Five Guys — Restaurant in North Little Rock

My 2nd time to a Five Guys, not impressed. Service has been good at both locations (this one and one in Texas).

The novelty of a bag full of fries is quickly lost too the lack of flavor. I have NO idea how they are so popular. 1st visit was in Texas. The burgers are so greasy and lacks so much flavor. This time I had a grilled cheese. The cheese wasn't even melted. The lack of flavor was shocking. Grilled cheese = Butter, cheese, bread minimum. Not sure they used butter, the toast looked like it, but didn't taste like it had much. Cheese looked and tastes like cheap plastic cheese squares and not real cheese. Bread was okay.

The fries, quantity over quality.... Real potatoes I believe. I tried the Cajun fries... They need a better Cajun seasoning. And the fries were soggy. No crisp, texture closer to boiled than fried. I know they were fried because of the amount of grease, but.... Regular fries were the same at the Texas location for texture, and lacked salt. Second trip, not worth me spending my money to try again. Almost 1 start, but the food is better than crap, and service is good.

My restaurant interpretation of the 5🌟 rating system (feel free to use):

I started using this because I don't like seeing standard restaurants with 5🌟. If I see 5🌟 I expect more than standard. Also adjusted for type of business. Sit down restaurants are skewed and critiqued accordingly in comparison to fast food. My wife kept getting on to me for being too critical.

1🌟 = DUMP…. NEVER AGAIN I DON'T CARE IF IT IS FREE (wish there was a no star option). The food you would feed a prisoner, only if you didn’t like them. 2🌟 = Crap, fast food...... Only for If you are in a hurry, tight on $, and/or in a rush. (Think big chain places with $1 menu, not HORRIABLE, and sometimes a decent food comes out). 3🌟 = Okay, worth going on a regular, but has room to improve (Think frequent work lunch spot, Rarely less than Okay, usually Good to really good food) 4🌟 = Very good, favorite "common" places. Nothing EXCEPTIONAL. (Think casual date, Nicer Chain restaurants usually, occasional surprisingly good Fast food) 5🌟 = Reserved for EXTREMELY high quality and/or Exceptional, and  Places that surprise me. (Think first date to impress, anniversary, special occasion) GREAT flavor, great food, ambiance,...

Ok, so I'm a burger guy and this is a franchise so not so much of a gourmet burger. I think that's why I love Five Guys so much! I've read their business model and it makes sense why the food is so fresh and hot every time I eat it. I typically get a bacon cheeseburger (two patties) with lettuce, tomato, pickle, grilled mushrooms, and extra jalapeños (these are fresh jalapeños). The burger is incredible and always has been no matter which Five Guys I go to, this one just happens to be closest to me. The fries have always been so good to. Yes, I'm that guy that uses their supplied malt vinegar to put on the fries! I thought it was a crazy thing to do the first time I ate at a Five Guys but it makes the fries obviously taste different...unique. They used to over fill the cup with fries and the bag would have an abundance of fries at the bottom, however the last time I visited there were only around 4 fries on the bottom of the bag. It wouldn't be that big of a deal but I paid right at $20 for the burger, medium fries and medium drink. Not bad for the Five Guys experience but if they skimp then I tend to scale back on the visitations. Maybe the fry scooper was having a bad day or the fry basket was emptied. I am happy to give the benefit of the doubt on the first go round. If you like burgers and have never tried Five Guys, get it on the list of places to try! And don't waste the opportunity, make sure you use the vinegar...

Before you read this review, bear in mind that I'm an admittedly picky eater. That said, when it comes to burgers, it's hard to really disappoint me, but Five Guys does just that. Five Guys is quite possibly the okayest burger experience one could have. The burgers taste like you'd expect a solid home cooked burger to. They don't really do seasoning, which is fine if you're a fan of just salt & pepper, but if you prefer a little more flavor, you'll be disappointed. They're not bad at all, but nothing about them justifies their prices.

Now, for whatever reason their fries are always in many discussions about the best in fast food, which I do not understand at all because their fries are always a soggy mess. I once asked if they could drop my fries for a little longer to crisp them up a bit and you'd have thought I'd suddenly grown antlers by the looks they gave me. Usually I end up throwing away most of my fries after I finish my burger. If you want a burger and your only choices are Five Guys or McDonalds/Burger King, then it's a no Brainer, but if you want a well seasoned burger packed with flavor and fries that don't hang limply over the sides of their container, Five Guys will absolutely disappoint you. It's a shame, because they really do use fresh, quality ingredients, but every gripe I have with them could be remedied by a little seasoning for the burgers and an extra minute or two of frying time...