Five Guys voted favorite burger chain

[gisco]

Article

 

By Tiffany Hsu

 

September 19, 2012, 7:30 a.m.

Five Guys Burgers and Fries topped a new survey of favorite burger chains, leaving bigger chains such as McDonald’s and Burger King in the dust.

 

Market Force Information questioned 7,600 consumers, calculated the fan favorite based on total votes and then factored in the number of locations for each chain.

 

In every region, Five Guys led the list. Overall, In-N-Out was second, followed by Fuddruckers, A&W and Smashburger.

 

Dairy Queen ranked last in the group of 16 chains considered. Burger King, Hardee’s, McDonald’s and Jack in the Box rounded out the bottom five.

 

Five Guys ranked best in categories including food quality and taste, service, cleanliness and atmosphere. The only category in which it failed to rank No. 1 was best overall value; In-N-Out won that category.

 

Smashburger, a newcomer in the so-called better burger industry, ranked second in every category except overall value.

 

McDonald’s and Hardee’s shared the bottom rankings for overall value. Jack in the Box was last in the food quality and cleanliness categories. Hardee’s was deemed to have the worst service, while Dairy Queen’s atmosphere was voted as the most lacking.

 

“Five Guys does zero advertising, but by delivering consistently great customer experience, they’re able to build a word-of-mouth buzz that continues to bring new customers through the door,” said Market Force Chief Marketing Officer Janet Eden-Harris in a statement.

 

In another customer survey this summer, McDonald’s came in last for customer satisfaction. The American Consumer Satisfaction Index found pizza chain Papa John’s the most fulfilling, followed by Subway and Little Caesars.

 

Burger King and KFC also left patrons wanting more, according to the survey.

 

 

 

 

They have my vote too!

[Sir Clinksalot]

I've had 5-guys once, apparently I wasn't overly impressed since I haven't been back.

 

I think I prefer The Habit.

[BeemerBoy]

Five Guys is an excellent substitute when In-N-Out is not available.

[ginzo]

[Meteornotes]

I still cannot understand why anyone likes In & Out. I still think their quality plummeted when they started to expand/franchise. I'd rather go to Arby's.

 

Five Guys is certainly the best chain burger, but it is obviously blown out of the water by other non-chain places, like The Vortex (Atlanta) or The Road House (Duck, NC).

 

dt

[ParkTrips]

I like Five Guys. I like Whataburger a lot too, though the lack of availability probably helps my perceptions. I'm not against In-n-out, I just don't think it is anything more than middle-of-the-pack.

 

Dave, when you come down here next year, we will have to go to 5 Napkin. It's the best gourmet burger place in the city IMO... Farm Burger in my hood is really awesome as well but a bit of a drive from midtown (I like the Vortex too)

 

edit: apparently 5 napkin has closed, but they have other locations link. Good riddance, as much as their burger was awesome, the place was run by idiots and frankly the NYC atmosphere didn't fit ATL

[Hilltopper39]

I'm a big Whatburger fan too and probably rank it just slightly below 5 Guys in the grand scheme of things fast food burgers. I'm kind of surprised that Dairy Queen ranked dead last, I mean it's obviously not gonna win a Michelin star anytime soon but as far as crappy fast food joints go I've always thought Dairy Queen was way better than Mcdonalds or Burger King and many others?

 

It is unfortunate the the best Dairy Queen's are usually in the worst parts of town though......

[ginzo]

Smashburger is a reasonable option as well. It's kind of like an improved version of Steak 'n Shake.

[Sir Clinksalot]

I still cannot understand why anyone likes In & Out. I still think their quality plummeted when they started to expand/franchise. I'd rather go to Arby's.

 

Agreed ... well, except for the Arby's part.

 

We have In N Out a few miles from us and we go there maybe once a year. In fact, we had it the other night. It was good, best part is the Animal Style Fries and the Neapolitan shakes.

 

I find it funny when my fellow Californian's get so defensive about In N Out ... almost more than Disneyland Fanboys. Almost.

[SharkTums]

The only thing good about In n Out is their milk shakes.

 

I like Five Guys cause they do a really good Grilled Cheese.

[beatle11]

Not surprised at all that Five Guys is at the top. Never had a chance to try In-N-Out though.

[paintballer]

Five Guys has the quality, but is a bit more 'spensive. In and Out is quick, easy, and cheap.

[rjvader]

I still don't understand what all the In-N-Out worship is all about. I went there once and had a double cheeseburger; it was so small that I left the place about as hungry as I entered. I'd rather have a couple Jumbo Jacks.

[XYZ]

Wow, what's with all the In-N-Out hate!?

 

I really enjoy In-N-Out, they always serve delicious burgers and have good prices.

[Angry_Gumball]

I like In-n-out but their burgers do seem to have...shrunk over the past few years. Can't go wrong with animal style. I do have to agree though, spending the same price over at Jack in the Box, I leave the place feeling like the epitome of an ACEr after eating their Ultimate Bacon Cheese Burger.

 

I have yet to get a 5 Guys Burger credit (I really need to watch how I say this...can see/hear people saying that 'they ate 5 guys for lunch). A 5 Guys Burger opened in my city, across town. Unless I treat myself one of these days, I probably won't have one for a while...trying to lose my spare tire that has formed.

[rcdude]

I've only been to Five Guys once, and while I thought it was decent I also felt it was very overpriced. I prefer In-N-Out, although I don't think they're super amazing like some people do and probably wouldn't miss it if I moved out of California. For me, the biggest surprise was how high A&W ranked, and how low McDonald's ranked, although I guess it might make more sense if the restaurants are being ranked mainly on their burgers and not on the restaurant overall.

 

Just for fun, here's how I'd rank the ones I've been to, best to worst (based on the whole menu, not just burgers):

 

Fuddruckers

Carl's Jr.

In-N-Out

Steak 'n Shake

McDonald's

Five Guys

A&W Restaurant

Wendy's

Dairy Queen

Jack in the Box

Sonic

Burger King

[Jew]

Five Guys sets itself apart with the fries. The burger is pretty damn good as well, but the fries are great! In-N-Out is good for fast food, but I hate their fries. The shakes are good though.

[A.J.]

I'm a Fuddruckers guy myself, though Five Guys being ranked best is certainly well-deserved. There's one in downtown State College and it's great stuff.

[SuperShawn]

Five Guys sets itself apart with the fries. The burger is pretty damn good as well, but the fries are great!

 

Totally agree! While their burgers hit the spot those fries are addictive!

[ginzo]

I really wish Five Guys sold a smaller portion of fries. Their small order, even divided among two people, is much too big for me in addition to the burger. I just wind up eating the peanuts instead.

[gisco]

I really wish Five Guys sold a smaller portion of fries. Their small order, even divided among two people, is much too big for me in addition to the burger. I just wind up eating the peanuts instead.

 

I know what you mean. They fill the cup full of fries and then dump another cups worth in the bag. I made the mistake once when I first went there and ordered a large.

[BeemerBoy]

I still cannot understand why anyone likes In & Out. I still think their quality plummeted when they started to expand/franchise. I'd rather go to Arby's.

To me, it's just a really good fast food burger. I don't eat a lot of burgers, as I usually prefer chicken, so when something comes along that catches my taste buds and leaves a lasting impression, I stick with it. In-N-Out just does that....unfortunately there's the stupid perception that most people who love In-N-Out bought into it to some extent due to the "trendy" factor (which many probably do, but still).

 

For me, I don't bother with that crap. It's just like my music and everything else...if it sounds good to me, I listen; if it tastes good, I eat it, etc. etc. Now if only I could combine In-N-Out's burgers with Five Guys' fries and Stake 'n Shake's shakes, then we'd be in business.

 

I'm not really familiar with their history, but as far as their quality plummeting due to franchising, haven't they always franchised, but been pretty rigid with who gets in? I thought I heard that they only built locations within 500 miles of their own beef farms? Has that changed?

 

Arby's has good Market Fresh sandwiches.

[Hilltopper39]

^The new hot Turkey Roaster Sandwiches at Arby's are really good, I prefer Arby's over the majority of fast food chains any day. Arby's Turkey Sandwiches and Chik-Fil-a Spicy Chicken are my fast food "go-to's".

[Sir Clinksalot]

^^ In N Out had their first location in Baldwin Park. That was the only distribution center for a LONG time but there are more now because they have locations in AZ, UT, TX, NV and maybe NM. I know they have a distribution center in Phoenix, not sure about others. I'm guessing they have one in TX now as well.

 

I think the thing with In N Out is, they started in what, 1946 and only had around 100 locations in the late 1990's/early 2000's. They are now up to well over 200 and as others have said, it seems like it may have impacted quality a bit.

[chemical_echo]

A lot of my friends swear by Five Guys, but I've yet to go there. Someone once posted a picture of their receipt on Facebook and I think that's been one reason I haven't gone yet. There's still something about McDonalds for me though; I rarely go there anymore, but when I do, I just love the taste of a Big Mac, Quarter Pounder, or double cheeseburger.

 

In-n-Out is one of my favourite burger places whenever I visit my dad out in California. Maybe it's just the fact that I only get to eat there once or twice a year, but I love it.

 

There's a ton of burger places opening up in Toronto now; the one with the biggest buzz is Burger Priest. I'm still dying to try that, especially after getting a look at the secret menu.