That’s because the place has a reputation for being pretty darn expensive and for giving you even more fries than you bargained for.
One of their receipts where someone’s meal cost £18.58 ended up going viral as people wanted to know just what the hell was going on.
The folks who run Five Guys have said that they ‘raise our prices to reflect whatever our food costs are’, so if their suppliers put their prices up then the price of your burger, hot dog, milkshake or whatever corresponding item you wanted will rise too.
Still, something’s going right because they keep getting customers willing to pay and they make a point of selling ‘boardwalk’ style fries which are blanched in cold water and then cooked twice.
When I asked why they served out so many fries they gave the expected answer that it’s because they were ‘proud’ of them, but it seems there’s also a psychology behind it.
According to Food Republic, Chad Murrell, son of Five Guys founder Jerry Murrell (the chain is named for Jerry and his four sons) admitted that the extra scoop of fries made them look ‘pretty bad’ if someone tried to calorie count their portions, but thought other places didn’t shovel on enough scoops of fries.
He said: “I won’t name names, but other restaurants just don’t give a satisfying amount of fries.
“We always give an extra scoop. I say load ’em up and make sure they get their money’s worth.”
Chad Murrell (right) said he thought people not complaining about the fries meant the portions weren’t large enough (Katherine Frey/The The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Murrell also said that Five Guys got plenty of complaints about being given too many fries, but claimed that he was actually fine with the complaints and wanted more of them.
“People complain that they get too many fries,” Murrell said, before explaining that he thought it was a good thing.
“I just tell them to make hash browns with the leftovers. I teach my managers that if people aren’t complaining, then you’re not giving them enough.”
So there you have what one of the five guys from Five Guys says is the actual reason they give you so many fries.
Even if he said that he thinks complaints are a sign that customers are actually getting enough to eat, you probably shouldn’t take this as a sign to complain to the staff at your local branch, they’re pretty busy.
