The Difference Between McDonald's And Five Guys' Beef

McDonald's and Five Guys are undeniable titans of the burger-and-fries fast food market. The former is so ubiquitous at this stage that its gold M-shaped arches and "I'm lovin' it" catchphrase require no further explanation; the latter has emerged as an acclaimed, slightly higher-end offering within the burger chain industry. Now when it comes to the beef in the burgers themselves, how exactly do the two chains stack up?

For starters, the freshness of the beef is one key difference between the two. Five Guys commits to patties that are never frozen, while McDonald's freezes most of its beef — one key exception being the Quarter Pounder, which has been cooked to order with fresh meat in most contiguous U.S. locations since 2018. Where they converge is that both use 100% beef without fillers or additives. Their cuts, on the other hand, aren't exactly the same. McDonald's, for instance, has beef made from trimmings of sirloin, round, and chuck, while Five Guys is known for its 80/20 ground chuck.

As for the actual preparation of the patties, one key similarity between the two is that they cook the beef on a flat-top — although the seasoning is where differences emerge again: McDonald's adds salt and pepper to enhance the flavor, while Five Guys lets the meat speak for itself, leaving it entirely plain.

The McDonald's story has become a metonym for the American fast food industry as a whole: Opened in San Bernardino, California, back in the 1950s, it helped popularize hamburgers on both sides of the ocean and ended up reigning supreme as the biggest fast food chain in the world (concerning global reach and influence). While McDonald's became more commonly associated with repeatability, efficiency, and convenience rather than high quality — one of the reasons why we don't particularly rate its fried chicken — this doesn't mean that the beef is inauthentic or inferior: the chain commits to using 100% USDA-certified ground beef in its preparation, with no fillers, preservatives, or additives.

Regarding the exact composition of its patties, they are formed together with ground trimmings from three main beef cuts: the chuck, which is heavily marbled and particularly high in fat and collagen, making the burgers juicier and richer in texture; the sirloin, which is lean and provides substance and meatiness; and the round, which is the leanest of the three and the mildest in flavor. While the patties rely on a mix of lean to fat, McDonald's, unlike Five Guys, does not publish the exact ratio. The ground beef is then combined and formed at the supplier, and then seasoned upon cooking.

Where McDonald's most notably stands out is its freezing process. The patties are frozen at the supplier, and then generally reach customers around two to three weeks after they have been formed. While frozen beef does not inherently mean a subpar quality of meat, some prefer the fresher taste that comes from never-frozen burgers. All this notwithstanding, McDonald's still made our top U.S. burger chains, with our reviewer noticing an improvement in quality and praising its consistency across locations.

Five Guys might be newer on the fast food block compared to McDonald's, but it's come a long way. First opened as a small joint in Arlington, Virginia, back in 1986, it has now expanded to around 2,000 locations in multiple territories across the world, and is especially renowned for its generous toppings and even more generous side of fries, cooked in its distinctive peanut oil. The burgers are known to be on the pricier side, as it ranks as one of the more expensive fast food chains, which means customers want to know if the beef is worth spending their hard-earned pennies on.

When it comes to freshness and quality, the chain doesn't take any shortcuts: Five Guys is committed to 100% never-frozen, fresh beef, as well as 100% meat patties, which makes it one of the major U.S.-based burger franchises to do so. The chain is also extremely specific when it comes to pointing out exactly how its patties are formed, as well as the exact cut used: it says it uses ground chuck, which is made with 80% lean meat and 20% fat, which is generally considered an industry standard and the perfect ratio for a meaty, succulent bite. Five Guys goes further when listing out how its beef is made — it says it contains no artificial extras, spices, flour, breadcrumbs, or soy sauce: You're getting 100% meat.

The company's meat-first ethos also extends to the preparation process, whereby the beef is pattied by hand, cooked to a well-done point, and, more interestingly, unseasoned. All of this contributes to a patty that is generally appreciated by customers and even our own reviewer — as you'd hope when dishing out over $10 on a single burger.