Five Guys UK Vs US: What's The Difference?

Known in North America as Five Guys, the fast food burger chain originated in Arlington, Virginia in 1986 and has more than 1,700 stores worldwide with another 1,500 in development (via fiveguys.ie). The brand even expanded to a handful of locations in the U.K. where the chain has taken off. If you make a trip across the pond, things might feel slightly off the moment you step into this once-familiar burger chain. While the brand still goes by Five Guys in the U.K., there are plenty of changes between the restaurants on American soil and the ones in England. 

When it comes to portion sizes, menu prices, and more, you won't believe the differences between U.S. and U.K. Five Guys. Just make sure you bring your appetite, as neither location skimps when it comes to doling out amazing burgers, fries, shakes, and sandwiches.

Five Guys' American menu is extensive and delicious — there are standard hamburger, cheeseburger, and bacon burger options available in small or regular sizes, in addition to a hot dog that you can transform into a bacon dog, cheese dog, or even a bacon cheese dog. Vegetarian menu options, such as a grilled cheese sandwich or a veggie sandwich, fall alongside the classic BLT. Milkshakes come with a vanilla base and optional whipped cream, but mix-ins like chocolate, salted caramel, or even bacon can be added for free. Don't forget about the hand-cut fries that famously cook in peanut oil.

According to Insider, much of the menu stays the same at Five Guys in the U.K, but the milkshake add-ins mimic popular regional desserts, such as banoffee pie (bananas, whipped cream, and dulce de leche on a cookie crust) or millionaire's shortbread (shortbread topped with caramel and chocolate) according to Insanely Good Recipes. Diners can also try the mysterious HP Brown Sauce, an accompaniment for your burger that is not quite steak sauce and very much not a thing in the U.S. Lastly, U.K. Five Guys offer a range of beer, whereas American Five Guys don't serve alcohol.

According to Insider, prices at Five Guys vary by location, taxation, and the current exchange rate, but the difference in pricing between U.K. and U.S. locations is minimal. A $9.12 burger from an American Five Guys would cost about £6.95 in the UK, which at the time of the article's publication came to $9.53 (via xe). When you factor in the size of each country's patty, the difference gets slightly larger. While the prices seem similar, U.K. diners have to pay 26% more per patty than U.S. patrons (via Insider).

Many diners across the pond don't take much offense to the difference thanks to the high quality of the meals and the American novelty element of the experience. While many consider Five Guys in the U.S. pretty pricey by fast food standards, the quality of the ingredients and the free peanuts that most locations offer help to ease the fiscal pain.

They say portion sizes in America always look larger than their European counterparts and at Five Guys, this is true. While the brand has gained notoriety for overfilling the fry cups that accompany your order, a comparison between U.S. and U.K. Five Guys portions found the British fries to be lacking. "So, we've done the maths," a Five Guys U.K. representative reported to Insider. "And between our large, regular, and little fries, including the bag fries, we only got 830 grams. However, we were supposed to get 1,220 grams, which means we've been shortchanged by roughly a third here."

While U.K. diners may not get the best bang for their buck, American patrons could take offense to the disappointing size of the US burger patty, which weighed about 40 grams less than the listed menu weight. Luckily, the American chocolate milkshake came out nearly four ounces over the listed size, giving some consolation to the discrepancies. Whether you find yourself in the U.S. or U.K., you can find something to love about the unique Five Guys experience in your neck of the woods. With any luck, you might even one day see millionaire shortbread milkshake add-ins pop up across Five Guys locations in America and find yourself dining on bigger patty portions in the U.K.