The Classic American Meal: A Fresh Take from Five Guys

When it comes to classic food on the go, one meal that often comes to mind is burgers and fries. For me, this is a staple that never goes out of style. In fact, I love coming to places that serve real hamburger meat that's fresh in the morning - if I can find those places, that's where I'll stop every time. This sentiment rings true for Five Guys, a chain of restaurants founded by five brothers who are passionate about serving mouth-watering burgers and fries.

The Brothers Behind the Brand

The Five Guys brothers are actually brothers themselves - Jim is the oldest, followed by Matt, Chad, Ben, and Tyler. They began grilling up their homemade hamburgers in Virginia in the mid-1980s, and since then, their love for fresh meat and potatoes has taken them across America. The Colorado Springs location of Five Guys is no exception, cooking up over a thousand burgers every day to meet the demand of hungry customers.

Freshness is Key

At Five Guys, the focus is on freshness - both in terms of ingredients and preparation. When preparing for the day, they prep for only one day's worth of meals before adjusting their quantities based on customer traffic. As soon as a customer walks in, an employee will yell out how many patties need to be put on the grill, signaling the start of the cooking process. The brothers carefully watch the outer edges of each patty until they turn a grayish color, then flip them over and press down with precision to keep the burgers juicy.

The Secret to Perfect Fries

While the burger is just as important, fries are an equally crucial component of the Five Guys experience. A board in the restaurant proudly displays where the spuds come from each day - it's a staggering 100 million pounds of potatoes cooked up every year! The process begins with slicing potatoes into thin strips, which are then soaked in water before being pre-cooked for a couple of minutes to achieve that perfect fry. When orders come in, a final drop of peanut oil crisps the outside of the fries, transforming them from raw potato to crispy delight.

Staying Low-Tech

Five Guys' secret to freshness lies in their commitment to staying low-tech. Unlike many restaurants, they don't rely on microwaves, freezers, or even timers. Instead, they want their employees to leave and go, focusing on making each burger from scratch rather than relying on pre-made ingredients or automated processes. This dedication to quality has earned them a loyal following of customers who appreciate the care and attention that goes into every meal.

A Quick Bite

So how do Five Guys manage to crank out burgers and fries in just five to seven minutes? It's all about efficiency and teamwork - with careful planning and coordination, their employees can juggle multiple orders while maintaining quality and consistency. Whether you're grabbing a quick bite on the go or meeting up with friends, Five Guys is always ready to serve up a delicious American classic that never fails to hit the spot.

From The Founders' Perspective

As I sit down at the counter to order my burger and fries, I'm greeted by one of the brothers themselves - Jim. He shares stories about the early days of Five Guys and how the family's passion for fresh food has only grown stronger over the years. For fans of burgers and fries like me, it's clear that this is a brand that's truly dedicated to serving up the best possible meal.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwhen you think of classic food on the go one meal comes to mind at least for me and that would be burgers and fries so here's a look at how five brothers are winning over burger lovers with their fresh take on an american favorite so watch at five guys regular cheese little cheese burgers and fries are the specialty of the house the grill proudly sports very few frills and makes meat patties like you do at home i love coming to a place that's got real hamburger meat that's fresh in the morning if i can find those places that's where i'll stop every time the five guys are actually five brothers who began grilling up their homemade hamburgers in virginia in the mid-1980s okay we'll start with the oldest my oldest brother jim and that'd be me matt and then we have chad and then we have ben and tyler all brothers their love for mouth-watering meat potatoes now stretches across america this five guys restaurant in colorado springs colorado cooks up well over a thousand burgers every day getting ready for hungry hamburger fan starts early in the morning they slice veggies and form fresh ground beef into perfect patties all by hand the freshness is really what we focus on and keep in mind when we do our prep in the morning we prep for only one day then the number of people who walk in the door determines how many patties sizzle on the grill as soon as that customer walks in the door you're going to hear somebody up front yell two in the door one in the door three in the door that's the cue to put some patties on the grill they watch the outer edges of the patty to turn a grayish color then give them a flip flip that and we're going to give it a good press and level the press keeps the burgers juicy and it's the juices that signal when it's time for another turn we can train these guys where they can look at a burger and say you know what that burger's done we're gonna swing that right over here but this is only half the meal you can't have baseball without a bat you can't have a burger without fries sacks and potatoes surround customers in the restaurant a board shows where the spuds come from each day would you believe five guys fries up 100 million pounds of potatoes each year the fries start with a slice then soak in water they pre-cook the potatoes for a couple of minutes so that gives us that perfect fry that the inside of that is like a baked potato then when orders come in a final drop of the peanut oil crisps the outside pretty much goes from the dirt to the bag into the sink into the fryer and into your mouth and that's it i mean there's not there's very few steps their secret for freshness is to stay low tech no microwaves freezers or even timers here we want them to leave and go how do they make that burger so good this all-american meal takes just five to seven minutes to make here you are sir you have a great day and for some it takes even less time to eat youwhen you think of classic food on the go one meal comes to mind at least for me and that would be burgers and fries so here's a look at how five brothers are winning over burger lovers with their fresh take on an american favorite so watch at five guys regular cheese little cheese burgers and fries are the specialty of the house the grill proudly sports very few frills and makes meat patties like you do at home i love coming to a place that's got real hamburger meat that's fresh in the morning if i can find those places that's where i'll stop every time the five guys are actually five brothers who began grilling up their homemade hamburgers in virginia in the mid-1980s okay we'll start with the oldest my oldest brother jim and that'd be me matt and then we have chad and then we have ben and tyler all brothers their love for mouth-watering meat potatoes now stretches across america this five guys restaurant in colorado springs colorado cooks up well over a thousand burgers every day getting ready for hungry hamburger fan starts early in the morning they slice veggies and form fresh ground beef into perfect patties all by hand the freshness is really what we focus on and keep in mind when we do our prep in the morning we prep for only one day then the number of people who walk in the door determines how many patties sizzle on the grill as soon as that customer walks in the door you're going to hear somebody up front yell two in the door one in the door three in the door that's the cue to put some patties on the grill they watch the outer edges of the patty to turn a grayish color then give them a flip flip that and we're going to give it a good press and level the press keeps the burgers juicy and it's the juices that signal when it's time for another turn we can train these guys where they can look at a burger and say you know what that burger's done we're gonna swing that right over here but this is only half the meal you can't have baseball without a bat you can't have a burger without fries sacks and potatoes surround customers in the restaurant a board shows where the spuds come from each day would you believe five guys fries up 100 million pounds of potatoes each year the fries start with a slice then soak in water they pre-cook the potatoes for a couple of minutes so that gives us that perfect fry that the inside of that is like a baked potato then when orders come in a final drop of the peanut oil crisps the outside pretty much goes from the dirt to the bag into the sink into the fryer and into your mouth and that's it i mean there's not there's very few steps their secret for freshness is to stay low tech no microwaves freezers or even timers here we want them to leave and go how do they make that burger so good this all-american meal takes just five to seven minutes to make here you are sir you have a great day and for some it takes even less time to eat you\n"