Five Guys Burgers and Fries Westfield Stratford — Restaurant in London

Some of the staff seemed very unfriendly and the woman who served me seemed to have trouble understanding that I wanted one large vanilla milkshake with whipped cream on top, and nothing else. She kept asking if I wanted anything else, and then asked if I wanted whipped cream even though I had said “just one large vanilla milkshake with whipped cream”. One would think that that instruction was quite definitive: a) I wanted no other product, and b) I wanted whipped cream in the milkshake. Other than that, in spite of the restaurant being very spacious, there was hardly anyone there at all, apart from a couple of confused looking kids. The staff way outnumbered the customers when I was there, and they seemed to be busy with their banter. For a place called Five Guys, it was amusing to see that there weren’t even Five Customers and way more than five guys working there. The whole place probably had a total of five people. Maybe that is the curse of this place, that they will never have more than five people in here. I did see people walk in, look a the menu and walk straight out, and I think it had something to do with their inflated prices, and not having enough products on the menu that could be considered food. In the Westfield Mall, you already have several burger places such as Gourmet Burger Kitchen, TGI Fridays, McDonalds, so it is easy to ignore it.

Anyway, so what did I think of the milkshake? It was OK, but for nearly £6 it should age been much better. It tasted of syrupy sugar and felt like an invitation to a sore throat. £6 for a shake this average? It was just like the McDonalds Vanilla milkshake so why does it cost twice as much. I doubt whipped cream is worth £3 extra. As long as places like this charge this much for very assembly line style products, they will continue to lose money. Charge a reasonable price, and people might be willing to pay. Judging by the emptiness of this place (compared to GBK and TGI Fridays), this place looked so empty it was painful to watch. Maybe they get some of the city yuppies on corporate “away days”, or football fans when West Ham play at home, but I have been past this place many times, and the only place that looks sadder and more lonely than this is Burger King in Leyton Mills. Now if that put down doesn’t burn, the owners of this place should head down to that Burger King and see how bad things can get.

Update:

Reader, I went back! I was at Westfield anyway, so I thought I might get a burger. All the other places were busy so I thought "if one place that is guaranteed not to be busy at all, it is Five Guys", and I was right. I got the milkshake again, which I still feel is overpriced and nothing special. Gourmet Burger Kitchen ones are still better. What was a revelation was their grilled cheese vegetarian burger. I forgot what it was called but it was full of cheese, veg, and mushrooms. Very messed presentation, but it was so good and for the first time I found a chain restaurant like Five Guys offering a truly well thought out vegetarian burger which seems to have been designed for people that like food, and not just the usual stodgy veggie or fake meat pattie. This means I am likely to go back for this burger alone and I have now raised my score for this place just because of it. My second impression of Five Guys is that it is worth a visit and not being busy actually works to the customers advantage as you get served quickly. I am not sure if that is good for the restaurant but with all the other places being overcrowded, you can quietly sit in this huge diner and contemplate the meaning of life...

Disappointing – Standards Slipping Rating: 4/10

A real shame.

Five Guys Stratford has long stood out — especially on match days and weekends — with its vibrant open kitchen reflecting the local community far better than other homogenised branches in the area. But my recent midweek visit was, frankly, disappointing.

A team member, Alam A., appeared visibly fatigued during our interaction — understandably ready for the shift to end — but it showed. Not only was the order incorrect (as sadly anticipated), the milkshake he prepared was clumpy like cold porridge, and topped with whipped cream that, disturbingly, had visible nostril hairs on it. It looked so misplaced it felt deliberate — genuinely revolting.

The handling of the order felt unnatural and impersonal, as though I were being "measured up" rather than served. I've spent hundreds at this location over time, and this was a first. It’s disappointing to see hiring lose its edge — especially in an area full of capable local students who could easily manage the basics with care and energy.

This incident raises real concerns about hygiene, staff training, and overall quality control. Communication was also noticeably poor — even spelling the order out might not have helped.

Perhaps this is down to a staffing reshuffle or resignations — it would make sense. Whatever the cause, it's clear that standards are slipping fast heading into the summer.

That said, a few standout staff still go above and beyond — they're the reason this branch still has hope. But with issues like this becoming more common, it’s hard to justify returning.

For now, I’d avoid — unless you're comfortable finding stray hairs in your dessert. I’m not. And I’m not one to fuss over small things — but this, I’m compelled to call out.

Transaction...

update I recently had the chance to try out Five Guys in Stratford. For us - the food (burgers £9.95 and £8.95 and chips £4.75) werent that great. Burgers were basic and flavouress. Chocolate milkshake £5.50 was nice. They have unlimited refills of soft drinks £3.75. Overpriced for what it is. Sorry,but I wish we had gone somewhere else! The cheese,in both burgers, got stuck all over the foil wrap. I was disappointed when I saw my food. It lucked the usual wow factor. Staff were ok.Hand sanitiser was available. Toilets were clean.

Update: Went back to try the food again/to give another chance. This time we went for CB All the way + cajun fries. That was definately a much better option! When we went there the first time we didnt notice this option. We were asked a basic question which toppings we would like . That's all. So if you go there remember to go All the way (toppings in black) 😉 or go for toppings in red.All toppings are free. The milkshake (salted caramel) was really nice. Unfortunately this is not a place for me,so I won't be back. I dont like the way the food is being served (in a bag - see pics). The burgers were tastier but the buns were cold (like taken out of the fridge, not even in room temp! The bottom bun was warm from the meat) When we unwrapped the burgers they were looking like someone was tossing them in a bag before serving. This doesn't look...