In-N-Out Vs Five Guys: The Chain With The Cheaper Burger Combo

Five Guys and In-N-Out are two chains that rank among the best fast food burgers according to diners, and they each represent a different geographical region of the United States. Five Guys started in Arlington, Virginia, in 1986, and most of its locations are east of the Mississippi River. In-N-Out was founded earlier, in 1948, in Baldwin Park, California, a city in Los Angeles. Both restaurants keep simple menus: burgers and plain combos (burger, fries, drink) to choose (though you can get hot dogs or sandwiches at Five Guys too). To figure out which one is cheaper, we looked at comparable burger combos: Five Guys' classic combo and In-N-Out's hamburger combo (combo no. 3); both combos include a single-patty burger, fries, and a drink. Prices may vary a bit by location, but the restaurant with the cheaper combo is In-N-Out at $8.70, with Five Guys at $14.99 (though we also found it priced at over $18 in New Jersey — so keep in mind that prices at Five Guys vary much more considerably).

This shouldn't come as a surprise, since Five Guys is more expensive than other chains, but to really understand the value, you need to judge by what you get. A burger combo meal at FGs weighs just over 500 grams (262 grams for a burger, 227 for fries, and 22 ounces for a drink) while the equivalent at In-n-Out is just under 350 grams (209 grams for a burger, 125 for fries, and 15 ounces for a medium drink), a 37% difference.

If you divide the cost of each combo by its total weight to calculate the price per gram, the former is still more expensive but not by much. Five Guys' combo meal offers a bigger value, saving you over $3, or about 19%, off your total if you were to order the same items à la carte. In-N-Out's combo price is the same as ordering each item separately. There are some other big differences between these two chains that may help you decide which one gives you the most bang for your buck.

In-N-Out has a more streamlined menu than Five Guys, but you can look at the not-so-secret section and request that your burger be prepared "animal style," which includes mustard cooked into the burger patty, lettuce, tomato, extra spread, pickles, and grilled onions at no extra charge. You can also customize your burger with a selection of 12 toppings – although a third of those are onions, you're only limited to three sauces here, including its signature spread, and you can't even get mayonnaise at this chain. But you can request how you'd like your burger cooked, which you cannot do at Five Guys.

While toppings are complimentary on a burger, some online have shared that you might get charged extra for ordering too many toppings on your fries, including if you order them animal style. Nevertheless, almost everything at this chain is cheaper than at Five Guys, even though you're getting more food at the latter. If spending nearly half of what you'd pay at the pricier competitor gets your attention, you like this California fast-food spot's options, and you don't mind getting a bit less food, In-N-Out is the most wallet-friendly choice of the two.

Five Guys is known for letting diners customize their burgers, offering over a dozen free toppings to choose from (only two of them are onions), and you can add as many as you want. You can get mayonnaise here, too, which may drive many diners to eat at the Virginia chain over In-N-Out. There is no secret menu and even ordering online gives you a lot of freedom to get creative with your order, though you can request even more modifications in person. And despite Five Guys not liking to season its meat, you can still ask employees to do it for you.

You even get five sandwich options with a classic combo, including hotdogs and a patty melt, for the same price. As opposed to the California-based chain, adding cheese to your combo meal doesn't come with an upcharge, and you even have the choice of regular or Cajun fries. The overall meal at Five Guys is bigger than at In-N-Out, but each element of the meal — the burger, the fries, and the drink — is also heftier, and an order of fries is nearly twice as large here. So, if you're looking for a plethora of options, like a lot of fries, want a beefier burger, need a big drink to wash it all down, and don't mind paying more by weight, then Five Guys offers the best value.