You’re sitting in your car, stomach growling, craving that specific grease-soaked brown paper bag. We’ve all been there. You want the heavy, hand-formed patties and the mountain of fries that somehow always tastes better when they’re overflowing into the bottom of the bag. But there’s a catch. Most of the time, you have to actually unbuckle your seatbelt, walk inside, and stand around near the peanut boxes while you wait. It feels like every other burger joint on the planet has a lane you can just roll through. So, what gives? Why is a five guys drive through such a unicorn in the fast-food world?
It isn't just bad luck.
The reality is that Five Guys has spent decades being incredibly stubborn about how their food is made. If you’ve ever wondered why your local spot doesn't have a window, it's usually because the Murrell family—the founders—initially hated the idea. They thought it would ruin the quality. To them, a drive-through meant pre-cooking meat or using heat lamps, two things that are basically sacrilege in the Five Guys playbook. But things are starting to shift, albeit very slowly and in very specific ways.
The Obsession with "Fresh" vs. the Need for Speed
Speed kills quality. At least, that's the internal mantra that kept the five guys drive through from existing for the first thirty-odd years of the company's life.
Think about the physics of a Five Guys burger. They don't start cooking your patty until you actually place the order. There are no timers. The cooks are trained to look for the "clear juice" to run out of the meat before they flip it. It’s a manual process. Compare that to a place like McDonald’s or Wendy’s, where the goal is to get you in and out of the lane in under three minutes. If Five Guys tried to match that speed, they’d have to compromise on the "never frozen" rule or start "holding" burgers in warming bins.
📖 Related: Exactly How Many Days Till Sep 18: Why This Date Rules the Calendar
Jerry Murrell has been quoted many times saying that "food is more important than the convenience of the drive-through." It’s a bold stance in an industry that basically lives and dies by the window.
When you look at the economics of fast food, about 60% to 70% of sales usually come from the drive-through. By skipping the lane, Five Guys is essentially leaving a massive pile of money on the table. They know this. They just didn't care for a long time. They banked on the idea that the food was good enough that you’d be willing to park your car. Honestly, for most of us, they were right. But then 2020 happened, and the entire restaurant industry got punched in the mouth.
The Pandemic Pivot and the Rise of the Pick-up Window
Before the world shut down, you could count the number of Five Guys locations with a window on one hand. They were mostly anomalies or inherited buildings where the lease required it. But when dining rooms closed, the brand had to evolve or get left behind.
This led to the "Five Guys 2.0" approach.
Instead of a traditional drive-through where you pull up to a speaker box and shout your order at a plastic menu, they started experimenting with order-ahead pick-up windows. This is a massive distinction. If you see a five guys drive through popping up in a new suburban development, it’s likely one of these.
How it works:
- You place your order on the app.
- The GPS tracks your location (kinda creepy, but efficient).
- They drop the fries when you're close.
- You pull up to the window, grab the bag, and go.
It solves the "wait time" problem. It keeps the burger fresh because it’s still made to order, but it removes the friction of you having to find a parking spot and walk past the 50-pound bags of potatoes.
Where Can You Actually Find One?
They aren't everywhere. Don't go hunting for one in a dense city center like Manhattan or London. You’re most likely to find a five guys drive through in "freestanding" locations in the suburbs of the Midwest or the South.
For example, one of the most famous early adopters was in Salina, Kansas. It became a bit of a pilgrimage site for burger nerds because it was such a rarity. More recently, we’ve seen them pop up in places like Algonquin, Illinois, and certain parts of Texas. Even internationally, they’ve tested the waters. The first one in the UK opened at Braintree Village in Essex back in 2021.
If you’re looking for one, your best bet is to use the official Five Guys app. It’ll usually flag if a location has a "Curbside" or "Pick-up Window" option. Just don't expect a traditional "order at the board" experience every time. Many franchisees still prefer the walk-in model because it encourages people to buy milkshakes and extra toppings while they wait.
The Problem with the Fries
We have to talk about the fries. It’s the elephant in the car.
Five Guys fries are legendary because they are cooked in peanut oil and served in massive quantities. But they have a structural weakness: steam. If you put hot Five Guys fries in a brown paper bag and then put that bag inside a car for a 15-minute drive home, they turn into mashed potato sticks.
This is another reason the five guys drive through was resisted for so long. The brand knows their product has a short shelf life. Inside the restaurant, you eat them immediately. In a drive-through, the "steam factor" in the bag starts the clock. By the time you get home, the bottom of the bag is translucent from the oil and the fries are limp.
"We don't want to be the fastest. We want to be the best."
That sentiment, often echoed by the Murrell brothers who run the day-to-day operations, explains why they haven't just slapped a window on every store. They are terrified of someone eating a soggy fry and blaming the brand rather than the physics of delivery.
Is the Quality Actually Different at a Drive-Through?
There’s a lot of debate on Reddit and food forums about whether the five guys drive through experience holds up.
Some people swear it’s exactly the same. Others argue that the staff feels more rushed, leading to sloppier builds. From a technical standpoint, the kitchen setup is identical. There isn't a "drive-through line" and an "inside line." It’s all one grill.
The real difference is the bagging.
When you're at a window, the pressure to hand over the food is intense. In a traditional drive-through, there’s a timer ticking over the window that the corporate office can see. Five Guys generally avoids these timers because they don't want the staff to panic and pull the fries early. If you’re at a location that has a window, you might notice the wait is still 8 to 10 minutes. That’s because they aren't cheating the system.
What This Means for the Future of the Brand
As real estate costs go up, Five Guys is being forced to reconsider its "no drive-through" stance more seriously. Landlords in suburban shopping centers love drive-throughs because they bring in higher volume.
We are likely going to see a hybrid future.
The days of the "pure" Five Guys where you must go inside are numbered for new builds. However, they are sticking to their guns on the "no speaker box" rule for many locations. They want you to use the app. By forcing the order through the app, they ensure the kitchen isn't overwhelmed by a line of cars 20 deep, all trying to customize their burgers with 15 different toppings simultaneously.
Imagine someone at a speaker box trying to decide between grilled mushrooms or jalapeños for four different people. It would be a nightmare. The app solves that.
Actionable Tips for Your Next Visit
If you happen to find a five guys drive through or a pick-up window, follow these rules to make sure you aren't wasting your money on a soggy meal:
📖 Related: Finding Ray Funeral Home Asheville NC Obituaries: A Practical Guide for Families
- The "Venting" Trick: As soon as they hand you that brown bag through the window, open it. Rip the top off or at least leave it wide open. If you fold it shut to "keep it warm," you are actually creating a steam sauna that will destroy your fries in minutes.
- Order via the App 10 Minutes Early: Don't pull into the parking lot and then order. The system needs lead time. If you order when you’re 10 minutes away, the "fry drop" should theoretically sync up perfectly with your arrival at the window.
- Check the Toppings: Since you aren't standing at the counter watching them build the burger, it’s easier for a "no onions" request to get missed in the chaos. Pull into a parking spot and do a quick check before you leave the lot. It's way easier to fix it right then than driving back.
- Don't Forget the Napkins: Five Guys is notoriously messy. When you're eating in a car, that extra grease is a liability. Ask for double the napkins at the window; the one or two they toss in the bag are never enough for a "burgers-all-the-way" situation.
The five guys drive through is a sign of a company trying to balance its old-school "quality first" soul with the modern reality that people are increasingly unwilling to get out of their cars. It’s a compromise. It’s not perfect, and it’s definitely not "fast" food in the traditional sense, but it’s a lot better than not having Five Guys at all. Just remember: open that bag immediately. Your fries will thank you.