Why Five Guys Gives Customers So Many French Fries

Five Guys is more expensive than other fast food chains; it's true, but there is the superior quality of its ingredients, which accounts for the sky-high prices. There is also the fact that, once you've locked in on a burger, sandwich, or even hot dog, there are a plethora of toppings to choose from, and you can add on as many as you like. Then there are Five Guys fries, which Food Republic actually ranked as the top fast food french fry in the business, and which customers seemingly can't get enough of. If you've ever ordered the fries, no matter what size you got, you likely opened the bag and discovered a positive heap of the fresh-cut potato sticks within. As it turns out, Five Guys gives its customers so many fries to make them feel like they did not, in fact, overpay for them — or for anything they ordered.

Everyone knows Five Guys gives you an extra scoop of fries with your order; it's a practice that dates back to the earliest days of the company's existence. It creates the illusion that the customer is getting one over the company, getting a great deal on their meal, but the extra spuds, called "the topper," are actually accounted for by each restaurant. And while the burger chain has recently switched from paper cups to bags (and fans are complaining that the amount of fries with each order has shrunk), the toppers aren't going anywhere.

One of the best things about the hefty portion of fries that Five Guys gives its hungry customers is the fact that you very well might end up with leftovers. Five Guys fries reheat like a dream (unlike, say, McDonald's fries, which never quite taste as good as they do fresh), so obviously that's one way you can enjoy them the next day. Use your oven, or get them really nice and crisp on the quick in the air fryer — they only need about five to six minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

After you resurrect them from the cold refrigerator, though, you don't have to just eat them dipped in ketchup. You could get gravy and cheese curds and make poutine with them, or load them up with your protein of choice (steak, chicken, or even shrimp would be fantastic), cheese, pickled jalapeños, diced onion, and make nacho fries.

They could also be diced up into rough cubes and fried up in a skillet as home fries to go along with your omelet or pancakes. Or use them as a filler for a big California-style burrito, or a topping for a Pittsburgh Primanti Brothers-style sandwich, or on a steak salad.