Restaurant Review of Five Guys in Green Bay, WI

By Patricia Summerfield
May 28, 2010
I have been wanting to try Five Guys Burgers and Fries even before they came to Green Bay after having heard so much about them. The fast food restaurant is located in Ashwaubenon on the West side of Green Bay. The restaurant color theme is in all red and white; the interior is bright and clean with floor to ceiling windows and high open ceilings. There are no booths but you have your pick of wooden tables and chairs. The restaurant is all open and there are posters hanging throughout advertising their burgers from some of the different stores where they are located. The atmosphere is fast paced and lively with at least ten employees busily cooking, assembling, and calling out all the food orders of what is being made and their order numbers.
When I walked in the first thing that hit me was the frigid air; it was freezing cold they had the air conditioning on very high, must be nice for the cooks but for the customer it was uncomfortable. The menu is hanging above the register and it consists mainly of French fries and burgers except for a few different styles of hot dogs and a grilled cheese sandwich. You order and pay right away by the register and are handed your receipt with an order number and a paper cup if you ordered a beverage. You can help yourself towards the back of the store where there are soda machines, extra napkins, salt packets, ketchup, and cider vinegar for your fries. You can watch your food being prepared behind the long counter and pickup your order there when your number is called. There are huge bags of Idaho potatoes stacked up in a couple of places in the dining area which adds to the decor. Their thin wedge cut style of fries are unique because they are cooked in peanut oil with no cholesterol which is a good thing because the burgers are huge. I also noticed that they offer free shell peanuts on the counter for you to snack on.
I ordered the cheeseburger for $4.99 and a regular order of fries for $2.59, the free topping choices are many: mayo, relish, onions, lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, ketchup, mustard, jalapeno peppers, green peppers, A-1 sauce, BBQ sauce, and hot sauce. I ordered my cheeseburger with grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, pickles, ketchup, and mustard. My number was called after maybe a five to ten minute wait with the food being placed in a paper bag, and my cheeseburger wrapped in foil. The burger consisted of two very large hand formed beef patties, two slices of American cheese, and all my fixings on a sesame topped bun.
I was disappointed in the flavor of the beef patties. They were pretty bland and the bun was mediocre in quality and taste, maybe that is why they offer so many free fixings. The whole thing together did not have the standout flavor I had expected. The fries were very good being lightly browned and salty. Five Guys has a lot of hype but in the Green Bay area there are a lot of good burgers out there and more competition than, let us say, some other markets.