You walk into Five Guys craving a juicy burger. You place your order, maybe throw in some fries and a drink—and suddenly, you’re looking at a total that’s twice what you’d pay at McDonald’s or Wendy’s. What gives?
If you’ve ever felt a little shocked at the register, you’re not alone. Five Guys is often considered a fast food restaurant, but the price tag doesn’t quite match the usual “value meal” expectations.
So what exactly makes it more expensive than its fast food cousins? Let’s dig into the reasons behind the higher cost—and whether it’s actually worth it.
1. Fresh Ingredients—No Freezers Allowed
At Five Guys, you won’t find any frozen patties sitting in the back. In fact, the chain takes pride in never using freezers—only coolers. Everything from the beef to the produce is delivered fresh, and that freshness costs more to maintain.
While places like Burger King use pre-cooked or frozen items to cut costs, Five Guys does things the old-fashioned way. Their beef is 100% ground chuck with no additives or preservatives. Lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and pickles are sliced daily. Even the fries are hand-cut from real potatoes and cooked in peanut oil.
Fresh food doesn’t just taste better—it also drives up the cost.
2. Generous Portions (Seriously)
When you order fries at Five Guys, you get a lot of fries. One “regular” order could easily feed two or three people. Burgers come double-stacked by default. Even the hot dogs are big and filling.
This might not seem like a big deal until you realize that you’re not paying for a snack—you’re paying for a serious meal. The portion sizes are much larger than what you’d get at other fast food chains, and bigger portions mean more ingredients, more labor, and yes—more money.
3. Customization at No Extra Charge
Five Guys lets you choose from 15+ toppings—everything from grilled mushrooms to jalapeños to hot sauce—and they don’t charge extra for any of them. Want all the toppings? Go for it. Prefer just ketchup and pickles? That’s fine, too.
Most fast food places charge for extras, whether it’s a slice of cheese or a few extra pickles. But Five Guys includes it all in the base price. While that’s great for customers who love options, it also means the average burger has higher ingredient costs built in from the start.
4. Labor Costs and Quality Control
Five Guys puts a lot of focus on training and staffing. Most locations are well-staffed with team members who are trained to handle food with care and precision. Cooking everything fresh to order requires more hands and more time than slapping a pre-cooked burger on a bun.
That means higher labor costs. But it also means fewer mistakes, cleaner restaurants, and better service.
The experience you get at Five Guys—watching your food made right in front of you, bagged carefully with an extra scoop of fries tossed in—is part of what you’re paying for.
5. No Microwaves, Timers, or Shortcuts
There’s a reason the food at Five Guys tastes more like something you’d make at home: it’s cooked like it.
Every burger is made to order. Fries are cooked twice—first to get soft on the inside, then again for crispiness. There are no timers beeping in the background, because the staff is trained to cook based on look, smell, and texture.
This approach may slow things down a little, but it raises the quality. And again, it costs more to run a kitchen this way.
6. Higher-End Branding (Without the Frills)
Five Guys doesn’t advertise much. You won’t see flashy commercials or celebrity endorsements. But what they do have is a reputation. They’ve built a brand around doing simple food really well—no gimmicks, just burgers, fries, and dogs made right.
And while the restaurants look bare-bones (those red and white tiles, brown paper bags, and handwritten signs), everything is intentionally simple to keep the focus on the food. It’s fast food without feeling “cheap,” and that perception allows them to charge more.
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