Why Five Guys Is Some Of The Priciest Fast Food Around

Five Guys seems ridiculously expensive when we compare it to other fast food places. A dataset by MoneyGeek revealed that the average price of a meal from this restaurant in 2024 was $20.84, with Jack in the Box, Wendy's, Burger King, and McDonald's staying under the $14 mark. One survey by Preply analyzed the language of restaurant reviewers to determine which establishments consumers thought were too expensive — Five Guys, along with Shake Shack and Sugar Factory, were the most overpriced chains.

All food-related expenses have increased with inflation, and Five Guys founder and CEO Jerry Murrell mentioned in 2010 that the chain raises its prices to reflect the cost it's paying for food (via Inc. Magazine). He's still the man in charge, and many food retailers agree that supply, operations, and labor costs factor into what they'll charge consumers. From the beginning, Five Guys has prided itself on the quality of its food. Its ground beef burgers are grilled and served fresh, never frozen. There aren't even freezers at any location, only coolers. All of this food is cooked in peanut oil too, which is more expensive than other industry choices like canola oil. It seems that the reason customers are paying more at Five Guys is because its business model relies on investing in better ingredients and cooking techniques.

A single-patty bacon cheeseburger with a side of fries is $14.08 at Five Guys. The equivalent order is $10.28 at Wendy's, $14.49 at Longhorn, and $12.49 at Texas Roadhouse. All of these restaurants use fresh, never-frozen beef. If price is an indicator of quality, then Five Guys is competing with steakhouse chains rather than the leagues of Burger King and McDonald's. Whether or not a burger makes economic sense at Five Guys doesn't come down to the beef burger itself but rather what you want on top of it.

Five Guys offers more toppings than most competitors, and you can get as many as you want on the burger for "free." Instead of charging for each one individually, that cost could already be factored into the base price. This is a solid deal if you like a lot of toppings on your burger, but the opposite is true if you prefer things plain.

While the majority of consumers think that Five Guys' prices are getting too big for their britches, this establishment isn't going out of business any time soon. Whatever it's charging, enough people are willing to pay. Something has to keep luring customers back through the door, and maybe peanut oil-fried food is just that good.