Survey Says: Five Guys Beats In-N-Out for Second Year as Consumer Favorite

Photo of the Five Guys in Valencia by R.E.˜ via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr

Burger (and fast food) lovers, you have spoken, and your favorite "quick-service restaurant" for a second year in a row is Five Guys Burgers and Fries. The east coast-based burger chain bested SoCal's In-N-Out, who ranked second overall on the consumer survey conducted by Market Force.

Market Force ranks the survey results based on per-location votes, explaining: "Since consumers are only likely to vote for restaurants they visit, Market Force indexed the results to account for the number of restaurant locations per chain to see which would dominate."

Screenshot/Market Force

That's how Five Guys, with far fewer locations than some of the other big finishers, like Panera Bread and Chick-Fil-A, managed to come out on top overall, though diners ranked their ultimate favorites a little differently:

When the consumers were shown a list of the country's 55 top quick serve franchise restaurants and asked to select their single favorite, Chick-fil-A received the highest number of votes, with 10.4% of the more than 4,500 total responses. Panera Bread came in second with 9.9% and Five Guys ranked a close third with 9.1%.

4,500 participants took part in the survey, and were asked to give feedback on the restaurants' food quality, taste, speed of service, cleanliness and value. When adjusted to per-location results, Five Guys trumped In-N-Out, followed by Chick-Fil-A, and Panera. Low-scoring bottom-dwellers include Subway and Burger King.

Haven't been to a Five Guys yet for a comparison to your beloved In-N-Out? They are continuing to expand in SoCal. The same cannot be said for In-N-Out, who don't have plans to head to the east coast, though they don't mind suing burger joints out there who they say are infringing on their copyrights.

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By Lindsay William-Ross in Food on September 2, 2011 10:40 AM

Comments [rss]

Lurch

6 bucks double double fry and coke, each one perfect, and a great staff who is always on the ball or a greasy fatburger clone that charges 10 bucks.....anyone, bueller????

Javier

two different styles of burgers to begin with. It's your standard Fat Burger style huge amount of meat that just seems so cooked to a hockey puck through.

Frank

In N Out has way better burgers, service, and prices. Five Guys only wins in the fries department. In N Out by a mile.

Tara Abell

Um, what? The fries at Five Guys are always greasy and over seasoned. In N Out is perfection- the burgers, the fries, the shakes- they never disappoint http://ow.ly/6kpWr

RedMercury

The fries at Five Guys are always greasy and over seasoned.
You say this like it's a bad thing.
In N Out is perfection- the burgers, the fries, the shakes
While I agree with the shakes and I think the burgers are just fine, In-N-Out fries taste like cardboard.

Julia G.

i'm completely dismissing this list because Panera Bread is #4... really?

cohoeye

I am sooo sick of these Five Guys posts. Do they pay you to write them? Because it's not working... I was visiting my sister last month in Oak Park, IL. We walked by the Five Guys, and all I could say/think is, "Oh, that's the burger place that trashes their competition with guerrilla marketing and what not." And now, apparently, fake polls.

Sullivan131

Five Guys....ewwwww.

Who the hell did they poll? Because both East and West coasters would agree that In N Out is waaaaay better (and more affordable).

tewsday

One word why Five Guys trumps In N Out: Bacon

Stuyvesant Parker

I get the feeling this entire survey is bollocks. I don't know anyone in Southern California who would say Five Guys is better than In-N-Out. And yes, where is Jack in the Box? It should be number 6 on that list, in a sane world. Arby's? Good God. Five Guys is alright... if there isn't an In-n-Out around... and you want to pay $8 for the same amount of food you can get at In-n-Out for $5.

EmmaWK

Oh and I don't think your last statement is true at all. Yes, Five Guys is "more expensive" but their burgers are WAY bigger than In-N-Out's! I don't understand how people can compare prices between the two. Their fry portions are also gigantic. I definitely go to In-N-Out (which I still love, don't get me wrong) when I want something cheaper/simpler.

Stuyvesant Parker

The portions might be bigger but they don't need to be. Personally I didn't think the Five Guys burger was significantly bigger, but assuming it was, does it need to be? Let's take it easy with the bigger is better attitude... I'm sure we all know that isn't the case.

EmmaWK

Nowhere did I say "bigger is better." I was just responding to the claim that Five Guys is supposedly "too expensive." Of course it is up to the individual consumer to decide what portion size he or she wants.

EmmaWK

I say Five Guys is better than In-N-Out. Now you know someone. :)

Doran

Not that I think they'd score that well, heck they might end up on the bottom, but I'm wondering why Jack in the Box isn't included.

Napoleon

Five Guys is horrible! They should take their filthy restaurants, lazy employees and expensive menu back to the east coast and never come back. I went to one with my wife to try and was appalled how people could compare In-n-Out with Five Guys. In-n-Out is clean. Five Guys was disgustingly gross with leftover food on empty tables as some chick in a Five Guys shirt walks around in circle and brushes a corner of a table as she circles by, all leaving the trash on the table. In the 15 minutes that it took me to it, I think she wiped the table down but she resembled a Zamboni (sp) going aroud in circles.

In-n-Out is affordable. I nearly had to take a loan out to eat the same amount of food Five Guys.

In-n-Out has drive through. Why would you make a hamburger chain without a damn drive-thru? idiots.

Go back home 5 Guys. You are not welcome here!!