Five Guys: Not Worth the Wait
By Ause Abdelhaq | Nov 21 2016
After the grand opening of the much anticipaited Five Guys, the new fast food diner in Dundrum Town Centre, Ause Abdelhaq investigates.[br]EVERY so often a restaurant will perfect their marketing strategy so that, by the time they open, everyone in the city knows that it’s happening. Five Guys, the new fast food diner in Dundrum Town Centre, is one such restaurant.To say that expectations were high would be an understatement. We have been barraged with article after article claiming that this place was the “diner to end all diners.” Any friends who had been to the States for a summer couldn’t stop talking about how excited they were that it was in Dublin at last. Honestly, I expected incredible food – and I wasn’t disappointed on that front.To their credit, Five Guys serve a really good burger. It’s obvious that the meat is of good quality, the toppings are well-sourced and the toasted bun is done to perfection. However, it’s not the highlight of the cuisine – that accolade is reserved for the gorgeous fries, which are the best I have ever had in a fast food place.Since I was with a friend, I was able to sample both the Five Guys and Cajun varieties – avoid the latter, simply because the former is so good. The malt milkshake was definetly dissapointing, both due to taste and consistency – their drinks will need some work to compete with Eddie Rockets.Unfortunately, good food is where the positive part of this review stops. While it’s true that the food is the most important part of any meal, it’s not the only things that matters. Starting with the most glaring problem: the price. I bought a burger, regular fries and a milkshake and I spent no less than €19.50. For fast food. I would understand the price if the portions were massive, but the burger was actually on the small side, to the point where it seemed like fries with a side of meat.Other problems include the size of the menu, which is tiny – within three visits, you’ll have tried everything on it. Don’t bother going if you’re a vegetarian, vegan or have any special dietary requirements. Also the diner has been dogged since opening with reports of hour-long queues – although this is probably just the result of overeager marketing and it will likely die down soon enough. Finally, the décor of the diner is self-indulgent and clichéd, a minor issue, but still annoying.Overall, Five Guys is genuinely audacious in how much it asks you to spend and, for the average college student, it won’t be a frequent haunt. That said, for those special occasions when you feel like splashing the cash, it does its food better than any other diner in the city. My recommendation would be to try it once – simply to have tried it, but I don’t see this particular establishment succeeding long term unless it brings the prices down. Eventually, everyone will have tried it and people will start either going to cheaper fast food places, or fancier gourmet spots.