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Why does Five Guys hate Boston?
By adamg on Mon, 06/28/2010 - 10:00pm
Looking at where the burger chain is opening up fast and furious, a Boston resident could get a complex. Are they in league with FiOS Guy or something?
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Comments
none across the river either
As a Medford resident I noticed the lack over here too. I emailed them pointing out that somewhere in Somerville/Cambridge/Medford/Arlington would be a goldmine. I was ignored. Too bad you need $500k liquid assets to open a franchise!
Cambridge and Somerville already have burger joints
Four Burgers in Central Square, Bartley's in Harvard Square, Boston Burger Company in Davis. With all of these local places, do we need this chain from DC?
That, and...
.....Boston/Cambridge/Brookline/Coupleotherplaces have the local-based mini chain B-Good.
Yeah we don't need no stinkin five guys. Maybe they're gunshy because Ruddfuckers closed their location in town (although maintains one at the airport)?
Yeah, but ...
That chain with the stupid name was basically another Houlihans/Bennigans burger joint. Five Guys, although they have tables, is really more of a takeout place. In general, you don't want to sit in a Five Guys - the music is so earsplittingly loud, it's painful (on purpose, maybe, or maybe that's just at the Dedham one?).
Also, there are parts of Boston that don't have letter-burger places. The vast majority of the city, I dare say. Besides, the crack Five Guys sprinkle on the fries is pretty addictive :-).
takeout vs. sit-down
I didn't know that about the noise at five guys. My dad is a child of the 50s and i NEARLY took him to five guys when he visited recently. One of the reasons I didn't was that he already has Five Guys where he lives (plus Sonic). He likes that place, and goes weekly with his buddies (my dad has been told by his doctor that he needs to PUT ON weight.....yet another trait I failed to inherit from him). He's also 80% deaf in one ear, 50% in the other, and wears no hearing aid. Needless to say, he didn't mention that they have loud music.
In case I ever do head over there, I will consider take out, but--how do their fries travel? One rule of thumb about fries is usually the higher the quality, the faster you have to eat them before they go stale. Do you find that they're still great by the time you take them home?
(I also forgot all about UBurger being in Boston, which someone else mentioned)
They travel well
Well, at least in the 10-15 minutes it takes us to get from Dedham to Roslindale.
OK then, I'll wait
For them to open up a local within 15 mins of my residence! Or I'll wear earplugs and sit down!
Because it's tasty? Because
Because it's tasty? Because variety is the spice of life?
From what I understand, Five
From what I understand, Five Guys is comparable to In'n'Out Burger (Ive never had 5 guys). I wonder if 5 guys rapid expansion will eventually hurt them. Part of the mystique is that the burgers can be found in a limited area. If they pop up on every corner, theyre just an overpriced burger king.
Five guys
is only like In n' out in that they sell burgers. in n out is more like the king. five guys is individual burgers cooked when you order them with a bunch of toppings you can get. one of the best fast food places i've ever been to.
And having written that inflammatory headline ...
I must admit that we're not all that far from the Dedham Five Guys and that, in fact, we typically get takeout there on Thursdays (because that's when I pick up the kidlet from dance class in West Roxbury, which is even closer).
West coast represent
Having had both, I prefer In-N-Out. I tend to not get too crazy on my burger toppings, which could explain why Five Guys doesn't really excite me. That, and no milkshakes!
That said, when the choice is Five Guys or nothin, I'm glad they're (near) here.
More like...
So, more like Fuddrucker's, then?
Reply to anon:
Not sure whether you've been to an In-n-Out, but it's clear you aren't aware of how they operate. Their burgers are also cooked when you order and made to your preference. As far as I know, they do not have as many topping options, but they do have a lot of variations that aren't on the menu. But mostly, I take exception to the idea that they do not cook their burgers to order. That's just mis-information.
Both are excellent burgers in my opinion, and it's worth the trip to Dedham now and then to get a five guys burger. It's worth the trip to California now and then to get an In-n-Out burger.
I enjoy Five Guys burgers a
I enjoy Five Guys burgers a great deal. Their (peanut oil fried) fries are good, too.
Keep them coming!
I have no problem with chains opening up. The local joints can still thrive, and as Adam said, not everywhere in Boston has access to a fast good burger joint. *cough* West Roxbury *cough*.
Also, the proper order is....
Five Guys < In n' Out < Shake Shack.
Meh
The real story here should be UBurger expanding with a store on the Tremont street across from park street station/
UBurger is pretty much out local Five Guys, and the food is just as good if not better.
Double meh
Along with the UBurger on Tremont, there's a B Good coming to Washington Street right near Pi Alley. As a former Mid-Atlantic resident, I was always a fan of the DC Five Guys and still pop into the one in New Haven on my way down the Merritt. That said, there's not really a need for one here. The Five Guys in the village and midtown in NYC gets creamed by all of the other surrounding options (Shake Shack, Burger Joint, Island Burgers, Corner Bistro, Crow's Nest, Bill's, Blue 9, J.G. Melon and even Lucky's). That said, I wouldn't be surprised to see one open in a burger-deprived neck of the woods like Southie or West Rox.
Rent
Boston is expensive. Famingham is cheap.
Just look at the high end stores that are in the Natick Mall and not anywhere in Boston. It's because the rent is a hell of a lot cheaper. Newbury Street rents will come down eventually, and when they do, maybe they will finally get a Tommy Bahama.
A Tommy Bahama!!!!
Wow, so we'll get to be just like every Jimmy Buffett-listening middle manager in the greater Weston area! Why don't we lower those rents now? Hey, maybe we can acquire some Ed Hardy and Affliction outlets that the upper crust seem to love so well... or maybe carts that sell $5 Armani Exchange shirts. Oh, the the quality and heritage we're missing out on here in poor downtrodden Boston! Why are we cursed with Newbury Street and Copley Place... dear god, WHY?!!!
still cracking up
Tommy Bahama. "High-end." That kills me.
Fave Burger?
I'm going to start another thread, asking that question, because one of the things MY WIFE and I love to do on July 4th is get a truly good burger. Please tell me about your favorite joint or restaurant or relative's house we can horn in on.
Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com
I don't mean to be rude, but
I don't mean to be rude, but trying to compare B Good's or Bartley's to Five Guys is a joke. I'm originally from the DC area, love Five Guys, and I literally get burgers maybe twice a year here in Cambridge because those options are so poor. Bartley's is about three times too expensive, and B Good is basically a poor man's version of Five Guys. When I'm in DC I get Five Guys every time I walk by it--no matter the time of day. If Five Guys came to Cambridge, B Good's would go out of business...not the other way around.
Five Guys is just like In and Out, except that they actually cook real patties, which actually taste good. In and Out is the best fast-food type burger (better than McDonalds, Burger King, etc.). Five Guys is the best damn burger I've ever had--in any restaurant, gourmet or otherwise.