Five Guys is one of many quick-service chains
that have swept across the country, and the restaurant's quirks are part of the reason
why. The untold truth of Five Guys is that quality
ingredients and a few marketing tricks elevated them to a level where they could refuse to
serve the Pentagon. While it might be one of the fastest-growing
restaurant chains in the world, according to Forbes, the decision to franchise while
maintaining high-quality food is what fueled their expansion, enabling them to sell more
than 300 options for units in 18 months. Of course, the public's need for crispy, seemingly
endless french fries was also helpful. Five Guys takes french fries quite seriously. They only use potatoes grown in Idaho above
the 42nd parallel to ensure they have the right texture and flavor. The company also doesn't believe in freezers,
which means that the fries are never frozen. "When you go out of the ground, into the bag,
into the store, without stopping at the freezer, you have to have the best quality potatoes." The quick-service cooks only use peanut oil
to fry the potatoes too, which gives them a rich, buttery flavor that melts in the mouth. Finally, the potatoes are twice-fried, once
to pre-cook and a second time to get them perfectly crisp with a soft interior. Once the spuds are fried, they're shaken exactly
15 times before being served. This carefully honed technique is designed
to keep everything in order with the Five Guys science of burgers and fries. If you've ever been to a Five Guys restaurant,
then you know that regardless of what size you order, there's always a topper, which
is that extra scoop of fries piled into the bottom of the bag. The idea behind giving customers so many extra
fries is that the guests think they're getting a great deal. The extra fries, however, are factored into
the menu pricing, so it really is just an illusion of receiving more than your money's
worth. According to Reader's Digest, the founder
of the restaurant, Jerry Murrell, it's better for customers to feel that their serving of
fries was too large. As he explained to Food Republic, "People complain that they get too many fries. I just tell them to make hash browns with
the leftovers. I teach my managers that if people aren't
complaining, then you're not giving them enough." Whether you're hungry or just need those extra
fries in the bag to dip in a thick and creamy milkshake, there should never be a shortage
when you eat here. While some people complain that the brand
creates too much waste by only serving food in to-go fashion, this is also what allows
them to provide those extra fries. Without the paper bag, there would only be
a cup of fries and no topper. While the topper might be a clever marketing
ploy, you can always continue to think the Five Guys employees are simply treating you
to some extra fries for being awesome. Though the menu is often touted as simple,
there are supposedly about 250,000 options available for customizing your burger order. Presumably, one of those options includes
piling fries onto your burger. But the possibilities for ordering french
fries might be limitless. If you are someone who values the crispiest
fries in the bag above the rest, then you can order all of the fries that crisp at Five
Guys. To get an order of perfectly crisp fries though,
ask for them to be extra well done. This should yield a cup and a topper of nothing
but incredibly crunchy French fries made for munching and dipping. Other customizable ideas include making your
own sauce or mixing in Cajun seasoning. The menu offers mayo, ketchup, mustard, BBQ
sauce, A1 sauce, and hot sauce as a part of their free toppings. This means you can mix any of your favorite
sauces for your own signature dipping sauce. Don't forget that it can be combined with
their Cajun fries, too, for an extra kick. Most fast food, quick service, and coffee
shops have a secret menu these days, and Five Guys certainly does as well. One employee suggests trying confetti fries,
which have BBQ sauce, mayo, and cajun spices added on top before being tossed in the bag
to lightly coat the crispy potatoes. Another secret menu item is cheese fries. Just ask for a bit of cheese on your fries
when you order. With so many options, all of those extra fries
might be even more tempting than before. Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus, even more Mashed videos about your favorite
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