The Problem With TikTok's Hack For Getting Free Five Guys Cheeseburgers

Our favorite fast food restaurants may offer two-for-one deals from time to time, but there's nothing like the feeling of gaming the system and getting access to a freebie. Particularly, when it involves a chain like Five Guys, whose products aren't cheap and doesn't offer meal combos (via Insider). So, it's no surprise that one million viewers took notice when TikToker @hellthyjunkfood shared a solution for getting an extra cheeseburger out of Five Guys for free. The plan involves getting a regular Five Guys burger with everything on the side (fresh veg and condiments), as well as an extra bun and bringing the bounty home to share. 

Because, well, everyone knows a regular order has two patties, and it would be a straightforward thing to divvy up the patties, toppings and condiments to make two single-patty burgers. The hack is technically allowed under Five Guys' rules because all toppings, from lettuce to tomatoes, and from pickles and grilled onions to grilled mushrooms are free. Even condiments like ketchup, mayonnaise, and mustard don't come with an extra charge. The TikToker won praise for ingenuity from social media users, with one calling it "a great way to eat cheap" and another referring to it as an infinite food glitch" (via In the Know).

But as we all know — nothing comes without a price — and such is the case with this TikTok hack too. Insider writer Rachel Askinasi thought to test the food hack out to see whether what appeared to be too good to be true could be just that, and it appears that the scheme might have been more complicated than it looked. For starters, extra buns don't appear to count as a "topping" at the Five Guys Askinasi visited — she was told an extra bun wasn't something that was usually handed out, but they would let it slide this one time. Another problem involved the way the patties were stacked because if two slices of cheese are sandwiched between two meat patties, separating them will mean one patty will have more cheese than the other. 

The writer also pointed out that she only received enough toppings to make one Five Guys burger, and getting them on the side meant she actually ended up getting less fresh veg per sandwich. In the end, Askinasi says the hack is only worth it if you can convince a member of the Five Guys team to give you an extra bun for free, but even without that, it could be valuable for someone on a budget. In the words of one TikToker that viewed the popular video, the hack involved "making them work extra hard just to save a buck" (via In the Know).