Five Guys Takes On Shake Shack

A second sizzling chain opened its doors, and a downtown burger war was joined.

The opening took place Monday at a Church Street storefront, where the Five Guys chain started flipping burgers at 11 a.m. just two blocks from the hipper-themed Shake Shack chain outlet two blocks west on Chapel, adding a second corporate challenge to a downtown market dominated for decades by Louis Lunch.

Who now serves the best burgers, and the best carnivorous experience, near the Green?

I tried out Five Guys at 91 Church St. first, at the inaugural lunch rush.

I walked right up to the line. Greeted with huge smile from the restaurant’s workers, I placed my order: cheeseburger and fries. A nice surprise awaited: over ten different toppings and sauces to customize and personalize my burger. Choosing the classic lettuce and tomato, I kept it short.

Cost of the meal: $6.89 for the cheeseburger, $2.79 for small fries, $2.39 for the regular soda.

Wait time for the order: 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, given a soda cup, I was presented with a large and scary machine that offered innumerable options. A staffer was ready to help. With each brand I chose, I was given different flavors and different levels of caffeine and sugar. Five Guys was truly giving me an individualized lunch option.

The decor, on the other hand, was standard-issue Five Guys, with the infamous white and red colors pasting the sides of the room. The colors have been used since the business’ creation in 1986, when Jerry and Janie Murrell opened their first burger joint with its famous fries in Arlington, Virginia.

I made the fatal mistake of taking a single fry on the way back to my table. It was there that I met Five Guys’ largest draw: Fries cooked entirely in peanut oil, provide a unique taste: crispy and coated in flavor. When I’d eaten one, I could barely stop. I was halfway through my fries before starting on the burger.

A Five Guys burger may not be the greasy delight suggested by the signs on the wall — much to my delight. The meat was well cooked. Even though the cheese wasn’t of the highest quality, each bite was well worth its high price tag. I have a smaller mouth than most, so I had to flatten my burger to make sure I get each taste in one bite. 

Much to my surprise, I was able to finish this large burger — a double patty — with a great satisfaction.

The bun was good, the burgers were good quality and well-cooked, and when the fries are so good, there’s little to complain about. While I wasn’t a fan of the atmosphere, I’ll definitely be returning to New Haven’s newest burger restaurant.

But first, on to Shake Shack at 986 Chapel St. Monday evening, I walked in expecting to find it empty while its regular customers tried its newest competition. Nope: I was waiting in line longer than I had done on Church Street. (Five minutes.)

Shake Shack opened in New Haven in 2012, bringing its ​“modern day roadside burger” to the city. Founded in 2004 as a hot dog cart in Madison Square Park, it is now one of the largest burger chains in the country.

Ignoring my stomach’s cries for something different, I ordered exactly the same meal I had eaten earlier in the day. Eleven minutes later, I received a ShackBurger (the outlet’s standard cheeseburger) with fries.

The atmosphere automatically struck me as wholly different. Five Guys felt like an ​“order and go” place. With a foosball table and air hockey game set up, Shake Shack was making the conscious effort to encourage its customers to stay. My eyes weren’t overwhelmed by red and white walls, and my dining experience was made a little more comfortable with cushioned chairs and communal seating options.

Also, my bill was a dollar less than what I had paid earlier in the day. The cheeseburger cost $5.19; fries, $2.95; soda, $2.25.

But when my meal arrived, it was a little disappointing compared what I had eaten for lunch (and not just because it was my second burger of the day).

The overall sandwich was half the size (probably because you only get one patty in the standard Shake Shack burger), and felt fattier and greasier than the first one. Maybe that was to do with Shake Shack’s own sauce, which adds a creamier taste to the burger, creating the sense of my own indulgence as opposition to meal satisfaction.

My burger included the lettuce and tomato I had asked for at Five Guys, but I had less choice about the contents of my meal. And the fries weren’t coated in the peanut oil I had been introduced to earlier in the day. I needed to add ketchup to add some flavor to them.

However, my dining experience was second to none at Shake Shack. While my meal was less satisfying, Shake Shack would be my choice for a place I would want to share a meal with my friends, especially if I want a milkshake for dessert. Its more relaxed atmosphere was refreshing. Especially when the bill is a little cheaper.

Here’s the breakdown of my comparison, on a scale from 1 to 10:

While I may have turned to the dark side and sided with Five Guys for now, only time will tell if there is space for both burgers on this block.

And, for those not wanting either, Louis’ Lunch stays strong on Crown Street, offering the historic New Haven burger on white bread (no ketchup) the way it has always done.