David Hammond wrote:

dak125 wrote:The burger was fantastic, juicy with a little pink

In the PROP store, I believe a sign proclaims (or threatens) that meat is cooked all the way through. Like you, I'd prefer some pink.

Yup, the sign was there. The pink was present on both visits so perhaps Naperville knows what's up .

I went to the one in Oak Park. Loved the fries, liked the burger. I tried to order my burger med. rare, and they refused. I understand that at a McDonald's or In and Out price point, but this is a much more costly place.

It doesn't really have anything to do with price point, it's just that the type of burgers they're doing there don't lend themselves to being cooked to a requested degree of doneness.

I see that Five Guys is opening another location at corner of Clark & Fullerton, in space formerly occupied by Ritz Camera.

It was funny to see President Obama go to Five Guys on TV with the NBC crew following him, anyone see that?

Ram4 wrote:It was funny to see President Obama go to Five Guys on TV with the NBC crew following him, anyone see that?

definetely a great lunch for his staff

any word on the schaumburg location?

According to today's Mount Prospect Journal (online article is subsumed into a larger print story), the former Egg Harbor at Randhurst will become a Five Guys, a Chipotle, a T-Mobile store and a third baseman to be named later.

Anticipated opening is late september, early october.

Just want to say that it was Egg Factory not Egg Harbor.

Transformation of an outlot on the Randhurst property is also in full swing. Conroy said the interior of the vacant Egg Factory restaurant building has been completely gutted and stripped.

\

LAM026 wrote:Just want to say that it was Egg Factory not Egg Harbor.

Transformation of an outlot on the Randhurst property is also in full swing. Conroy said the interior of the vacant Egg Factory restaurant building has been completely gutted and stripped.

That's what's supposed to become the collection of items I listed above.
And Factory or Harbor, it's been broken Eggs for a half a year. At least we're getting an omelet.

I didn't know that space was big enough for all that stuff. I'll have to try a Five Guys one of these days to see what all the fuss is about. Oy, Chipotle.

My wife and I went to the Five Guys in Naperville for the first time, and we both really liked it. The burger was very good, with my only complaint that the grilled onions weren't as deeply grilled as I like. The fries were really good, which is saying a lot for me. I usually really hate hand cut fries, because I find them greasy. These were not at all like that. We'll definitely be back.

How does the bathroom at Five Guys compare to the bathroom at McDonalds? Would you say that Five Guys is good for vegetarians? I'm thinking about going on some Thursday in the future, can anyone tell me how long the line at Five Guys is on a typical Thursday night? If I were to show up at Five Guys with 4 out of towners, would they think it's good? How does it compare with NYC?

Please, this is all information I need to have, and I can't find it in the 8 pages of this thread. More Five Guys discussion and detailed fast food knowledge is needed on this site. Has anyone created a google map of all the Burger Kings in Chicagoland?


(yes, I know I'm a jerk, and I am in a small minority who wish this thread would disappear already, but feel free to respond to tell me so anyway. That'll help fill the thread to 10 pages before we know it!)

Kennyz wrote:
(yes, I know I'm a jerk, and I am in a small minority who wish this thread would disappear already, but feel free to respond to tell me so anyway. That'll help fill the thread to 10 pages before we know it!)

I'll bite.

What is the difference between a pedantic thread about chain restaurants, and one that is just as pedantic (and sycophantic) about Ma and Pa's?

I ask this in all sincerity.

cito wrote:

Kennyz wrote:
(yes, I know I'm a jerk, and I am in a small minority who wish this thread would disappear already, but feel free to respond to tell me so anyway. That'll help fill the thread to 10 pages before we know it!)

I'll bite.

What is the difference between a pedantic thread about chain restaurants, and one that is just as pedantic (and sycophantic) about Ma and Pa's?

I ask this in all sincerity.

I luv ya Kenny, but I've got to agree with cito on this. Dining is dining, and that's what LTH is about. Five Guys is at the low end of the spectrum, but this thread deserves to exist as much as the myriad of threads about the oriental restaurant du jour that tends to be popular on LTH.

Oh BTW, what's the chances that a place known for their burgers will be good for vegetarians? The only thing missing on the front of the restaurant is a picture of a salad in a red circle with a line running through it. Although I guess the veggies among us, God love 'em, can eat the fries and the peanuts.

Kennyz wrote:
More Five Guys discussion and detailed fast food knowledge is needed on this site. Has anyone created a google map of all the Burger Kings in Chicagoland?

Kenny you crack me up. I love it.

Just for you, Kenny. Just for you.

Mike G wrote:Just for you, Kenny. Just for you.

Mike, you are a wicked man who will come to a bad end. That was hilarious!

cito wrote:

Kennyz wrote:
(yes, I know I'm a jerk, and I am in a small minority who wish this thread would disappear already, but feel free to respond to tell me so anyway. That'll help fill the thread to 10 pages before we know it!)

I'll bite.

What is the difference between a pedantic thread about chain restaurants, and one that is just as pedantic (and sycophantic) about Ma and Pa's?

I ask this in all sincerity.

It's the same as the difference between an apple and kiwi. One's an apple, one's a kiwi.

Kennyz wrote:

cito wrote:

Kennyz wrote:
(yes, I know I'm a jerk, and I am in a small minority who wish this thread would disappear already, but feel free to respond to tell me so anyway. That'll help fill the thread to 10 pages before we know it!)

I'll bite.

What is the difference between a pedantic thread about chain restaurants, and one that is just as pedantic (and sycophantic) about Ma and Pa's?

I ask this in all sincerity.

It's the same as the difference between an apple and kiwi. One's an apple, one's a kiwi.

What are things I could go for right now to satisfy my sweet tooth after lunch, Alex.

Five Guys will be opening soon in Bloomingdale. Located on Army Trail Rd, just east of Gary Ave.

Kennyz wrote:How does the bathroom at Five Guys compare to the bathroom at McDonalds? Would you say that Five Guys is good for vegetarians? I'm thinking about going on some Thursday in the future, can anyone tell me how long the line at Five Guys is on a typical Thursday night? If I were to show up at Five Guys with 4 out of towners, would they think it's good? How does it compare with NYC?

Please, this is all information I need to have, and I can't find it in the 8 pages of this thread. More Five Guys discussion and detailed fast food knowledge is needed on this site. Has anyone created a google map of all the Burger Kings in Chicagoland?

1. on my visit to the oak park one, the bathroom was ok, lots of old magazine articles about the chain. also it was a single occupant bathroom i think.

2. google themselves have created a google map of burger kings in chicago, you go to google maps and search for "burger king in chicago, il"

3. i never understood sarcasm. also, you could just not read the thread.

Went to the one on Sheridan Road for the second time in a week. Burger was much better the second time. Fries were good, no too greasy. The place is better than 95% of burger joints we've gone to but will someone please tell why the music is played so loud that my wife and I couldn't talk without shouting. That reason alone will keep me from going when I have a choice. Am I the only one that hates very loud resturants?

Ginkgo wrote:Am I the only one that hates very loud resturants?

No, I'm with you. I get very irritable about it, even when I'm alone and only need to hear myself talk. Is it always that way here? Hey, that sounds like a new thread idea to me, places with extreme noise levels.

I had a similar experience at the Five Guys in Oak Park. Not only the music but when someone would enter the door the staff would shout "THRU THE DOOR!" and then again passing my order onto the grill cook.

Fatburger... Very loud Hip Hop.

I guess we can excuse Kuma's as they advertise the fact that they are a heavy metal establishment. ... and they are soooo good!

Saw people in the Five Guys at Clark/Fullerton today around 11am and stopped in. They are opening on Monday but were having a "friends and family" day to practice for the hard opening. They were letting other people in to keep the line going and in the 10 minutes I was there I don't think I saw the person at the door turn anyone away. Ordered a bacon cheeseburger and small fries and the price was....$0 (register said almost $10). If I would have known they weren't charging I would have ordered another burger and large fries instead of the small. Fries were good, though not the best fresh cut fries I've had, Poochies is my favorite right now and they didn't seem to be twice cooked like good fresh cut fries usually are. Burger was good for a flattop fried burger, nice and cheesy too but the bacon was a little too chewy and grilled onions a little flavorless. Not sure if I will go back anytime soon but it was a nice free preview. (Sorry I didn't post earlier so maybe some folks could have taken advantage...was out enjoying this beautiful day).

Personally, I don't think the hamburgers at 5 Guys are very good. The patties are so think, there's no juiciness to them. The hotdog, on the other hand, was quite tasty. I like the way they split it down the middle so it's grilled and crispy on all sides. Their fries are good too.

Checked out the new Clark/Fullerton branch of Five Guys today.

As fast food burgers go, I liked it. I didn't think that the burger or fries were life-changing, but I'm happy to have it in the neighborhood. I will say that even though this branch hasn't been open for very long, everything seemed to be running like a well-oiled machine (well managed lines, clean tables, friendly staff, no mistakes in our order).

Went to my first Five Guys this week, in Towson, MD. As mentioned here (but which I forgot), a "regular" is two patties and a "little" is one patty. I ordered a "regular" cheeseburger thinking it would be, you know, regular. My sister and I shared an order of the fries.

I thought the fries were more special than the burger (they actually tasted like potatoes), but I enjoyed everything. The one thing I would suggest is that if you have a regular cheeseburger and half an order of fries, don't plan on getting anything else done for the rest of the afternoon. All your body's resources will be marshaled in the act of digestion. My energy level came back about 4:30.

In line with Josh's experience of the Clark/Fullerton location, the York Rd. location in Towson seemed an impressively well-oiled machine. A sense of forethought and intelligence pervades the place, so that the business itself seems an aesthetic act.

I went to the one on Clybourn today. I just ordered the fries. They looked great & they were plentiful. But, as my husband would say, they could aspire to be underwhelming. The outsides were crisp, but the insides were a bit mushy for my taste. The small fries were $2.89. That is a bit much for potatoes. I normally don't complain about prices, but I guess you notice these things when food isn't great. All I could think of was how many pounds of organic yukon potatoes could I have purchased to make the Easier French Fries featured in Cook's Illustrated last summer?

I think I will pick up some yukons and peanut oil.

Update: Fixed Link I hope.

pairs4life wrote:I went to the one on Clybourn today. I just ordered the fries. They looked great & they were plentiful. But, as my husband would say, they could aspire to be underwhelming. The outsides were crisp, but the insides were a bit mushy for my taste. The small fries were $2.89. That is a bit much for potatoes. I normally don't complain about prices, but I guess you notice these things when food isn't great. All I could think of was how many pounds of organic yukon potatoes could I have purchased to make the Easier French Fries featured in Cook's Illustrated last summer?

I think I will pick up some yukons and peanut oil.

Yeah, but how much is the Peanut Oil? $10 or more to 2.5 pounds of fries / 6 potatoes if made at home? 5 guys doesn't seem like a bad deal based on the number of fries you get.