Five Guys, the In-N-Out of the East Coast, enters SoCal
May 28th, 2008, 10:31 am · 38 Comments · posted by Nancy Luna, Staff Writer
It’s time for a road trip.
Five Guys Burgers and Fries, whose hand-pressed patties are said to rival that of In-N-Out Burger, opened its first California restaurant in Los Angeles this week.
Specifically, the restaurant opened Sunday in Carson, about 26.9 miles or 31 minutes (no traffic) from my house. For Southern California foodies with a desire to taste a great custom-made fast-food burger, this place is worth braving LA traffic.
Or, if you can wait, expect a Five Guys to open in Cerritos later this year. A third one 
is slated for Orange County, said Phil Ratner, who has the rights to open 30 Five Guys franchises in Southern California.
“You are going to have one in North Orange County,” said Ratner, former president of Mission Viejo-based Marie Callender’s.
Ratner, reached by phone early Wednesday, had no further information on future locations. After retiring from Marie Callender’s in 2006, Ratner scored a deal last year to expand the Virginia-based Five Guys beyond its core East Coast territory.
For the uninitiated, Five Guys opened in 1986 in Virginia and has since expanded the concept along the East Coast from Florida to New York. Along the way, the chain has earned rave reviews from fans who’ve compared its food and decor to Irvine-based In-N-Out Burger.
Among the accolades: Five Guys’ is “rated” as a great bargain burger in the infamous Zagat Survey. The Washington Post has also referred to Five Guys as “the Willy Wonkas of burgercraft.” New York Magazine also named Five Guys one of the best “cheap eats” in and around the Big Apple.
As many of you recall, I trekked to a Five Guys last year during a trip to Washington D.C. after learning of the chain’s stellar reputation.
While the burgers were just as tasty as In-N-Out, Five Guys is still very different from INO. First of all, it’s menu is highly customizable — offering about a dozen toppings and sauces from fried onions to A-1 sauce. 
Also, the fries (fresh from Idaho and fried in peanut oil) are much more superior than INO’s potato chip-tasting French fries. (at left: bags of potatoes decorate each unit. Fries shown above)
In some ways, I’d compare the Five Guys order experience to that of eating at The Counter, a chic custom burger joint with locations in Irvine and Santa Monica.
Still, I asked In-Out-Executive Carl Van Fleet if he planned to make a counter move by invading Five Guys’ territory? His answer: “No.”
Five Guys in Carson: Southbay Pavillion, 20700 Avalon Blvd. Phone: 310-515-7700. (Off the I-405 Freeway near IKEA.) The closest In-N-Out, by the way, is in Torrance.
Related links:
- Quiznos founder brings Smashburger - a gourmet burger chain to O.C.
- The Counter: Big Burgers at Big Prices
- Gourmet burger Best-O-Burger opens in San Francisco. The BOB is an “iron skillet mini-burger” (aka sliders), according to founder Stephen Weber.
- Survey says: Burgers more popular than ever (2008)
- In-N-Out claims Utah burger joint is a copycat
- Is Chick-fil-A stalking In-N-Out?
- Utah gets first In-N-Out
May 28th, 2008 at 11:25 am
Had this in Charlottesville Va, stoked….
May 28th, 2008 at 11:58 am
Just as tasty as In-N-Out? Uh, no. As a transplanted SoCalian to Georgia, I can state with complete authority that Five Guys pales in comparison to In-N-Out in terms of taste. In-N-Out has nothing to fear from it. Five Guys does have excellent customer service, though, I will give it that.
May 28th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
well i will not go to in&out with your money.tryed it sure do not like it.better burger at carls jr.i like tommies the best
May 28th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
It doesn’t look very good… but then again, I’m not an In ‘n (runs) Out Burgers fan either.
May 28th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
I am so excited, we lived in Maryland and Five Guys was our favorite spot to eat in Frederick, MD! You will not be dissappointed!
May 28th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
Five Guys is great. A lot more choices for toppings, the fries are not mushy and greasy like In N Out and the pricing is about the same. I like the place better than In N Out although I am afraid to tell anyone out here that!
May 28th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
I’m a former SoCal’er (Seal Beach, go Los Al) and current resident of the south (Atlanta), I can attest to the comparison of 5 Guys and InO. When I’m jonesing for a good burger, I head to 5 Guys. They do remind me of InO burgers, which is why I like them so much.
On a side note, Atlanta just started getting our first El Pollo Loco’s. Now, if we can just get Jack in The Box and Ino, life would be complete in the ATL. Nashville has Jack in the Crack, why can’t Atlanta get them too?
May 28th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
Geez, I lived in Williamsburg, Virginia and Charleston, South Carolina for most of the 1990’s and I don’t remember a place called Five Guys. It sounds like they are going in to older neighborhoods rather than the snazzier new developments. Carson? North OC? Doesn’t sound like very glamorous locations to make a splash into a new market.
May 28th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
I had the burger in DC last year. It was the best burger out there; well, not as good as a Sunday bbq, but equal. It reminded me of it. It was so good, i took a picture of it and put in on yelp.com.
Will it be the best burger out here? INO, look out!
May 28th, 2008 at 2:11 pm
I’d rather it have been White Castle!
May 28th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
So when does In-n-Out come to the East Coast?!
~Orange County native in Philly
May 28th, 2008 at 4:01 pm
Just had lunch there 2 hours ago… INO better watch out! Five Guys is the real deal!
May 28th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
Troy, you’re a snob. Just because it’s not in south OC doesn’t mean it’s not going to work. Glamorous enough? It’s a dirt cheap burger joint. You can have your $25 burgers. Leave ours alone.
May 28th, 2008 at 4:26 pm
Ry - Ryght-on! Where’s the White Castle and Steak-Out in SoCal?
May 28th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
Troy:
When I compared Five Guys to The Counter — I meant by way of the custom order process. I didn’t mean it was chic, and upscale.
This is a very simple burger joint, in looks. Decor is very similar to INO.
However, ordering is NOT simple. In fact, it’s a bit confusing to a novice. the trick is to stick with toppings that you like.
May 28th, 2008 at 6:04 pm
How much did they pay for this form of advertisement from the OC Reg?
What a joke. Stick to news, not semi-crafty advertising forms.
May 28th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
NorthOrangeCountyTrash, let’s take five deep cleansing breaths and think of happy things.
As anyone who knows my posts here knows, I actually live in north Orange County, in City of Orange, and on the older north end of town at that. I’m just surprised that a new chain is choosing older, cheaper neighborhoods instead of the slicker “lifestyle centers” around the McMansions of Irvine and south OC. But from the info Ms. Luna supplied it sounds like this is a basic burger joint, which is a good thing in my opinion. Does this compare to Fatburger at all?
May 28th, 2008 at 9:52 pm
John Doe, this is a fast food blog. You were expecting…? I think a lot of readers would think this is food-related news–that a new burger chain is opening in Southern California.
Thanks Maven for all these posts and updates! I enjoy reading about these developments in our area!
May 28th, 2008 at 10:52 pm
Hurray for north Orange County! Good food, good people, and good culture reign supreme in NOC.
May 28th, 2008 at 11:07 pm
As somone who lives in Northern VA, but grew up in OC. InO has nothing to worry about. Five Guys pretty much sucks.
Five has the adders to the burger but InO is much cleaner and simpler. Also no shakes. I wish we had InO in VA….. No choice here.
May 29th, 2008 at 6:45 am
I love In-N-Out but Five Guys is better. I think they are better because they have more things to put on the burger.
May 29th, 2008 at 11:44 am
Troy, I take it back. The 5 deep breaths helped. I’m just sick and tired of south OC’s sense of entitlement. Anyway, do we really need another burger joint. I’ve lived within smelling distance of an IN N OUT for almost 30 years and I might go there 6 times a year. You figure anything new like Five Guys will have that immediate buzz but after a while IN N OUT will still reign supreme. IN N OUT has a 60 year foothold in the West. That’s a lot of catching up to do. By the way, if you don’t want soggy fries at IN N OUT just order them to be cooked WELL DONE, theyend up being very crisp but not burned by any means. Plus they cook them just for you when you order this way (I’ve watched them numerous times make the special batch just for me!)
May 30th, 2008 at 9:02 am
I lived in Richmond, VA, and LOVED this place. In fact, we used to have regular debates over which was better: them or In n’ Out. I never thought the magical day would come when I’d have both places as an option.
Five Guys has the definite edge with their fries (order the cajun), but I just can’t decide on the burgers. But In n’ Out has some major competition now.
And Troy, Five Guys didn’t expand out of DC until about 3-4 years ago, if I recall correctly, so that’s probably why you hadn’t heard of it.
May 30th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
I never even heard of Five Guys before. Lo and behold, I saw one the other day. I’m going to stop in next week and do a little taste comparison.
May 31st, 2008 at 6:18 pm
The wife and I drove there today to try it out. I wasn’t too impressed however she liked it. My vote goes to In-and-Out.
May 31st, 2008 at 10:22 pm
Tried Five Guys today - GREAT BURGER! I inquired about the beef and was told it is 80/20 never frozen first-cut cattle beef. If that is true, quite impressive and no wonder. I might have to give Five Guys the edge on QUALITY. Fries were also topnotch and freshcut daily!
June 2nd, 2008 at 10:25 am
Five guys will rule the burger competition!!!!! In five years there will be one near you..
June 4th, 2008 at 9:43 pm
Wow, these guys are hands down the best burger joint ever! 5G’s For The Win!
June 9th, 2008 at 1:01 am
We loved In-N-Out. But after our first lunch at the Five Guys in Carson, we (including our teenage kids) think that Five Guys’ burgers are much better than In-N-Out’s. We went back a second time with our friends two days later. Everybody loved the food AND the service. BTW, we drove 30 miles from OC to Carson to check out this joint. Can’t wait for them to open in Cerritos. It’ll cut the drive by half.
June 15th, 2008 at 7:19 am
I grew up in OC and transferred to the East Coast 10 years ago. Now living in Jersey- Every time I travel back to California, the first thing on the menu is In-N- Out ( Tommy’s at Rampart and Beverly still the best)
Found a Five Guy’s in Cherry Hill, NJ close to home- the only place to go for outstanding burger made your way- In addition- all the peanuts you can eat while your custom burger is being made.
No more In-N-Out craving! Rather- I head to El Polo Loco- Now that’s something I truely miss!
July 15th, 2008 at 5:34 am
I know when is In N Out coming to the East Coast? I emailed them the week that we moved to Atlanta and was disappointed because they said that they werent looking into this part of the country yet. Really disappointed. And yes, In N Out has competition now- for sure!
July 15th, 2008 at 5:37 am
El Pollo locco just came to Atlanta. They’re okay. I wish Juan Pollo was here instead. YUM!!! Their potato salad and chicken is uncomparable!!! GO FIVE GUYS!! You will do just fine in So-Cal.
July 26th, 2008 at 9:47 pm
Well I’ve worked at both (currently still love working for FG’s) and have to say that FG is the best. The time and effort it takes to provide our guest with a quality, juicy burger is way more intricate and caring than IN-n-Out. The FG burger is a burger that you wish you could make at home and the In-n-Out burger is more of a fast food cookie cutter burger. Lets not forget about the fries. In-n-Out fries can not stand against FG fries. We sell an awesome product! Well there is my twist! FG is taken over!
August 8th, 2008 at 5:37 pm
I just tried Five Guys in Fishers, IN the other day after reading that they are making an entrance to the L.A. and Orange County area. The taste of the burgers and variety options along with the fresh and tasty fries beat In-N-Wait hands down. But then again, I never did see what all the hoopla was about IN-N-Wait. Not that I dislike their burgers, but I have had better at several other places.
August 14th, 2008 at 9:23 am
In N Out will always be a So Cal institution… even if they do open stores outside So Cal! As for Five Guys, you’d better keep up your quality… or you’ll head back out the same door you came in. Notice how those companies had to use people who worked in So Cal based companies?
Forget White Castle burgers… overrated! They taste better frozen (and left in the box)
August 14th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
I went there last week. The service was Horrible. Too much talking personal while my burger got cold. The burger was ok, but the fries wern’t that good. Give me animal style fries anyday over these. I went at 1:30 and got my food 25 minutes later.
August 30th, 2008 at 9:46 am
Thrilled to have FIVE GUYS here in Southern California; the best burgers I’ve had in the under $10 category, and it’s so deliciously messy. I only wish there was one closer to me in South Orange County. Carson makes it a field trip.
September 25th, 2008 at 11:41 am
Visited the Carson location on Monday night. The food was excellent. No relation to In ‘n’ Out really except for colors and checkerboard decor. Burger was meaty and filling and sooo fresh and it didn’t run out of burger before the bun as with the similar looking chain. Fries outstanding– crisp but not hard- very fresh.
Hoping for a central OC location soon!