Five Guys Burgers and Fries ~ national chain : Colorado Springs, Colorado

Latest visit: Oct 2023 (Colorado Springs - Interquest)

First visit: Jan 2007 (Reston, VA)

Locations: 49 states + DC. Only Alaska is missing. There are 30 in Colorado (4 in the Springs). That's +3 from last year. Texas has 68 (our former locale of Southlake is closed, so Hurst would have been the closest). There are 123 in California which is their largest state presence. The original Reston location that I first went to is still going. 

In what appears to be a recurring theme, I state each year this will be my last visit to Five Guys. Only to return anyway. This year's excuse is I wanted to try their new location, which very recently opened up close to our house. This is definitely the closest we've ever lived to a Five Guys - even the Reston location was further from my office at the time. And I thought maybe it would make a good choice for a weekday lunch while working from home, thus putting Five Guys back into the rotation. I put that idea to the test here this Saturday on a non-business day. Once back home I watched some college football while enjoying my meal. The jury is still out, but as I always say - their burgers really are very good. By taking it home I avoid the extra expense of fries and a soda, which I can supply here (chips instead of fries). And while waiting to pick up my order, I munched on some peanuts filling me up sufficiently so that fries aren't necessary anyway. At $12, a "regular cheeseburger" (which is a double to be fair) is still a hefty price. Their argument is they use only the "freshest ingredients" and it's better than the competition. All debatable. But one thing they do win on is price - as in the highest. Yep, they got that prize for sure.

What's very curious is the existence of this location at all. In what appears to be a corporate cockup, Five Guys has opened up in a extremely competitive space, and they have another location all of ten minutes away. I do prefer this location to the other since it's more spacious and comfortable while waiting for your order. But here? Let's run down that competition shall we? In-N-Out is the heavy hitter and has made this area "ground zero" for all budding chains to come to. Three years after opening, the legendary California chain continues to have lines around the building every minute they're open. They are considerably cheaper than Five Guys (like 60% less). Am I to believe their ingredients are old and lesser? Nope. Texas standby Whataburger made their grand Colorado entrance right here two years ago. They're also cheaper. Freddy's was already established (they were first and the only burger place here when we moved in). They're less expensive. Now comes Shake Shack waiting to open any second. And you know they will have the "opening days" madness that In-N-Out and Whataburger enjoyed. And of course McDonalds and Burger King are here as well. The latter two will always draw a different, less discerning crowd, and they can afford to have locations within 10 minutes of each other. But Five Guys?

So guess what? They've been opened less than one week and there's hardly anyone there. That's not a good sign. What the heck were they thinking? If they closed the other one near Chapel Hills Mall, then OK, I could see the logic. 

Will I be back? Oh probably. If this location remains open. Otherwise, no. Maybe.

---4/1/22 update

Ah well, nostalgia wins the day. Despite what I said below, I went back anyway. It's still too expensive, but everything is nowadays, but even more than the competition. Mrs. RJG joined me this time, and we both really enjoyed the hamburgers and fries. Still not that many patrons. You would think a reduction in price might help with that. Maybe they don't care. In any case, nothing more or different to report on. See you next year! We'd go more often but.... 

As of this writing, Five Guys has an enormous amount of locations, and I believe are in every state (OK, I don't see Alaska). There are 27 in Colorado with 3 here in the Springs. 

---7/3/21 update

Getting in our annual update here - much later than usual. Our local branch is similar to the others, with the red and white checkered tiles, sacks of Idaho potatoes, and vanity newspaper articles. Order up - everything is ala carte - grab some peanuts and head to a table or stool. Or go outside on the patio. Nice to see the peanuts are back after they were stored away for the pandemic. I got my usual cheeseburger (which is a double patty), "little" fries (which is more than enough), and a drink (they have mix and match machines for both Coke soda products and lemonade). Everything was as tasty as my memory would have it. But my goodness, what's the deal with the prices here? I paid $18 for a basic fast food meal. C'mon. I know we have some inflation going on, but they're going to price themselves out of the market at this rate. $14 for a cheeseburger and fries? The nearby Flying Horse Steakhouse, which is a very high end 5 star establishment, charges $16 for their burger and fries. That's truly insane. It's $7 at In-N-Out Burger for the same (including drink - so $11 cheaper). That's one of the primary reasons they have lines out the door, and Five Guys have very few patrons. Not sure I need to come back here anymore. Keep the fond memories, as the below original review lays out.

---original 9/9/08 review (Southlake, Texas)

I myself cannot believe how rapidly Five Guys has expanded. It was only a few years ago that they were practically a local chain operating in and around Washington DC, and the Maryland / Virginia suburbs, which I visited many times on business when working for software-company-most-people-have-heard-of (in fact, my physical office was in Reston at the time). I can remember being thrilled to find out they had a location in Annapolis, Maryland, which is where my new company's HQ is based. That was last year! At that time, I would've never dreamed that they'd be a national chain. so it was very exciting to see them recently open up in the DFW area - and right here in NE Tarrant's Southlake!

Five Guys has mastered one aspect of the fast food experience: The limited menu. It's hamburgers, hot dogs, and the one concession to vegetarians - grilled cheese (I appreciate this as there are times when my business group will include vegetarians and I still get to eat at places like Five Guys). 

And so with that, it's then paramount that the hamburgers are of a high quality. And indeed they are. A "regular" hamburger is actually two patties, whereas a "little" hamburger is only one. Mrs. RJG said one is more than sufficient (these aren't small like Freddy's for example). I naturally go for the regular. From there you request your toppings, which are numerous. "It'll be ready in 7 minutes" the girl at the counter stated. That's music to my ears. Nothing is more depressing than having your order ready two seconds after ordering. You order it - and they cook it. Sure, sometimes they'll have a head start, but not by much. They don't, as a rule, want burgers sitting around. So the burger usually comes out searing hot. I've burned the roof of my mouth more than once at the Reston location. As stated in another post, the taste is closest to Kincaid's overall (ed: a Fort Worth institution for my new readers). The fries are fresh cut potatoes, and they even tell you where the potatoes were grown (Burleson, Idaho I think was this day's special). And, while you're waiting those 7 minutes, grab a handful of peanuts that are sitting everywhere and munch down as many you can eat. Just like chips at a Mexican restaurant.

All Five Guys locations have a red and white checkered tile look. The walls feature the numerous articles that have been featured on Five Guys, many of them from the Washingtonian, a local magazine similar to "D" or "5280".

1/23/07; 1/17/08; 9/9/08 (new entry); 5/21/10; 8/22/11; 7/2/15; 8/2/16; 11/11/17; 6/27/20; 7/3/21; 4/1/22; 10/28/23

Reston, Virginia; Annapolis, Maryland; Southlake, Texas; Aurora, Colorado; Greenwood Village, Colorado; Wichita Falls, Texas; Colorado Springs (2)