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Health & Fitness

The New Math: 9 Guys + 3 Girls = Five Guys

Ok, for those of you who haven't heard yet, Five Guys on Rt. 206 S in Hillsborough opened a few weeks ago. If I could write this blog with one word it would be "Yum!". Here's the low-down:

Normally, I have enough time to write about one blog a week.  But I had to stop and pause tonight and crank this one out because I had such a pleasant surprise on so many levels. Five Guys, in Hillsborough – just wow.

Ok, for those of you who haven’t heard yet, Five Guys on Rt. 206 South in Hillsborough opened a few weeks ago. What is Five Guys?  They are a burger place.  Sort of fast-foodish, very casual, but please, whatever you think, do NOT think McDonalds.

My daughter and I walked in at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday night and there was standing room only.  We figured as much when we had to park in the “Additional Parking” section off to the side of the building, and saw people eating on the outside tables this summer evening.

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For as many people who were crowded into the restaurant, we waited less than 2 minutes for the cashier to take our order.  And she wasn’t frazzled or stressed. She greeted us with a smile and when I told her I wanted two orders of fries, she forewarned me that one order of regular fries, made fresh from the bags of potatoes that you see stockpiled in the middle of the restaurant, could serve THREE people.   Needless to say, we decided that we’d split one order of fries between the two of us at that point.

And, this is no Big Mac situation.  You can choose whatever combination of toppings you want on every burger you order.  You can get your onions either sautéed or raw, and if you want to try a burger with jalapeños on it – this is your place!  Their menu is simple, but the myriad of combinations of burgers that you can make is limited only by your imagination.

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Back to what we ordered. Since I was a Five Guys virgin, and saw there was no kids’ meal option, I figured my six year old would be content with the “Little Cheeseburger”.  (Not so little, as I found out later.)  I ordered a regular cheeseburger with practically the works on it for myself.

Let me tell you, Manda and I could have split a Little Cheeseburger between the two of us.  And we had enough fries left over for at least a third person, if not a fourth.  So there is truly no need to “supersize” it.  Trust me.

And Five Guys has it down to a science.  First of all, I don’t know why they call it “Five Guys”, because they had at least 12 working there at rush hour. Well, let’s make that 9 guys and 3 girls.  They were so well organized that even though they were calling “Number 4” and we were “Number 27” at the pickup window upon ordering, the wait didn’t seem long at all.  The grill guy knew his task, the hamburger assembler was efficient and accurate, and the kitchen operated like a well-oiled machine we could see in plain view.

Five Guys has figured out a way to make your wait worthwhile, too. They have boxes of unshelled peanuts out on the floor, with a scoop and cardboard holders that you can fill with as many as you want, and you can crack them open and eat them as you wait.  It’s a free appetizer that’s truly unique.

This experience makes me want to wait for my food.  If I walked in and got my order right away, I’d miss those peanuts!  Since the drinks are self-serve, patrons are kept content waiting for their orders because you can slurp and pop peanuts, as they cook your order to either stay or go.

Manda learned an important skill this evening – how to shell a peanut.  Funny how the things we take for granted as adults, but kids find amusing and interesting. 

Not one person was getting impatient nor one child whining about waiting for their food.  The Five Guys crew was faster than most at other fast food restaurants; and they got my order right!  We had ours “to go” and they even put napkins in the bag without me having to ask for them.  There were no surprises with one of the toppings left off of our burgers either.  We got exactly what we asked for.

Till this very day I didn’t think anything could top McDonald’s French fries, but you know what?  I wouldn’t be surprised if in a decade Five Guys has a sign reading “Over a billion served”, too.  These fresh taters are well-salted and melt in your mouth. They are hot and yummy.  I don’t know what their secret is, but next time I might just order the fries for my meal and call it a day.  Yes, they’re that good.

I have to admit, when I saw the sign saying that all burgers are prepared juicy and well done, I got a little scared at first.  To me, the thought of any well-done cut of meat conjures up images of tough, tasteless dry cardboard served up.  I now realize I was wrong.  I have never had a juicier well-done burger in my life.

When my husband was on a business trip to North Carolina a few months ago, he told me about this place I never heard of : “Five Guys” and raved about how their fries are better than McDonalds and how their burgers are so good.  I didn’t believe him.  Now I do.

And for you non-burger lovers, they have a vegetarian option and serve up hot dogs as well.

So, Hillsboroughites, consider yourselves lucky we have this new dining option in our town.  The next closest location is in Watchung.

I’m sold on it.  To top it off, they use 100% fresh beef, with no fillers or preservatives (Yay – no chemicals!) and all of their toppings are free!

If you go to http://www.fiveguys.com you can download a mobile ordering app for the Android and/or place your order ONLINE!  Yes, online!  The menu is right there, click, click away, and they accept credit cards.  They don’t deliver but you can cut a lot of people in line if you place your order in advance and go pick it up.

….oh, and they’re Zagat rated….yes, for real!

Bon Appetite!

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