If one guy started the McDonalds chain which worked out pretty well for him, the strategy of having five guys pitch in really did the trick for Five Guys Burgers and Fries.  Forget the Happy Meals and Super Size nonsense; these guys have the Burger Lunch down to a science.  Forge your way through the line, past the sacks of fresh potatoes waiting to be sacrificed in a vat of hot peanut oil, and the wait is well worth it.  Their website and the restaurant walls remind you unashamedly that the 5 Guy burger has been voted by many groups across this great nation as the #1 hamburger to eat at lunch, or in a park, or in Missouri, or watching Willie Wonka…..but really, what would the NWFL Burger Tour think of this burger chain powerhouse?

The menu is a bit confusing for an 8 year old and for some tour members.  The have a “little cheeseburger” and a “cheese burger”, some ordered the “cheese burger” because they thought the “little cheeseburger” was for “little” people, turns out the “cheese burger” is a “double” cheeseburger!  So a few tour members ended up with more beef than they thought they were going to get (although, the manager did say that the “double” is their regular size burger.  When ordering, the large red and white sign tells you which condiments you can get on your burger, ranging from the ordinary to BBQ sauce or jalapeños.  After a short wait and listening real hard to hear your number called out, you should be ready to eat.

First off, the fries are delicious and they give you enough for you to take some to the guy looking for work on the interstate on-ramp when you are done.  You get enough in the cup o’ fries for two people, but there is also another heaping helping of fries for 3 more guys in your grease-stained brown paper bag  (maybe this is where the 5 guys part comes in?).

Several tour members commented that the burger was pretty much a fast food hamburger on steroids.  It is what you would expect from a restaurant that spends their days pumping out hamburgers to the masses as fast as possible.  The sesame seed bun was very fresh and proportionate.  The beef was what really separated this burger from the top end burgers.  This patty was larger than most fast food restaurants but several tour members thought it lacked seasoning and flavor…again, a fast food burger bulked up, was a common theme (a little girl with red hair in pig-tails was mentioned a lot).  All burgers are cooked well-done.  The condiments were average and applied liberally.  The cheese was good when melted but some burgers came with a cold slice atop the beef, maybe it took a while to melt, so those who ate their fries first had a better cheese experience?  The good thing about this burger is that it is consistent, every time you visit Five Guys, you will get the same burger experience, time after time.

All in all, with a final score of 6.72 this is a very tasty “fast-food” burger.  Combine it with a bag of fries and it is well worth your time.  So the next time you want a good burger on the go, pass by the other typical fast food places and head for your nearest Five Guys Burgers and Fries; but if you want to know who makes the best burger in Northwest Florida, stop back by next week as the NWFL Burger Tour rolls on.

(In Pensacola, Five Guys is located at the corner of 9^th Ave. andAirport Blvd.)