In-n-Out: Overrated.

Due to this thread, I went about 20 minutes out of my way to eat at Five Guys yesterday...

...best fast-food hamburger & fries in SoCal, corporate division. By far.

Sorry, Fatburger, I've got a new favorite.

Now if you find yourself on the I-15 between Temecula and San Diego, be sure to stop by this surfer shack of a burger stand, in the Mobil parking lot on the road to Oceanside. It's the best burger/fries in all of California, IMO.

Nessy Burger

http://www.yelp.com/biz/nessys-burgers-fallbrook#query:Nessy%20Burger

 

I wonder how many Five Guys have opened since the president went there on national TV?

 

Did he go to Five Guys? I know he went to Ray's Hellburger in Arlington with Medevev.

 

During his first year in office one of the networks was following him around for "A Day in the life" piece and if memory serves, he ran into Five Guys and bought lunch for his staff. He may have even made a comment like "This is my favorite place," or something to that effect.

I had never heard of the place until that happened. In the last year, two new ones have opened near me.

 

Obama went to the Five Guys just down the street from where I work. A couple blocks from Nats Park. We go there occasionally for lunch. Not in a good while, though.

Also went to Ray's, yes.

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/03/obama-gets-frustrated-at_n_210967.html

 

Bump for Tim Lincecum Unpaid Endorsement.


“Lately it’s been three double-doubles, two fries and a half strawberry/half chocolate milkshake. That’s just one meal. No animal style. I get plain cheeseburgers with some ketchup and that’s about it, maybe that’s why they go down easier. I’m probably going to go there after this."

 

F Tim Lincecum, genetically skinny douchebag!

 

Well, I'm not sure it's genetically skinny. There was a time -- I weighed 125 pounds when I graduated high school -- I could have done that, too, no problem. You wouldn't know it to see me today.

 

Never even heard of Five Guys until months ago, and now they're everywhere. I don't care how good it is -- I've never eaten there -- such a quick expansion is very dangerous for any company. I assume they must have some venture capital/private equity money behind them, since those guys always push fast returns at any cost given their short horizons.

In-N-Out absolutely rolled in the dough for years and years and years. The old lady was fervently against reckless expansion and that's why for so long it was indeed a California thing. Now they're in AZ, NV, TX, etc. It dilutes the per-store earnings and the quality of the brand, and the question perhaps becomes do you care about grosses or do you care about percentages? Because back when In-N-Out was SoCal only and very judicious in its expansion, you had glorified tollbooths with two employees serving long lines of cars all day, every day. You want to talk about profit as a percentage of revenue, my goondess.

On that basis, there will never be another success story like the old In-N-Out. I'm not a huge fan, but a few times a year I get a craving and go there. It is still extremely economical; you won't get more quality for less money at any fast food chain; but it's not my favorite. I guess I need to try Five Guys but I have a feeling I'll be underwhelmed simply because the In-N-Out haters have built Five Guys out to be some sort of mecca that makes a nine dollar combo out to be a bargain.

 

The Five Guys founding family keeps a tight rein on its franchisees, so I don't see quality being an issue.