99 or a basket of fries at Buffalo Wild Wings.  

 

The disappointment though was in some changes we noticed from our last visit to Five Guys in Huntsville & Decatur.  Could be we missed something when we were at those restaurants or Five Guys made a wholesale change in policy but the amount of meat, the meat patty was noticeably much smaller.  Our patty didn't even cover the bun.  You could tell it was hand made but it was pitiful and not worth the money charged for the patty was just plain small compared to what we had got at other Five Guys.  If that's going to be typical of what to expect then I'll venture over to Fatboys and request they not try and dehydrate it or make it jerky.  Fatboys has a good chance to compete and sell a better product but they better learn to cook the burgers there.

 

As for Five Guys maybe it was opening jitters or an exception and will correct itself over time.  At least I hope so.  The other reason for the disappointment was two other items.  The ultra sweet tea was just too sweet to handle and the burgers, besides being too little meat for the buns, was not at all seasoned at all it seemed.  I hope Five Guys does good but I'm not at all optimistic at this point.