Five Guys — Restaurant in Nashua

I went in for a caffeine-free diet Coke and fries. It's the only place I can still get this beverage from a soda dispenser. I asked for the fries to be extra crispy. (It was pretty quiet, so I didn't think it would slow them down.) The counter worker called out the small fry order and then, after I had tapped "No tip", he called out some random word I didn't quite catch. After a quick visit to the restroom, I walked out to hear them calling my order number. "Wow! That was pretty quick," I thought, putting it down to the almost empty restaurant. I walked out to my car, taking a few sips of my Coke, and got back on the highway. When I reached into my bag to get some fries, the cup seemed pretty empty, but I didn't immediately register a potential issue. I've often experienced having more fries in the bag than in the cup. (It was dark, so I couldn't just glance in.) And they weren't particularly crisp, much less the "extra crispy" I had requested. When I emptied the cup and discarded it (Don't worry. I put it in my trash container), I could see that there were not a lot more fries in the bag. All told, I probably received an amount somewhere between a McDonald's small and medium fry. Plus, when Five Guys fries are limp and greasy, they don't come close to matching McDonald's fries; even if McD fries aren't at their freshest, they don't taste/feel greasy. So, I don't think I'll be doing at the Nashua, NH Five Guys again. I'm sure that random word was a signal to cut the amount of fries, maybe more, which is kind of unsettling. As I play the encounter over in my mind, it seems to me that there was an unexpected attention to my picking up my order and leaving. At the time I put it down to it being nearly empty and my being a solitary woman outside somewhat late in the day. (I'm 73, so i don't think they'd be checking me out for THAT reason....lol) I think they were waiting for a reaction, which I unknowingly foiled by not eating in the storefront. I don't understand the need for a tip in this situation. They weren't serving me, I got my own drink, and I had to walk back to get my fries. I didn't even sit at a table they'd have to clean. I have, in the past, both waited tables and done counter work. There's a huge difference, and I rarely got tipped at the counter, nor did I expect to. If the owner isn't paying adequate wages, their beef (no pun intended, but it does fit) isn't with me. The prices are very high there, so wages should be decent. If not, there are many restaurants and fast food establishments with "Help Wanted" signs in their windows and on signs. This isn't a diatribe against Five Guys in general; I'm usually very satisfied with what I get. It isn't, however, the first time I've met pushback against the extra crispy fry. That's why I don't order them when they're busy. But I'm pretty sure that even when it's busy, they have adequate fryer space to leave that one basket (or an extra one) in for another minute. That's what customer service is about. I'm not asking them to peel fresh potatoes for me, or to give me more fries. Just a little extra time in the fryer.

Do I win the award for...

FIVE GUYS HAS DECENT FOOD, HARD-WORKING, COURTEOUS STAFF & DECENT OUTSIDE SEATING. MY CRITIQUE, REFLECTED IN MY NEGATIVE RATINGS IS VERY SPECIFIC. YOU MAY NOT BE BOTHERED BY THINGS WHICH IRRITATE ME. FOOD AT THIS ESTABLISHMENT IS GOOD, FOR WHAT IT IS, AND PREPARED QUICKLY.

So, you STAND in line to order. Then, you cannot just sit outside, because you must STAND inside, on a busy day and wait for them to cook your meal, because…

…they have no wait number marquis, you must stand around waiting for a kid to call out your number.

And the loud grunge-like music screaming in your ear was the cherry on my experience sundae.

Which brainchild picks such music for a dining place?

Dining in? So what. Your chow comes with no tray, in a paper bag, which you are free to unpack at your table.

Cost: Basic cheeseburger, no fries, no drink, is about $11.

Positives: —Fast cooking (commendable speed cooking…kudos) —Tastey burger (I’ve had better, but good) —Courteous register staff —-Outdoor seating w/ umbrellas —Great parking

DEAR MANAGEMENT: —Want more customers? Get a numbered, weighted table flag so the customer can be seated, and await his cooked items, dropped off at his/her table —Want your employees to be better tipped? Do the numbered table flag thingy. If I have to wait in a McDonald’s styled line to order food for dine-in, my tip never tops 10%. If I have to wait in a standing line to order, THEN stand around while my meal is cooked, listening for my number, THEN picking up my own food, there shall be no...

Are meals were cooked away we liked it with what we asked for what I didn't like though is it was a special needs young man that was out washing the tables and I just was speaking to him tell me he was doing a good job and cuz he was honestly and then the manager called him over and called him out to the back room to speak with him then when my meal was ready he came out and hand delivered it and apologize for the young man I say why you apologizing that he's doing a great job and so he washed all your table tops and wash the benches off so what's your problem and I think he thought he was bothering me but no he wasn't I was just trying to lift up this young man because most people don't pay attention to other people so I just wanted to let him know that he was doing a great job so maybe the manager should be spoken to this time instead of the the young special needs man. Or he could have come to me before he made an assumption that the gentleman did something wrong cuz he was great...