The New York-Based Burger Chain That Puts Five Guys To Shame

Smash burgers are all the rage right now, known for their crispy crust achieved by "smashing" beef patties onto a hot griddle. For a long time, the iconic burgers at Five Guys set the standard — but while its offerings are great, Five Guys is more expensive than other fast food chains. In New York City, however, 7th Street Burger offers a compelling alternative, delivering high-quality ingredients and a simplified menu at a fraction of the cost. 

Founded by entrepreneurs Kevin Rezvani and Paras Jain, the chain was created with the mission to become a dominant, beloved burger chain on the East Coast, akin to the success of In-N-Out. Rezvani, who previously owned another small burger chain and worked as a delivery driver for Amazon, applied lessons in productivity and efficiency from his previous experience to 7th Street Burger's restaurant operations. But the success of 7th Street Burger lies in the fact that the optimization of its assembly lines doesn't come at a higher cost to customers.

Although 7th Street Burger has far fewer locations than Five Guys, a single-patty cheeseburger at 7th Street Burger costs $6.50, while at Five Guys, a similar item runs $9.89. Even the fries show a stark difference, with 7th Street Burger charging $4.50 compared to Five Guys' "little" fries at $5.99.

One justification for Five Guys' pricing is the high-quality ingredients it uses. The fast food chain prides itself on its fresh, never frozen burgers — but that point becomes moot when you learn that 7th Street Burger also uses fresh beef. The NYC chain also uses the same delicious yet controversial supplier for its burger buns as Shake Shack. The fact that the ingredient quality is comparable is frustrating when you factor in that Five Guys, the larger restaurant chain, charges significantly more. Typically, when restaurants have more locations, they can secure better ingredient pricing — but it's clear Five Guys is not passing that savings on to the consumer.

Finally, the major advantage 7th Street Burger has over Five Guys is its simplified menu. Although more choices can seem appealing, they sometimes lead to lower ingredient quality, longer wait times, and even customer decision fatigue. In contrast, 7th Street Burger proudly boasts that it only has "three items on the menu, and nine ingredients in the restaurant," which contributes to its efficiency.

The one advantage Five Guys holds at the moment is its scale: with over 1,500 locations, there's at least one in almost every state. Sadly, most 7th Street Burger locations are in New York City, with just one each in New Jersey and Washington, D.C. For now, widespread availability remains Five Guys' winning ingredient.