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Dear AHT: Boston Five Guys No Good
Burger Barons,
The backround: I've been enjoying Five Guys since it made it to NYC in Queens as verified by AHT. It's been a must have when either the lines at Shake Shack make it possible to drive through the Midtown Tunnel into Queens before I could even order, or if I am forced to do the death march to Long Island to see the in-laws.
The good: I've been commuting between Boston and New York weekly for more than a year now. A welcome sight on my drive is the Five Guys in New Haven right off the Merritt Parkway. Same great Five Guys from when I was in college in DC, and same great Five Guys as in College Point.
The rub: I've been raving about Five Guys to everyone I know, and finally we made the trek from Boston to Foxboro to get Five Guys. It was no better than Burger King, and I think I'm being generous. I chocked up the first poor Five Guys experience to it being new, but three further outings have not improved. Dry, overcooked beef, cold fries, the longest wait ever for food, and none of the usual Five Guys goodness. I took the time to write to Five Guys, but never heard back.
I'm inclined to give up on Five Guys in the Boston area, the Foxboro location is worthless, the Dedham location is not much better, and Five Guys obviously interested in complaints. I'm happy to keep stopping at the 'good one' in New Haven, but what am I supposed to do when the location of the crave just sucks?
Thanks,
John
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Dear John,
First, if you're stopping off at Five Guys in New Haven and not at one of the many awesome mom-and-pop burger joints that you can find in Connecticut, you've already got a bigger problem than the lackluster burgers at the chain's Boston-area locations. ;)
I'm not sure if we can really help you here besides serving as a forum for you to air your grievances against the Boston Five Guys. It seems strange that all the locations there are subpar, but what can you do? If they're not listening, they're not listening. Then again, I have heard that 5G corporate reads AHT on a regular basis, so maybe they'll see your words here.
If they can't get the Boston-area 5Gs up to snuff, you'll be SOL, since I've heard that Boston is pretty bad for burgers in general.
Hope this helps!
Chars,
Adam